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emilyjlvl's review
3.0
I am enjoying all of Melanie Dickerson's fairy tale novels, but often, as with this book, I have to skip over chunks of the story that include violent scenes. These books are referred to as "clean" literature for young adults because there are no sex scenes. I don't understand why the gratuitous violence is considered "clean."
karlyle's review
3.0
The Orphan's Wish is meant to be a retelling of the Aladdin story, but I had a hard time finding very many parallels other than the hero being named Aladdin. Overall, it is a sweet, wholesome story involving a childhood friendship, a kidnapping, and a rescue with themes of integrity, faithfulness, and loyalty woven throughout. It was also pretty predictable which is why I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped to.
bluebell4's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
ringerchick37's review
3.0
Sweet. A bit juvenile, but I'm pretty sure that's the intended audience.
As is usual, the witnessing moment was pretty surface level, but the way God and faith were talked about were better than most Christian fiction I've seen, if not on the same level. Typical Christian fiction romance ending in marriage--aka predictable--but I liked it.
First fanfiction I've read that's officially published outside of Jane Austen.
Got a little bit of depth, but again, anything harsher would have been too mature for the audience.
As is usual, the witnessing moment was pretty surface level, but the way God and faith were talked about were better than most Christian fiction I've seen, if not on the same level. Typical Christian fiction romance ending in marriage--aka predictable--but I liked it.
First fanfiction I've read that's officially published outside of Jane Austen.
Got a little bit of depth, but again, anything harsher would have been too mature for the audience.
raekruithof's review
4.0
To be honest, it took me a while to get into this one, which surprised me. Melanie Dickerson's books are the only books I will buy before having read them because I already know I will love them. Which is why I was so surprised it took me a few chapters to really get into The Orphan's Wish. But like every single other book Melanie Dickerson has written, once I got sucked in, there was no putting it down. Can't wait to add this one to my collection!
gentlyflourishing's review
3.0
What I liked...
✨ Ah, the relationships between all the characters was well-written. They felt realistic and were just very sweet. I especially loved Aladdin and Abu's relationship.
What I didn't like...
I feel bad for having more dislikes than likes, especially because I've had this book on my TBR for a while. But oh well. :)
✨ I wish there was a bit more faith content. Don't get me wrong; I was very pleased with what she included. But I just wish there was a little more because of how she wove it in.
✨ The romance felt a little...weird, at least to me. For one, Aladdin and Kristyn thought SO much about kissing each other before even confessing their love to each other. I found that kind of annoying. And please don't get me started on the descriptions. The kissing scenes weren't that descriptive, which was great, but I don't know. They way she wrote them just felt awkward, but maybe that's just me.
✨ The ending felt rushed. When I got to the last 20 pages, I was wondering, "How is she going to wrap things up?" It all happened so fast, so I felt like I couldn't savor everything. It might have been different if some things happened sooner so that there was more time for the ending to shine, but oh well.
✨ Ah, the relationships between all the characters was well-written. They felt realistic and were just very sweet. I especially loved Aladdin and Abu's relationship.
What I didn't like...
I feel bad for having more dislikes than likes, especially because I've had this book on my TBR for a while. But oh well. :)
✨ I wish there was a bit more faith content. Don't get me wrong; I was very pleased with what she included. But I just wish there was a little more because of how she wove it in.
✨ The romance felt a little...weird, at least to me. For one, Aladdin and Kristyn thought SO much about kissing each other before even confessing their love to each other. I found that kind of annoying. And please don't get me started on the descriptions. The kissing scenes weren't that descriptive, which was great, but I don't know. They way she wrote them just felt awkward, but maybe that's just me.
✨ The ending felt rushed. When I got to the last 20 pages, I was wondering, "How is she going to wrap things up?" It all happened so fast, so I felt like I couldn't savor everything. It might have been different if some things happened sooner so that there was more time for the ending to shine, but oh well.
martyomenko's review
5.0
I was either deprived or preserved from experiencing fairy tales in Disney fashion outside of reading them in an encyclopedia or other books.
Melanie Dickerson’s retellings are enchanting. They give fresh spins on the old tales that I loved from the books from long ago and make me wish I enjoyed Disney movies. I really enjoyed this story, with the germanic twists and turns.
I feel as though, when I want a comforting story, where I know that the character will suffer, but in the end, things will go right, I can pick up one of her books and know it will be that way. But what is even better than that, is the skillful way the life lessons are woven into each one.
I obtained this book from the Netgalley and the publisher. The opinions contained herein are my own.
Melanie Dickerson’s retellings are enchanting. They give fresh spins on the old tales that I loved from the books from long ago and make me wish I enjoyed Disney movies. I really enjoyed this story, with the germanic twists and turns.
I feel as though, when I want a comforting story, where I know that the character will suffer, but in the end, things will go right, I can pick up one of her books and know it will be that way. But what is even better than that, is the skillful way the life lessons are woven into each one.
I obtained this book from the Netgalley and the publisher. The opinions contained herein are my own.
hamsammich's review
3.0
*I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own*
I’m a huge fan of retellings. There’s just something great about reading stories from different perspectives. I don’t think I’ve seen many Aladdin retellings, so I was really excited to be able to read this book.
The characters seemed well developed. I sometimes felt there were certain details missing or skipped over. Like with Anna and how she came to know who Michael was. I feel like there could have been a bit more development with some characters.
The love story between Aladdin and Kirstyn was so cute. They grew up as childhood sweethearts and spent the whole book wondering whether the other liked them (that part wasn’t cute, it was a bit annoying).
I think the changing points of view made this book a little confusing. It was hard to tell at times when the point of view was changing. It might be helpful to add a way to identify who’s point of view it is.
I also just felt the book lacked details. It skipped large periods of time which was kinda confusing. Details were lost in those periods of time or they strangely appeared out of nowhere.
Overall, it was a good book. There are some things that could be done to improve the book overall. The ending was really cute and I’m glad it ended that way for sure!
I’m a huge fan of retellings. There’s just something great about reading stories from different perspectives. I don’t think I’ve seen many Aladdin retellings, so I was really excited to be able to read this book.
The characters seemed well developed. I sometimes felt there were certain details missing or skipped over. Like with Anna and how she came to know who Michael was. I feel like there could have been a bit more development with some characters.
The love story between Aladdin and Kirstyn was so cute. They grew up as childhood sweethearts and spent the whole book wondering whether the other liked them (that part wasn’t cute, it was a bit annoying).
I think the changing points of view made this book a little confusing. It was hard to tell at times when the point of view was changing. It might be helpful to add a way to identify who’s point of view it is.
I also just felt the book lacked details. It skipped large periods of time which was kinda confusing. Details were lost in those periods of time or they strangely appeared out of nowhere.
Overall, it was a good book. There are some things that could be done to improve the book overall. The ending was really cute and I’m glad it ended that way for sure!
brightside_83's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars ✨
A beautiful, wholesome retelling of Aladdin.
Melanie Dickerson is a favorite go to author of mine anytime I’m in a book slump or need something fluffy to read. My favorite of hers is still The Merchant's Daughter. This one was engaging though, and held a bit of suspense. Was an enjoyable, quick and clean read.
A beautiful, wholesome retelling of Aladdin.
Melanie Dickerson is a favorite go to author of mine anytime I’m in a book slump or need something fluffy to read. My favorite of hers is still The Merchant's Daughter. This one was engaging though, and held a bit of suspense. Was an enjoyable, quick and clean read.