The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar

Reading Level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 314 Pages
Release Date: March 21, 2013
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Narration: First Person: Margo
Genre: Paranormal/Genies
Challenge: Paranormal/Debut Challenge
Source: Library

The Art of Wishing Series:
Book One: The Art of Wishing
Book Two: The Fourth Wish (2014)
Book Three: Untitled

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Order On Barnes and Noble:
Hardcover and Nook


Author's
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Goodreads Synopsis:

He can grant her wishes, but only she can save his life.

Margo McKenna has a plan for just about everything, from landing the lead in her high school play to getting into a good college. So when she finds herself in possession of a genie's ring and the chance to make three wishes, she doesn't know what to do. Why should she put her life into someone else's hands?

But Oliver is more than just a genie -- he's also a sophomore at Margo's high school, and he's on the run from a murderer. As he and Margo grow closer, she discovers that it will take more than three wishes to save him.

A whole lot more.

My Review:

When I opened this book for the first time, I was eager to get into the heart of the story, because come on, how often do we see novels written about genies? I was expecting all sorts of magic, some really cool world-building, and well, as embarrassed as I am to say this, something along the lines of Aladdin and flying carpet rides. However, I was disappointed by the first chapter and ended up putting it down before anything really magical began. Months later, I decided to give it another go, bracing myself for nothing other than more disappointment. Fortunately, I was completely wrong! Despite the fact that I'm usually not into books of this sort (More contemporary than paranormal), I was charmed by the simple yet undeniably compelling plot The Art of Wishing had to offer.

Margo, the protagonist, was a character that I truly admired throughout the whole novel. She's the type of girl who you'd want to aspire to be one day. Strong, brave, pure-hearted, and determined to keep everyone around her safe. Unlike most YA protagonists, especially the ones who are 100% human, she didn't take on that tone of a damsel in distress. Despite the fact that she was fighting against something otherworldly, she didn't back down or plead with the villain to let her go, instead, she took matters into her own hands and did something about it.

Although it took me a while to get into the pacing of the story, once I did, it was nothing but smooth sailing from there. After I reached the third or fourth chapter, I was a goner. No matter how many times my parents attempted to cajole me out of my reading hole or pry the novel from my hands, I just wasn't able to set it down. Every word demanded my complete and undivided attention. The plot was pretty simple in itself. There weren't any long drawn-out explanations or any intricate world-building. There was a bit of genie history included, if I remember correctly, but the whole description lasted all of one or two pages. Essentially, all you had was the villain, the heroine, and the good guy. There were, of course, more characters than that, but those three were the most significant and the whole story revolved around them. Since I'm used to huge, convoluted, and twisted plots that need to be carefully read in order to be understood, The Art of Wishing was like a refreshing breath of air to me.

A lot of people on Goodreads who reviewed this book before me had said that the relationship between Margo and Oliver was an Insta-Love connection, something that I was deeply dreading as I read on. However, I'd have to disagree. Although their relationship progressed a little quicker than most, they didn't fall in love at first sight. Margo was attracted to him, as any girl would be, because he was hot, not because she felt this instant soul-felt connection to him. There's a huge difference between attraction, which was quite understandable in Ollie's case, and love. Anyways, the romance that they did have was absolutely, freaking adorable. I literally lost track of the amount of times I said "AWWWW!" while reading this story. It's drastically different from the romances I'm used to with steamy make out sessions and broody bad boys, but I loved it all the same!

Overall, I was really surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this book! Although the plot was pretty simplistic, I still found myself enjoying every second of it. The romance was a breath of fresh air and completely different from what you find in most YA novels nowadays. Instead of a dark and mysterious love interest with a tortured past, we have one that's cute, funny, awkward, and charming. I recommend The Art of Wishing to anyone who wants a quick and fun read with just a touch of supernatural.

Favorite Quote:

“...Oh God. I'm one of those girls."

"What girls?" he asked, perplexed.

"Those girls. The ones in all those books and TV shows. Some dumb high school girl falls in love with some supernatural guy, and he's all, 'Behold, I am five million years old!' and she's all, 'Oh my god, how can you ever love pathetic little me!' and he's like, 'Because of destiny!' or whatever. It's just so...ew. You know?” 

-The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar

Heroine- 5/5
Romance- 4.5/5
A little too fast, but adorable nonetheless.
Action- 4.5/5 Slow in the beginning,
but it definitely picked up pace.
Writing- 4/5
Comedy- 4.5/5
Overall- 4.5/5