The Wish Granter (Ravenspire #2)

Synopsis

The world has turned upside down for Thad and Ari Glavan, the bastard twins of Sundraille's king. Their mother was murdered. The royal family died mysteriously. And now Thad sits on the throne of a kingdom whose streets are suddenly overrun with violence he can't stop.

Growing up ignored by the nobility, Ari never wanted to be a proper princess. And when Thad suddenly starts training Ari to take his place, she realizes that her brother's ascension to the throne wasn't fate- it was the work of a Wish Granter named Alistair Teague, who tricked Thad into wishing away both the safety of his people and his soul in exchange for the crown.

So Ari recruits the help of Thad's enigmatic new weapons master, Sebastian Vaughn, to teach her how to fight Teague. With secret ties to Teague's criminal empire, Sebastian might just hold the key to discovering Alistair's weaknesses, saying Ari's brother-- and herself.

 But Teague is ruthless and more than ready to destroy anyone who dares stand in his way-- and now he has his sights set on the princess. And if Ari can't outwit him, she'll lost Sebastian, her brother . . .  and her soul.

Loved

• Ari!! Oh my goodness this might possibly be my favorite princess ever. She's 100% the most relatable princess out there. She had me laughing throughout the whole book because of her confidence, wit and love for food. Oh yes, this is a curvy girl who convinces even the wicked villain fae monster that the day cannot start without a bacon breakfast. This is the girl who sneaks snacks from the balls into her bag for later- not to just share with peasants or anything- just because she wants to eat them. This is the girl who hides under the table instead of leaving her beloved breakfast behind. I love this girl! She was so refreshing and such a down-to-earth, REAL, and relatable princess.

• Ari's wit. This gets its own bullet point. Not only is Ari hilarious, but she could rival even Elizabeth Bennett with her wit. This girl can talk anyone out of anything, and even bosses villains around with her confidence and spunk. She thinks so quickly on her feet and it's so gratifying to watch her use words and sheer pluck to get out of sticky situations over and over again.

• The Rumpelstiltskin vibes. This was my first Rumpelstiltskin retelling, and I was definitely expecting Ari to have to weave gold for this villain. But no, much of the traditional fairytale already happened when this story takes place, and I loved the original story within a familiar fairytale. Since this isn't a very popular retelling, it was exciting to see what would happen in the story without being able to guess- like in Cinderella retellings, which are usually fairly predictable (and I'm still a sucker for them anyway).

• Speaking of Rumpelstiltskin, Teague was one of the best fairytale villains and definitely my favorite of this series. He was creepy, clever, calculating, and just evil. He's one of those villains that makes your blood freeze when you read his name on the page. But for some reason I really liked him- I think I just loved hating him and getting the creeps from him. Teague is likely the best Rumpelstiltskin that's been created since the original legend himself.

• The romance. I loved the contrast of Ari's plucky confidence contrasted with Sebastian's broodiness-that's-really-just-quiet-sweetness-underneath vibe. I loved watching Sebastian open up and let himself become vulnerable after living such an abused life before meeting Ari. They really bring out the best in each other and I loved their dynamic together.

Didn't Love

• I really have no complaints about this story- I ate it up like Ari scarfs down bacon and cakes :)

Content

• Language: 
• No swearing.

• Sexual content: 
• A few kisses, one staged for distraction, others genuine. Nothing described, just hands on back, hands in hair, etc. 
• Multiple references to Ari's generous hips, curves, and cleavage. Many of these are Sebastian trying not to notice her hips and curves. A scene where Ari is angry at Sebastian for accidentally staring at her hips. Another guard makes a comment about liking a "girl who can fill out a dress."

• Violence:
• The violence in this story is disturbing, but not very gory because Teague takes souls, which doesn't leave blood. Describes the bodies crumpling to the ground.
• There are many times when Teague takes the soul of innocent people- one is a woman with three children. He takes the woman's soul and sells the children.
• A man is burned alive when his shop is set on fire. People in the store are also burned and their charred bodies are described later.
• A character is forced to take the soul of a woman and her death is described.
• A character is beaten until nearly dead, and then they break the neck, which kills the character.
• One character has experienced physical abuse throughout his childhood from his father. Many references throughout the story of being his beaten, having scars, being threatened, and almost killed by his father many times as a child/teenager.
• This character and his father have a climatic fight at the end of the book. Some injuries and blood, but no death.

Overall Thoughts

Wow I completely devoured this story and just ate up every word. I didn't love The Shadow Queen, so I didn't have the highest expectation for The Wish Granter. It blew away my expectation and I just loved it. Ari is one of my new favorite characters and quite possibly my favorite princess ever. I loved watching her outwit Teague again and again, all while sneaking food from the kitchens, being a loyal sister and friend, and bringing out the warm and sweet personality of a quiet, broody weapons master. This has got it all- suspense, romance, wit, adventure, and very lovable characters. If you enjoy fairytale retellings, don't miss this!