Review: AS YOU WISH by Jackson Pearce

Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently summons a young genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.

Jinn is anxious to return home, but Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she will not wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, the lines between master and servant begin to blur, and soon Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn as well . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.

Jackson Pearce spins a magical tale about star-crossed lovers, what it means to belong . . . and how important it is to be careful what you wish for.

Oh my goodness. I was actually very excited to read this. At first, the cover put me off a little. But when I read what it was about, I promptly put it on hold at the library. I then finished it in one day while I was at my grandparents’. The only thing bad about my decision for reading it so fast was that I had absolutely nothing to read while in the car on my way home.

Viola feels invisible. Her parents don't seem to care much about her and she doesn't really have any friends except her ex-boyfriend. Seven months ago, her childhood best friend and boyfriend of one year came out as a homosexual to her. She's devastated and slowly retreats. While her best friend and ex, Lawrence, becomes more popular, Viola is more desperate to belong somewhere. However, she doesn't seem to make an effort. They still remain best friends, oddly enough. Then when she mentally makes a wish, a jinn appears in different places around her continually through her day.

Jinns are genies. Punished jinns are like the genies in a lamp. Jinns are immortal, grant three wishes (with limits), and live in Caliban. They also don't have names or are in relationships. But when they get to earth, they start to age. They feel and see the aging process everywhere and get incredibly antsy to get back.

So when Viola meets her jinn (who she just calls Jinn), they have a problem. Jinn is more than ready to go back, but Viola is too nervous to make a wish. Eventually, they become closer and after she makes her first wish by accident, Jinn realizes he's falling in love with her.



I don't know if it was because of "forbidden love" or jealousy, but I loved their relationship. It was a little annoying when I focused in on the fact that they only knew each other for a little bit. However, when I ignored it, it was better. I mean, seriously, who doesn't love a little jealousy from a guy? When done right, it can be really sweet.

Between Viola and Jinn, I liked Jinn better. It switches from Viola’s perspective to Jinn’s and so forth. I’m usually hesitant when a book goes that route, but I can’t imagine it being done any other way. Knowing both of their thoughts and feelings added so much to the story. Their relationship was great and their relationships with the supporting characters are great. While Viola could get a tad annoying in some parts, you have to admire her in other areas. She won’t wish for Lawrence to be any different, she doesn't want to wish to belong, and she cares for the feelings of others. So Jinn might be first in my book, but it’s not as if I didn't like Viola.

Then Lawrence was a surprise. I was wary about how Ms. Pearce would handle writing his character. I've had a couple flamboyant homosexuals shoved at me during reading before, which took away the book’s likable points (and I actually don’t remember the rest of them or what books they are exactly). But surprisingly, Lawrence wasn't like the previous ones. And he was a great best friend, probably better than I would have been in his place. He stuck by Viola's side (for seven months and four days) while she moped.

Although Viola's first wish is frustrating for all, you know it's for her own good. Things change and she grows as a person. I don't know about everyone else, but I wasn't too fond of the ending. I love endings where they wrap it all up and you know what happened to them. Preferably, there'll be an epilogue. This book left me wondering what really happens. But like I said, some people might not have had that reaction.

Now I just want to spend a little time gushing about how much I love Jackson Pearce’s twist on genies. There might be lots of genies books out there, I don’t know. But I haven’t read any. So to get a book with a different twist that’s done really well? Happy day! Not only is it new for me, it also involves something that I love.

"You ain't never had a friend like me!"

I love genies. Love, love, love. Aladdin has always been one of my favorite Disney movies, especially in the top 3 Disney princess movies. You know who makes Aladdin SO amazing? Genie! Without Genie, there would be movie about Aladdin. I also remember liking to watch I Dream of Jeannie reruns on TV Land. Where, may I ask, is more stories about genies? Of course, I don’t want it to become another over-used plot. But Ms. Pearce just fueled up my desire for more genies by several notches.

All-in-all, I couldn't put As You Wish down. I loved the characters, the story-line  and everything about it. The only thing I wish was for it to have a better ending and for me to get my own jinn/genie.

Word to Parents: homosexuality, kissing, talk about people being mostly undressed

Do you have a mythical character YOU love as much as I do genies? What fairy-tale do you love?