As perhaps the world’s biggest fan of the cinematic masterpiece that is Disney’s Aladdin, and a similar admirer of Melanie Dickerson’s previous work, I have greatly anticipated this novel. However, due to these aforesaid circumstances, and my extensive knowledge of all the subject matter, I have to warn readers that this review will likely come across as rather critical. (Oh, and also there will be spoilers of course!)

While I'd like to begin with a summary, this story had a lot of more separate parts that I think would be best to list in a more bulleted style:
- Ala ad'din is forced into thieving by the evil Mustapha, but is quickly removed by Priest from Hagenheim (and when I say quickly I mean very quickly) and given the name Aladdin, because the Priest misheard him and just decides that's what it's going to be from now on (which is great for reader pronunciation, but seems a bit sad when you think about the boy truly losing everything he's ever known including his name)
- Aladdin grows up with Kirstyn, Duke Wilhelm of Hagenheim's second daughter. Highlights include falling in love with her as an eight-year old and getting mauled by a bear.
- Aladdin heads off into the world to make a living, and the first person he encounters offers him a job.
- Aladdin does excellent business with Herr Kaufmann in Lüneberg, and gets to be like his second son; Herr Kaufmann offers Aladdin his daughter in marriage. Kirstyn is kidnapped by Herr Kaufmann's son and dragged around for about a year (the timeframes throughout the novel were slightly unclear)
- Eventually Kirstyn is found but is separated from Aladdin as he wishes to continue his business (there are some other weird complications involving Herr Kaufmann's daughter and son and lies but I won't get into those now). Kirstyn suffers PTSD.
- Aladdin moves back to Hagenheim and is again miraculously offered a job by the first person he meets. Him and Kirstyn do not go to each other, endlessly plagued by the "s/he doesn't love me"/"I cannot provide for him/her"/"s/he's too good for me" classic Dickerson complexes.
- A couple shady merchant plots later, an advice session from Kirstyn's big brother Valten, and a spicy trip to the castle tower and voila! Kirstyn's PTSD is miraculously healed, Aladdin gains success again, and they agree to marry in five days' time (what happened to waiting a few weeks to cry the bans?) and they all lived happily ever after! (Oh and also they opened an orphanage and adopted Abu. Not the monkey, he's actually a kid. And he's only like 9 years younger than Kirstyn which is a little odd but that's besides the point)
- The end.

So, my problem with the overall plot was that it felt like there were just so many things being squeezed into it. But then, there wasn't enough room in the story to properly develop these important features, and so they were quickly resolved and set aside (as you can see by my somewhat cynical remarks in parentheses). I am very wary of this in a book. If there is a tragedy, make it tragic, let the characters simmer in the emotion. Don't resolve that situation right away.
And honestly, there really is no need to fit all these things into the book. Simplicity is preferable if it means more development for the plot.

Another thing that frustrated me about this book was the main character flaw and development with both Aladdin and Kirstyn. Aladdin’s flaw is that he’s kinda a perfectionist. He feels like he needs to be perfect and do all these things in order to be successful in life. I can relate to that idea, but I don’t know if it was portrayed as well as it could have been. Kirstyn kept saying that he felt like he needed to be perfect, but to me it just seemed like he was trying to make a living in general. Then, in the end he resolves to not be perfect anymore, and the way it happens just seems so odd to me and kind of sudden and disjointed. However, Aladdin really isn’t the problem. The main issue I had was with Kirstyn.

Kirstyn feels forgotten, ignored, and unloved by her family. This is pretty much the first time in the series that we see the Hagenheim family as anything but the perfect loving family. I’m fine with the idea of an imperfect family, but again, the way it is portrayed in this novel just didn’t make sense to me. I think this is because I know the family; I know Wilhelm and Rose, I know the siblings, and I know their capacity and ability for love for their family. I mean the fact that we already know that Kirstyn exists in the former books proves that she hasn’t been forgotten by her siblings. However, let’s assume that she doesn’t see that and still feels unseen and unloved. That's fine. That's essentially the point of this novel: for Kirstyn to develop as a character. Which she does, but in a way that I find quite unsettling. One line that still haunts me is:
"And I had to get kidnapped to realize how much my family loves me."
I just... I'm not sure how I feel about that. It’s a rather alarming sentiment, to say the least. And Kirstyn herself throughout the novel seems a little unstable. Not in a real-life sense though. More like she was an underdeveloped character, much as I hate to say it.
Another thing that I really didn't appreciate was when she kept telling Aladdin that she needed him. She needed him to leave his life and sacrifice everything for her. I think it's okay for a character to be selfish and need their significant other and even ask them to give up everything for them, but there didn't seem to be any self-reflection, guilt or justification that went through her mind, and just didn't seem to make sense to me.

However, in a way, I think that her and Aladdin complete each other, and while they might not make complete sense on their own, each fractured half makes a mended whole, which is really how it ought to be. In the end, everyone ends up with their happily ever after and all is well.

And again, please note that though my review may seem overly critical, I did heartily enjoy this book, and think I speak for most when I say that it was a delicious piece of literature that I am sure to be picking up again!


**I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Melanie Dickerson once again proved her unique ability to take a well known fairy tale, rework it and make it into a spiritual take. This go round, she takes on the story of Aladdin. We meet him as a young boy whose mother had just died and he must find a way to support himself as an orphan. He is taken in by a greedy crook who forced Aladdin to steal. Then a kind priest take a him in and shelters him and introduced Aladdin to Christ. I love fairy tales and enjoy how Dickerson puts her special skin on them. Haven't missed a one!

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of This book via Net Galley. The opinion stated here is entirely my own.
2 li

Oh My Goodness! Where has this author been all my life?!?!?!?! Christian Aladdin Retelling!! Just yes!!!!!!

Abu was well written, (and probably ONE of the best  characters in the book). Aladdin (be still my heart!) was so well written that you see how the trauma he endured as a child shaped him to who he was. Kirstyn was amazing as well, you really see so much character growth for both of them. You see how they both respect boundaries while they alone and the fact that love is holding them together. Even though he is promised to someone else but in love with another, the boundaries remain clear.

This book is very clean and a slow burn romance. It didn't feel like anything was forced or rushed. It felt like it came natural. The world building was superbly done. You can almost see, and touch the world they are in as its so vividly written.

I loved how this book grew with them from children all the way up. I feel you get a better sense of who people are and a much better respect for the characters as you see what drives them. I was glued from the into till the last page. A one click read indeed!

5/5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review""

This is the 8th book in Melanie Dickerson's Hagenheim series. If you aren't familiar with this series don't worry, you can easily pick up this book and not be confused. Each book in this series can serve as a standalone novel.

The Orphan's Wish is a loosely based retelling of Aladdin. I say loosely based because Dickerson changes a lot of the events and background of the character Aladdin in this story. If you are looking for a retelling that is extremely accurate to the original tale then this book may night be for you.

Overall:
I enjoyed this story. Basically, this book is more mature version of a fairytale. It has all of the usual components of a fairytale--besides magic-- while also containing more mature content. It’s perfect for older audiences seeking fairytale type stories.

Characters and character growth:
First of all, I love that Dickerson decided to change one aspect of a typical fairytale: the prince rescuing the damsel in distress. When Kirstyn is kidnapped it is neither Aladdin nor her father that rescue her from her captors. Kirstyn saves herself by taking an opportunity to escape. I really loved this aspect of the book! In regards to character growth, Kirstyn grew a lot during her time apart from both Aladdin and her father. Her kidnapping helped her realize how fortunate she is to have her life and family back home. This realization only reinforces Kirstyn's lifelong dream of opening an orphanage, so that all children feel loved and accepted. As the story progresses, Kirstyn also grows to realize that although she may feel neglected, in a family of 8 children, her parents love her just as much as her other siblings.

Aladdin's character, on the other hand, is growing throughout the whole novel. Due to his past (being an orphan), Aladdin wishes to make a great fortune so that others will see him as worthy--worthy enough to ask for Kirstyn's hand in marriage. It takes a while, but by the end of the book Aladdin realizes he was wrong. Kirstyn has never cared about how much money he has, all she has ever wanted from him was himself. It's in this moment that Aladdin stumbles upon the realization that he was always good enough for her in her eyes. He was just too blinded by his insecurities to see it.

My One Complaint:
This story felt a bit slow a couple of times. Towards the end of the book, in particular, I would find myself skipping over several passages so that I could find a more action packed, interesting passage. If you like a slower paced novel then this book is perfect for you. I just felt it lagged too much in certain areas of the book. Other than that, I truly did enjoy this story. I just wasn't a fan of the pacing.

This is a well written book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I found it to be a very sweet coming of age story. Melanie does a great job of taking you on a wonderful journey. This author is a master at character development. Our two main characters meet at a very young age. Aladdin has grown up poor and all alone. He meets Kirstyn, a beautiful young daughter of the duke of Hagenheim, at a birthday party. Lady Rose, Kirstyn's mom, is the patroness of the orphanage where Aladdin lives. Despite the big differences between the two of them, they become best friends who are inseparable. As time goes on and they grow older their feelings start to change toward each other. It happens for Aladdin a little quicker than for Kirstyn who is a few years younger. I love the way Melanie was able to draw hope out of the darkness in this story. She was able to keep me guessing until the end. And then left me wanting more. I would recommend this wonderful story. I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through NetGalleys. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was touching and this small boy went thru so much. The man that took him from his mother's body taught him how to steal. He tried to steal from a knight and got caught. The priest traveling with the knight decided to take Ala ad din with them. They got to the town of Hegenheim where the priest lived. when the priest died he went to the orphanage where he met Lady Kirstyn. She is the daughter of the duke there and she likes to play with the children. As time goes by they are great friends.
This similar to Alba and the 40 thieves. The are differences but it still a good story.
The characters seem so real, but when they are bad they really are. bad. The plot twists around and makes a story that keeps your attention, it is mesmerizing. I loved the part where the kids play Blind's man Bluff or when they went to the Forest, to enjoy the day.

The Orphan’s Wish
Melanie Dickerson

Dickerson has done it again with a sweet fairytale inspired novel. I am a sucker for fairytales and she did not disappoint. I loved the twist on the Aladdin tale and enjoyed every part of the novel. There was a lot of story packed into this book and I felt like I grew to know that characters more than her previous works. The novel kept me reading, and I didn’t want to put it down needing to know what happened next.

Such a sweet, adventurous novel. A definite must read!

A really wonderful book that touches on realistic struggles and presents well formed characters growing through those struggles. I highly suggest this book! Also, the romance is wonderfully portrayed and, I think, really does show a relationship that can prove to be an uplifting example in this day and age. Thank you Mrs. Dickerson for this little piece of joy!

This absorbing story by Melanie Dickerson is exactly what you would expect it to be: A Christian fairytale with the author’s own imaginative retelling of the story of Aladdin. She sets Aladdin’s tale in Germany, instead of the Middle East, and he interacts with some of the other characters in the Hagenheim realm. It’s a sweet, clean tale of growing up, friendship, love, and hope.

If you want your fairytale to be be “modern” and address specific issues from that viewpoint. then this isn’t the book for you. If you don’t want to read “flowery” phrases, then skip this one. But this is exactly what I hoped it would be: A lovely, captivating fairytale filled with action, suspense, and romance. Aladdin is portrayed as a young man of faith and honor who struggles at times with his own imperfections, but learns from his own mistakes. Aladdin and Kristyn have to go through many struggles on their way to their happily-ever-after. But isn’t that one of the things that makes a good fairytale?

I always enjoy a good fairytale. I loved this book.

I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Orphaned at age five in the Holy Land, Aladdin is found by a master thief and forced to steal from market goers. But when he tries to steal from a knight and gets caught, a priest takes pity on the boy, adopts him, and brings him home to the orphanage in Hagenheim. There he grows up in close proximity to the duke's family, becoming an inseparable friend of the duke's daughter Kristyn. But as they grow older, their friendship cannot help but change....

Unsure whether Kristyn even cares for him in a romantic way, Aladdin leaves Hagenheim to make his way in the world and earn enough wealth to enable him to win her. His accounting skills and quick wits stand him in good stead, and he becomes partner to a merchant in a nearby city. But when news reaches him that Kirstyn has been kidnapped by a mysterious brigand named Michael, Aladdin must try every possible lead to find his one true love.

This book was a unique retelling of the Aladdin story. I must admit, I was expecting it to stay in the Middle East instead of moving immediately to the German-esque town of Hagenheim, but many of the key elements of the Aladdin story were there, including his little friend Abu, a capricious merchant/sultan, and Aladdin's uncanny ability to turn a profit in business endeavors (even without a genie to grant wishes). The plot surrounding Kirstyn's kidnapping had some interesting elements to it, as did the aftermath of her rescue.

I have read a few of the other books in this series, books focusing on Kirstyn's siblings and their fairy tale romances with other characters. This book was, unfortunately, my least favorite of the bunch. A large part of my dislike for this book lay in Aladdin's behavior. His character flaw, which is continually spelled out for the reader, is that he tries to be perfect, but cannot be, and in the end, needs to trust in God's perfection. He is a people-pleaser, never wanting others to be disappointed in him. This gets him into hot water as he practices avoidance instead of facing his duty like a man, and it made him--to my mind--a very unattractive male lead. Although the book described him as tall and handsome, I couldn't help cringing during the romantic parts, because he was so decidedly un-masculine. While it is normal for YA books to be more straightforward in exposition and narrative style, I would have enjoyed a little more subtlety in the narrative and dialogue.

Fans of fairy tale re-tellings may enjoy this book, but if you are new to Melanie Dickerson, I recommend giving one of her other books a try first.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Melanie Dickerson is amazing! Her twist on one of my top favorite fairy-tales, Aladdin, is phenomenal! Granted, it was a bit slow at the start, but once I got passed the first few chapters, it picked right up. I couldn't put it down. The story is an inspiration and refreshing to read. It was just so good.

I enjoyed Melanie Dickerson's new vision of the Aladdin's story in The Orphan's Wish. This eighth installment from the Hagenheim series was wonderful! I love how Aladdin and Kirstyn interacted with one another.
I would give The Orphan’s Wish 4 ½ stars and recommend it. Melanie Dickerson fans will not be disappointed. Great read!

This one just wasn't my jam--a bit too slow on the uptake and too many flashbacks. It just didn't have the "it" factor.

Very nice read. I really enjoyed how much of the relationship we got to see between Kirsten and Aladdin, childhood to epilogue, though I was disappointed there was no Jasmine in the story. I can understand wanting to incorporate it into a previous group of characters but other story's were the beginning of different time periods and setting so why couldn't this one have been? I did like the incorporation of the story of Aladdin and Abu into a new twist though, that is so characteristic of Dickerson. The story had a nice flow and ongoing development of suspense, though the was a dip in the middle where things stretched a bit too unrealistically long. Why had Michael kept her a prisoner so long? It was a long time to have to hide her, feed her and wait out his revenge ...for no apparent reason. Still the story played out uniquely and with enough intrigue and romance I thought a very nice read overall. I really like that Dickersons main character are those of upstanding moral and religious character. I really like reading about characters I would want to aspire to be more like. Imperfect, but striving to be the best they can for the right reasons. Encourages me to do the same. I would recommend it :) ... though not quite as enthusiastically as some of Dickersons other books. I am also reading an ARC and know that it is not the final draft copy to the book, so these are my impressions of the copy I read. Hope you enjoy it too!

Another beautiful accomplishment of a retelling by Melanie Dickerson. I wish there were more authors like her—with the desire to write clean, sweet, inspirational teen fiction with a base in faith. This retelling of Aladdin was quite enjoyable. I loved the slow-blossoming childhood friendship that took these two main characters—Aladdin and Kirstyn—into maturity, and discovering their devotion to each other had grown into that deeply-abiding love. Aladdin can’t help but dream of making his own way, with the desire to be worthy of Kirstyn. But a separation is trying for both these tender, young hearts.

We spend the first several chapters witnessing that childhood friendship in chunks a few years apart, until they are young adults, but we get to revisit moments from that developing friendship in recalled memories—short and sweet, so as not to distract from the main storyline. These memories are what sustains them as the physical miles between them grow. I was anxious to see how they would be reunited!

The timeline in the middle of the book had some gaps and some unexplained moments and jumps that kind of threw me and confused me. Like, why was it taking so long for our one main character to get from point A to point B? I was surprised at how much time had passed and what had happened to explain those missing weeks/months. It could have used more clarity and smooth transition points there.

Through her trials, though, Kirstyn is seen as spunky and brave, and when danger comes calling she rises to face it with determination and faith that God will see her through it all. Aladdin is wise and resourceful, and his love and devotion to Kirstyn sees him through—giving him strength and endurance. His intense desire to be pleasing to those around him while his heart is elsewhere causes some err in his decision making—but he tries so hard to rectify, that there is no doubt what a good young man he is.

I think The Orphan’s Wish is a story worthy of adding to the collection of other books in this series. Each book cover just gets more and more beautiful! Although not a favorite—for which The Healer’s Apprentice and The Princess Spy are the two best in my opinion—it is still a very good story and I would recommend it. This can be read as a stand-alone, as with any of the books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book for me started slow, but once I got through the first few chapters, I had a VERY hard time putting it down. I read the majority of the book in less than a day! There were a few twists and turns that made my stomach plummet into my toes and I didn't know how the characters would recover. Wonderful story!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Loved it! Ms Dickerson has serious skills wrapping a fictional novel with a fairy tale. Exceptional!!

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists,
and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive
reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this
in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Melanie is skilled at taking a well known story and making it her own, which she has done again in The Orphan's Wish! I also enjoyed the German influences of the story.

This particular book of Melanie's seemed much more loosely based that some of her others, that said, it was a unique twist to the Aladdin story with Christian themes that many young adults can connect with. 

Kirstyn and Aladdin's love story is a cute friendships to more development. I found that as they met when they were both quite young the writing style fit quite well, but as they grew I would have liked to see the writing voice grow with them, it almost felt like they were still too young to be getting married by the end of the book. 

There was one plot point that seemed in-congruent with the rest of the character. The wealthy merchant Herr Kaufmann seems to have made his way in the world and established his wealth quite well before Aladdin, but the flounders without him. It seemed inconsistent with the character she introduced us to, for him to face financial difficulty without Aladdin. His illness addressed this somewhat, but not enough to explain financial ruin. 

The undertones of feeling not good enough, broken or unloved, were woven into the story quite well. There are so many young adults that can connect with those feelings of inadequacy that it's beautiful to see stories that are willing to address such emotional driven topics for youth, and do it well.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have to say from the first beginning where this book had a title, I was excited. I love Melanie Dickerson's work completely. I am a big fan of Aladdin and this retelling was a clever spin on the enchanting tale.

I love how this book is different from her others since most of them involve meeting the two characters for the first time when they are adults while this one starts with our two leads meeting very early on as children.

The characters were very relatable and the story easy to follow. Another winner for this great author.

I highly recommend this for ages 13 and up for some mild (not graphic) violence.