The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury Pages: 352
Published by Razorbill on February 23, 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy & Magic
Source: Paperback ARC from Publisher
She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world...
When Aladdin discovers Zahra’s jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn’t seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra’s very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.
But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?
As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of the Aladdin story from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.
The Forbidden Wish is a young adult fantasy by Jessica Khoury, and it is a story about the Jinni. I have only read one other book about Jinni (review here) and I liked it, but I didn’t love it. But I am just so fascinated by the idea of the Jinni, that I wanted to give it another shot. And I am so, so glad that I did. The Forbidden Wish was exactly what I wanted in a Jinni story. There was magic and cool powers, wishes galore, suspense and intrigue, and really great characters. The Forbidden Wish was a hit with me.
The Forbidden Wish is the story of Zahra, a Jinn whose bottle is discovered by Aladdin. Except now the world is different from when she was last out of her bottle- now magic is forbidden. I love that premise. The summary will tell you everything else setup-y about the story. Zahra is offered her freedom, but it would mean turning on Aladdin, and she is now falling for him. There is a lot going on in this story, and I could not get enough of it. I loved the character- especially Zahra, and I loved the plot. The Forbidden Wish did not feel like the Aladdin story that I knew growing up. This one was loosely based, but takes a whole new spin, which is my favorite kind of retelling. And I have to say- the romance is out of this world. (In fact, it might just be a whole new world.) ((sorry I couldn’t resist))
Zahra and Aladdin make the cutest couple. Zahra is witty and sassy and a real delight. I have no other way to describe her. And Aladdin is book boyfriend worthy for sure. They each get two thumbs way up from me.
Bottom Line: If you like your retellings, as much as I do, and you want to put a cherry on top of them if they take an old classic and put their own, totally awesome, spin on things, The Forbidden Wish is a must read for you.
{Review+Giveaway} The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury @RazorbillBooks @jkbibliophile Share on X
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I need to read this one 😀 Sounds right up my alley!!
This sounds like a really cute retelling of Aladdin. Nice review!