This was the ARC included with the December FairyLoot book box. It was definitely not the ARC I had thought it was going to be [nor was it the ARC I was hoping against hope it would be], but I decided to give it a go anyway.

This book was definitely different than I anticipated it being.

Let me start off by saying this book is modern. Like modern modern. I'm not saying this as a detriment to it, but more as a heads-up. If you like your fantasy novels to be set in some unspecified time or some time in the past, this book isn't for you. We're talking homo/bisexual love interests, gender-neutral pronouns, the works. Now, not every character falls into some "modern" category. But they do exist, and fairly predominantly, so, if that isn't your thing - this book isn't for you. The author's attempt to add these characters and make it feel smooth falls a little short. There was at least one chapter where the mixture of gender-neutral pronouns and everyone else in the scene led to confusion. Make sure to keep that in mind as you go into this read.

That being said, this book is definitely unique, even outside the modern modern feel of it. It plays with a lot of expected stereotypes - but it doesn't feel maybe as smooth as it should. A lot of times, people say something like, "It does [this thing that's not normal] but you almost didn't realize it was doing that, it felt so smooth/natural/etc. that you barely noticed." That is not true for this book. This book feels very much like the modern modern feel of it was shoved in your face and almost smothers you with it. It's not necessarily unpleasant or bad, but it is present. The modern feel is something you're constantly aware of.

This book also plays with the history of the world a bit. It adds countries, adds magic to historical events, changes and adds historical events by way of the presence of magic, and the world is a mixture of familiar and foreign. The introduction to this knowledge, while not exactly smooth or clear, isn't done brutally or badly, exactly. It definitely reads like a YA novel, which isn't a bad thing, but it isn't a more mature YA novel, even though it has some slightly more mature YA content.

This book is hard to explain to anyone, especially without spoilers to explain the differences from your typical YA fantasy book.

Alright, so, recommendation: if you're looking for a unique, very modern YA fantasy novel, I'd say this is one worth trying out. If not, though, I highly suggest steering clear.

While I wouldn't say this book was bad, by any means, I don't know that I'll pick up the sequel. Or, if I do, I doubt I'll be pre-ordering it, or snagging it shortly after release. This might be a book I try to check out of a library, if they have it, or borrowing some other way rather than owning it for myself.

Why not? Because it didn't grip me. It's not making me feel dying to know what happens next. I'm not demanding the next book like I have with The Nevernight Chronicles or Serpent & Dove or Ninth House or Aurora Rising or a handful of other YA and adult books. That being said, if I knew someone who read it and wanted me to read it so they could chat about it, I might be up to doing that.

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. IF YOU READ FURTHER AND ARE SURPRISED BY SPOILERS, YOU AREN'T PAYING ATTENTION. LIKE, AT ALL.**

I have nothing against the gender-neutral pronoun use [nor the fun, nerdy reference to their name being Loki], but the execution leaves something to be desired. It led to confusion on more than one occasion, and I frequently found myself getting Ken and Loki confused. I don't know if that was due to their personality/dialogue being similar or the weird way in which Ken and Loki were introduced or what. The introduction of West, Loki, and Ken was confusing, West mainly sticking out because of how different he is from literally everyone else. West is hard to confuse with anyone else.

I like the drama that's caused by their being a common love interest between two characters - mainly because it isn't your typical love triangle. It's a shared love interest of the same boy - but between a girl and a boy rather than two girls. That might be the only thing about the sequel I'm interested in. I want to know if the shared love interest is a closeted gay or closeted bi-sexual guy and how that all plays out. But that's about it, honestly. I have very little vested interest in the actual plot line, the future of the [semi-] saved kingdom, and most of the characters. The love interest of the main character feels rather cliché - the mis-understood, traumatized, sad-story boy that the main character can't help but be drawn to. It's not a trope I haven't enjoyed in the past - nor is it a trope I think I'll dislike going forward. But, this time, it doesn't feel well executed. I don't particularly care what happens to that boy, broken or not.

I don't mean to make this book sound awful. There were definitely spots I enjoyed, and times I wanted to keep reading and see what happened next. But those moments weren't frequent, nor were they strong enough, at the end, to make me look up if the next release date was announced yet or make a note to keep my eye on it in the future.

Wicked As You Wish is a fun quest/adventure story that blends modern history and culture with fairytales and legends. There are knights and traveling by horse, but also cars, internet and Carly Rae Jepsen—and then there are glyphs and spelltech. Real countries are referenced, but there are also kingdoms like Avalon. Initially, this can be difficult to adjust to, as an overwhelming number of names are dropped. But if you love mysterious prophesies and seeing how they unfold, this book has plenty of those!

The main character, Tala, is Filipino and I loved the aspects of Filipino culture and language that were incorporated in the story. The supporting characters are also diverse in various ways, and I loved learning about which fairytale stories they were each related to. Family and friendship are both key themes of the book, and the seeds for a few romance storylines were been planted. However, there were so many characters that there wasn't enough time to develop them all as well as I would have liked.

I felt like this book will appeal to younger readers in the YA age range - preteens and younger teens. If I were in that age range, I think I would have really enjoyed this book, the same way I would've enjoyed a watching a Disney Channel Original Movie.

I wanted to love this. I feel like I start too many reviews that way. But here we are. I didn’t hate this and I think I WILL continue with the rest of the series, but I found myself confused through most of this.

I think that Rin Chupeco did incredible with her world building and the amount of different characters she has created in this book. But with so many, I found that a lot of them we one dimensional and a bit dull. I found myself sadly bored through a lot of this.

I was confused throughout so much because you are basically thrown into the magical system and with so much going on all the time, it was a bit overwhelming.

What I loved was the writing. I will give myself some time and maybe try a reread of this to see if I am not giving it the five star chance that I could be giving it. I’m giving this a four star instead of a three star only because I am curious if it was me. Like I am reading this at the wrong time and if I had more focus on it, I would better be able to understand the characters and the goings on.

I am so thankful to @sourcebooks and @NetGalley for the arc provided in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

While I already own a book by Rin Chupeco, this is the first book I’ve read by her and it will honestly not be the last.

This story combines real life with the fairy-tales that we all know and love. This story did take me a little while to get in to and at the beginning the whole magic system really confused me but I’m glad I stuck with the book and kept an open mind. I ended up unable to put the book down once I hit the second half of the book.

I found myself really like the group of characters who embark on this journey, especially Tala who has completely been thrown out of her element but still remains strong. Her whole life has been toppled over and she’s struggling to come to terms with the new information she’s been given but she fights on to protect Alex.

I had my issues with Alex. I understand that he is going through a lot in this book, but I ended up getting incredibly frustrated with him and his attitude towards the group when their main mission is to keep him safe. He’s incredibly reckless and I just wanted to scream at him every time he showed up in a scene.

Overall this was an enjoyable read once I got passed the confusing world building and the magic system. Rin Chupeco has created a captivating, vivid and imaginative world that I cannot wait to delve back into.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I tried very hard to push myself through this book. It had a lot of great concepts and potential, but it ultimately fell flat for me. The characters were really under-developed and the novel drops you in the middle of a setting and continues on like you're supposed to know what's going on. The only thing I enjoyed was the blend of fantasy and magical realism. Try as I might, I was unable to continue the book with my growing disinterest in it.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Rin Chupeco's most recent release, Wicked As You Wish, follows Tala, a member of the cursed Makiling line who can negate the effects of magic. Tala's story takes place in a world where fairy tale places exist in conjunction with actual places, though things have changed due to their inclusion. The United States are now the Royal States, for example. Neverland, Avalon, and Wonderland all come up along the way. Tala and the descendants of the elite guard called Bandersnatches must see their future king home safely. The Snow Queen and her henchfolk try to prevent that and steal the future king's firebird. Does it seem like a lot? It's a lot.

The concept for this book was something I was so very excited about. I love the idea of incorporating fairytale places with the actual world and moving forward from there. I love bloodline associated magic and magical objects. There was POC representation and queer rep and trans rep. All great things. But that was pretty much where my fondness ended was at the concept level.

The first third of the book was a lot of unnatural and inorganic info-dumping in an attempt at world-building. Good info to have about the world for sure. But there were so many topics covered so quickly that it was off-putting. Some things were barely touched on, and might have been more important to know. Other things were heavily discussed and wound up unimportant. I can wade through an info dump with the best of them, but woo buddy were we in deep. I even would have been okay with it had everything been relevant, but not everything was and I honestly still don't know how the magic system completely works. I know there are glyphs and patents and enchanted objects and the law of equivalent exchange. But those things do not, alone, a cohesive magic system make.

I can overlook a lot of errors if I'm invested in characters. Unfortunately, there wasn't a ton of time devoted to character-building early on. Most of the character-building work was happening when other things were going wrong. Which also would have been fine and natural if I had enough information to care about them to begin with, but I didn't.

I honestly would have DNFed this book if it had not been a review copy and had not been from a "big name" author who I had heard a lot of good things about. This may be evidence that Rin Chupeco's writing style just isn't for me, as I have previously read The Bone Witch and found it just okay (which I may have mistakenly blamed on the audiobook at the time).

I recognize this may be just me and the author not meshing, and have bumped up my star rating to reflect the redeeming qualities of the book since other folks may not have the issues I did.

I felt as though there was simply too much going on for most of the book. The world is intricate and magical and it was interesting, but it was also difficult to understand. It would have been nice to get a bit more background on what was going on with everything before dropping into the middle of it all. The characters were great and I liked the relationships between them. But once again, I just couldn't entirely connect with them. It was an overall interesting idea for a story, but I think this one just wasn't for me.

I was lucky enough to be invited to join The Order of The Bandersnatch Street Team to promote this fantastic book and if you are on the fence about pre-ordering, get off, go and do it now!

This is a world where all our fairytales are real, where magic is normal (though governed) and where things aren't ever quite what you expect.

Tala Warnock and the Avalonian crown prince in hiding, Alex, become friends in a magic negating town in the Royal States of America. After the Snow Queen devastated his country, leaving it under a layer of ice, the only hope to return it to a liveable land, is for the famed firebird (so far, so cute, and so sassy!) to turn up on Alex's 18th birthday.

So, full disclosure, the first 15/20% of this book I enjoyed, but I struggled with, just a little.
There seemed to be a lot, but also not a lot happening (you gotta lay the groundwork, I get that), and at times - with extended family and neighbours, trying to fully figure out the alternate world, it's history and its magic system - I felt a little lost. I am really hoping that the final version has a map. It needs a map, and maybe a glossary of the spelltech, that would be awesome :)

*Side note - Also, if I could get recipes for all the food I would be very grateful because it sounds amazing and I need to make it all, even peanut butter burgers!*

But, and it's an important but, despite feeling a little lost, I was enjoying it. A lot!

Tala and Alex were regular kids, magic, curses, and royal blood aside, and it was a refreshing change. They were going to school, blushing when their crush asked them out, and bargaining with parents so they could attend the party of the year.

But then the shit hit the fan, and this awesome story went from 0 to 60 in a single bound.

The firebird (one sassy, sassy, firebird!) turns up, we make new friends at school, and after an unexpected betrayal, an exposed secret, a battle with ogres and a daring escape, our Banders find themselves in the last place they expected, the frozen land of Avalon.

Now here, they are put to the test, Alex becomes a massive jerk (and there is still something I don't fully trust about him)Tala, still reeling from discovering the truth about *bleep*, realises that she should have asked more questions about her own history and our new friends, Zoe, Ken, West, Loki, and Cole, are going to have their work cut out getting Alex to Maidenkeep to break the Snow Queens curse.

I loved the natural development of the friendships once they got there and had to rely on each other, and the introduction of more chatacters to love was seemless. I really like that certain people have a lot more to them than it initially appears, and I am actually really excited for the continuing story with Tala and *bleep bleep* and the *bleep bleep* and the *bleep bleep* throwing a huge twist in right at the end.

I am very much looking forward to seeing the finished version of this, and to the next part, which honestly, cannot come fast enough.

The final thing I would like to say about this book is that it covers some really, very relevant, issues, and I, for one, am glad they've been said.
Things that should be as simple as they are depicted, like accepting a persons preference in pronouns and it not being an issue.
The way that history if often taught in such a one sided manner, so as to favour the victors, and that you can't always believe what you are told simply because it's seeminly come from a position of power.
It was actually really good to see the Armenian Genocide referred to as such, even if it was as part of an 'alternate history ' especially as my Great-Grandfather survived (and eventually thrived) by settling in Iran.
And I think the most telling thing, is the fact that despite the Ice Wolves, Shades, Ogres, Ice Maidens, Deathless, and even the Snow Queen herself, the most feared 'enemy' are ICE.

This book has a dedication of sorts at the front.
"Felipe Gómez Alonzo,
Jakelin Caal,
Claudia Patricia Gómez González.
Remember their names."
And if you don't already know who they are, go and google them.

Alexei is hiding in a town where magic does work. Why is he hiding? Because he is the last person in the Avalon royal bloodline, and the mean witch has frozen his land. Tala doesn't care her best friend has secrets she has some too. But when on Alex's birthday the firebird appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala unite with some others and go to get Alex's kingdom back.

I don't even know where to start, this book is so cool, it mashes up so many different stories that can keep you reading this book just to see what comes next. But don't forget the main story line because that will have you reading pass your bedtime. The story is wonderful and the characters work so well together, and it is a book that will even hold a reluctant readers interest. I really hope there is a sequel.

This will appear on my blog March 3rd.

Dnf at 20%. Unfortunately I’m not as interested in this as I thought I was and the world was a bit hard to wrap my head around.

I just finished Wicked As You Wish and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. It was fairy tale mixed with current social issues. The United States was now the Royal State of America and California wasn't a part of it. The early part of the book took place there. ICE agents were always looking for people there illegally. Magic was banned in the Royal States of America. If anyone was caught using it, they could be imprisoned or deported. Tala had been living with her parents in a small town in Arizona. Magic barely worked there. The last prince of Avalon, thought dead, showed up in Arizona to be hidden. His home was frozen by the Snow Queen. Twelve years earlier, there was a Wonderland War. Magic and curses had an exchange to use them. You have to give something up, a sacrifice. For Tala and her mom, magic doesn't work on them. They can stop a spell from working. They're Makilings and that is their power.

The firebird was to arrive on Alex's eighteenth birthday and he was to take back Avalon. A group of protectors showed up to help Alex escape. Zoe, Ken, Loki, and West were sent by the Cheshire. Another boy, Cole, showed up saying he was sent there for the same reason. They need to escape through a mirror/magic portal, but there are things getting in their way. Ogres and shades mostly. There are ice maidens that work for the Snow Queen as well as ice wolves. The ice maidens are immortal. Another creature is a deathless, basically a zombie. The group of kids come across multiple women who could see the future. Their prophecies didn't make a lot of sense, but each kid was given theirs. Later on, they have another girl added to their group. Her name is Naya and she's escaping so she's not forced to marry.

Not only do these kids risk their lives encountering challenges along the way, but they also find out secrets about themselves and others along the way. They were told that there was a traitor among them, but no one is sure who it is. Some friendships were formed and others were partially changed.

The concept of this book was really cool. I loved the magic and the world. But I was really confused in the beginning. I think there was an information overload for me at times. I would confuse family members and places. I wish that would have been built a bit slower. It took me until 50-60% to really get invested in the story.

I gave this book 3 stars. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my earc.

"Chapter 14: in which objects in mirrors are closer than they appear."

Rating: 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed Wicked as you Wish and its diverse group of adventuring youngsters! I had no idea what to expect of this book; I certainly wasn't expecting all the humour in both the chapter headings (see above) and the banter - I laughed out loud quite a few times. 😂
To be fair, I had some trouble with the world building. It is quite extensive, with nudges to all sorts of stories and fairytales - even now I'm still not sure whether I understood it all. Especially considering the group of characters was pretty big, it took me most of the book to figure out who was who. 😂 Still, loved the diversity and the adventure! Really anxious to see where this is going in the next book because... that ending? 😯

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish this title. I made it approximately 30% of the way through before counting this one as a DNF. While I applaud how ambitious the scope of this novel appeared to be, there was a jumble of fairy tale references, named characters, and plot elements tossed at the reader with no rhyme or reason. In trying to do everything, nothing stuck for me, so while other people may love it, this one wasn't for me.

There are a hundred names for magic in the Tagalog language but no matter what you call it, Makilings can negate it. This long line of Filipina warriors can render spells and modern spelltech useless. At least, that's the idea. Tala Warnock is still getting the hang of it.

Even as a novice, Tala's unique ability will come in handy when her best friend Alex has to  journey to Avalon--one of the Royal States of America's neighboring kingdoms--to reclaim his throne. The only problem? For the past twelve years Avalon has been encased in ice and largely impenetrable with its residents trapped in an enchanted slumber.

Guided by the firebird--a creature thought to have shifted from reality to myth--Tala and a ragtag group of misfits from the Order of the Bandersnatch will have to work together to get Alex safely into Avalon and back on his throne in Wicked As You Wish (2020) by Rin Chupeco.

Wicked As You Wish is the start of Chupeco's A Hundred Names For Magic duology. Close third person narration keeps the focus primarily on Tala. The breakneck pacing of the opening chapters does not let up as Tala is thrown headfirst into her world's political conflicts and her own parents' murky roles in the recent war.

Chupeco's world building draws on varied fairy tales and myths (both western and non-western) to create a dynamic alternate reality filled with magic and mayhem along with a somewhat on-the-nose nod to the current USA president in the form of King Muddles. A large ensemble cast, snappy dialog, and the general madcap pacing keep the story moving while also keeping Tala in the dark about a lot of the larger plots at play.

Wicked As You Wish is a frenetic, zany series starter with an inclusive and distinct cast of characters. Recommended for readers who like their fantasies fast, funny, and full of adventure.

Possible Pairings: The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde, A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, Enchanted by Alethea Kontis, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige, The Accidental Highwayman by Ben Tripp, A Well-Timed Enchantment by Vivian Vande Velde

*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*

Look, I am going to be completely honest with you here.

There is so much going on and it is hard to keep track of all the different characters and storyline.

I understand authors are under immense pressure to be inclusive but sometimes less is more. You don't have to represent everything for the sake of it if it takes away from your story.

I'm half way through at the moment. It is a bit of a struggle to get through each chapter but I'm sure my rating won't change but I'll update this review if it does

Plot: 4 stars
Characters: 3 stars
Writing Style: 3 stars
Cover: 3 stars
Representation: 5 stars
Humor: 5 stars
Enjoyment: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars

This is such an interesting premise! Rin Chupeco merges history and fairy tales to create a very unique world where our MCs are opposed by both the Snow Queen and ICE (yes, *that* ICE) because they're hiding in Arizona but from the Phillipines and/or magical kingdoms and therefore illegal immigrants, brown, or both. Also the chapter titles are hilarious.

There were some issues with the writing style for me: mostly that it was a lot of telling, that it took a really long time to become invested with the characters, and that there was some present/past confusion.

I really *really* liked the Fillipino representation (food, language, culture, names, family, etc) which is something I've not really come across in a book before.

I also LOVED the humor. The chapter titles were wonderfully funny and the writing often had a sly wittiness that I enjoyed.

The plot was super twisty -- especially near the end! I don't even know who to trust anymore! -- but it was also a little hard to decipher what was going on at times. There was also so much action right from the start that it became somewhat boring, and the attachment to the characters suffered - so much so that near the middle I almost put it down and gave up. Luckily, I was drawn back into it once they were in Avalon and found my interest hooked.

Overall I really enjoyed it, though I think it could have used a bit less action at the beginning and a bit more focus on developing the emotional attachment to the characters. I will definitely be planning to pick up the sequel when it comes out because of those last few chapters and their twists.

A dozen years before...The Wonderland Wars between the kingdom of Avalon and Beira's ruler the Snow Queen ends with Avalon becomes inaccessible and incased in ice, the Snow Queen is missing, and Wonderland is wiped off the map. Alexi Tsarevich, the sole survivor of the Avalon's royal family is placed in hiding until he can come of age, fulfil the prophecy, and reclaim his kingdom.
Present day Invierno, AZ...In a town where magic doesn't work, Tala Makiling Warnock lives with her family and other magical citizens seek refuge. Tala has the ability to negate magic and disrupt spells, a dangerous ability to possess. When Alex is brought to Invierno for safe-keeping, he and Tala become friends. The arrival of the prophesized firebird puts Tala and Alex in the hands of an unlikely cast of bodyguards in order to safeguard his return Avalon.

Wicked As You Wish, a new YA fantasy series by Rin Chupeco, was one of my most anticipated reads for 2020. With firebirds, magic, prophesies, good vs evil battles what's not to love. Although the series has a lot of potential, some elements of this first novel left me feeling a bit disappointed. The world building is a mishmash of elements and characters from several fairytales and folklore legends which are combined with a rather complex magical system...hence the hundred names for magic. Although this has been done before, here it just felt a bit disconnected and left me feeling overwhelmed and confused at points. I have no love for Alex's character and Tala felt a bit underwhelming as well. What I did enjoy about this book was the diverse cast of fantastic characters who possess some unique and interesting abilities and weapons. The plot does improve and it had some really good elements as the story continued. The firebird is not what you expect and is quite the character. I also enjoyed how the chapter titles where prophetic of the misadventures ahead. What I hope to see as the story continues is some growth in Tala's character in which she becomes more compelling and her renowned abilities become more powerful and prevalent. Overall this book was enjoyable but I hope to see more as the series continues.

Rin Chupeco takes names, places, and concepts from fairytales and legends all over the world, throws them at the wall, and while a few of them *do* stick, the result is a jumbled, nigh incoherent mess. There are too many ingredients in this book - and, while individually, they're good components, it just... does not work. At all. You can't use every food in the kitchen to make a cake and expect that it will come out tasting delicious.

Someone out there will read this and rejoice to have a Filipina heroine leading the charge, and for that alone, I'll be happy to have it on my store's shelf. But this book is not great. Rin Chupeco is much better than this.

I really, really wish I could give this book five stars but honestly the first half was a MESS. I didn't know what I was reading, the plot and the characters and the world building just seemed to be all over the place. This book definitely had a very weak beginning, I think the only thing that kept me reading to start with was the quirky chapter titles!
I felt as though I needed to start taking notes when new characters were introduced as I couldn't keep up with the barrage of names and titles, not only of the people but also the names of their weapons and their families. I definitely felt lost throughout majority of the first half.
Thankfully, the second half of the book was better. Once a small group split off and became the main focus of the narrative it was much easier to keep track of who they all were and what was going on. The world building was still quite weak, the book seems to be mostly dialogue.
I'm definitely considering purchasing a final copy of this in order to continue with the rest of the series, it took a lot longer than needed to understand this new world created by the author but I am fascinated by it. I would recommend or dissuade anyone from reading this book, I would suggest reading a few reviews and deciding if it's worth it from there unfortunately.

I really enjoyed all the different fairytale characters that made an appearance or were mentioned throughout the book. I felt the book started out very strongly but didn’t necessarily continue as strongly. I’m really curious about more of the prince’s backstory and have a few hunches about how the characters lives tie together. I do love the series title and am curious what will happen in future books.