Wish of the wicked by Danielle Paige

This story is a magical delight that resonates with power and intrigue! Filled with all the tricks that magic can provide, it also remarkably tells the story of the ‘Fairy Godmother’, aka Farrow, in the Cinderella tale in a completely different way. Imbued with a maturity and complexity that makes this more than just a retelling of the classic fairytale, it also stretches into a commentary on love, revenge and the nature of power and its propensity to distort and warp when selfish interests are in play.

Beginning as a tale of the role of royalty in the non-magical world in a fantasy queendom, it demonstrates that magic, as expressed by the characters in the Entente where Farrow has her place, has become a hated quality. The battle for survival of the magical Entente results in a complex and occasionally twisted and dangerous journey to overcome the power-hungry and bitter Queen Magrit. Farrow’s magical skills have let her down, and her magical sisters with their views of the Past, Present and Future weave a multi-faceted plan to overthrow the Queen. In doing so, they connect to Cinderella and the Prince, and Farrow also discovers that love and magic have a difficult connection. This is such a complex tale that it is very difficult to describe, but it is absolutely awesome! Teenagers and adults alike will fall in love with Danielle Paige’s wonderful wordsmithing. Lovers of dystopian worlds and fantasy romance will especially enjoy this book, but because of its complexity it is definitely for readers aged 14+ who love a little bit of challenge in their reading adventures.

Themes: Magic, Cinderella story, Power, Love, Revenge, Fantasy.

Carolyn Hull