October Chick Lit Challenge Read #2: To Wish or Not to Wish

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Welcome to my second October review for the Chick Lit Plus Challenge! I figured now was as good a time as any to finish Mindy Klasky's As You Wish Series. To Wish or Not to Wish is the third and final novel in the trilogy (check out my review of the second novel, When Good Wishes Go Bad). And what better day to post it than Halloween?

Here's the synopsis, courtesy of Goodreads:

Erin Hollister is waiting for her big break - or even a small one. She's been dumped by her boyfriend, canned by her employer and it doesn't seem that her dream of making it on Broadway will come true either. But then she's given a lantern - complete with genie! - and it looks as if a little magic may be in store..

That is, if she can decide what to wish for. There's the rub. Career? Family? Love life? Even a charismatic genie can grant only so many wishes. Or maybe Erin should just hold on to all those magical chances and think about what might be (instead of seeing just what's under her nose).

Time's running out. Ultimately, it's Erin who must decide how to keep the magic alive - forever.

This book was just as enjoyable as the first two in the series. Who doesn't love a good magical story with a heavy dose of romance? Ok, probably not everyone, but there are a lot of you out there, I'm sure! :)

As much as I liked reading about Erin's magical journey, I don't think I liked her as much as Becca from the second book. It seemed to me that Erin hadn't quite grown up yet and needed a lot of guidance and support from her older sister. That being said, I do think that Erin grows up and matures by the end of the novel which is something I always like to see. I have to say that I enjoyed the Master Plan that Erin's sister came up with. Erin had a bad habit of jumping from one monogamous relationship to another and her sister wants her to stop, hence the implementation of the Master Plan. First, she has to take care of a plant for four weeks. Then, if she manages to keep that alive, she is supposed to get a fish. Once the fish is stable and thriving (can't remember the exact timeline) Erin must get a cat. After taking care of all of these things, which takes sixteen months total, Erin is then able to start dating. Needless to say, Erin was not impressed with these dating restrictions but she was desperate to change her ways! Of course, the whole Plan gets turned upside down once Erin is introduced to Teel, her own personal genie.

There's not much else I can say about this novel that's much different than my review of When Good Wishes Go Bad. The underlying plot is the same - Erin has to make four wishes (yes, these genies are able to make four wishes), she works in theatre, and there's a guy that's caught her eye. Actually, two. This is the way that the third novel plays with the romance aspect that is present in each book in the trilogy. And no, I'm not telling you about this mysterious second man. Read the book to find out :) I'm glad that Klasky was able to keep things fresh and keep the books from becoming formulaic. She also threw in another revelation about the magical world at the end of the novel after Teel's granted Erin her four wishes. It is such a touching moment and love that Klasky was able to work it in.

Reading this series made me wonder what I would use my four wishes for if I was somehow presented with a magic lamp and a genie. It's sort of neat to think about. Would you be totally selfish and use all of your wishes on yourself? Or would you use some of your wishes on friends, family, or even people you've only just met? All three women use wishes for someone else (I think...I can't quite remember what Kira's wishes were. I read the first book at least a year ago) and I think that shows the character and integrity in their personalities. When the need arose they did not hesitate on using a wish on someone else. It made the women instantly more likeable than they already were. I would definitely want to help out my friends and family and would have no problem using a wish to better their lives. Of course, I would probably wish to be set up with my dream job and having a home that was totally paid for would be pretty awesome too (and I could get it - Becca did!) I'd love to hear how you'd all use your wishes!

Overall, I enjoyed reading To Wish or Not to Wish and would recommend this novel and the entire series to chick lit lovers who like a bit of magic in their books.

PS I always pictured Teel as Genie from Aladdin even though in all of his/her incarnations he/she wasn't a big blue genie. :) So, I leave you with this photo...

Happy reading! :)

October Chick Lit Challenge Read: When Good Wishes Go Bad

In honour of Halloween I wanted to read something a little magical for this month's Chick Lit Challenge read. I decided on the second book in a trilogy by Mindy Klasky, When Good Wishes Go Bad. I absolutely adored Klasky's trilogy about a librarian who turns out to be a witch (the first book in the Jane Madison series is Girl's Guide to Witchcraft and you should go read it now!) so I was excited when I found out she had started another triology, the As You Wish series.

Read on to find out what When Good Wishes Go Bad is all about, synopsis courtesy of Goodreads:

Rebecca Morris is suffering from an excess of magic!
Things that have disappeared: her boyfriend; her life savings; three-and-a-half million dollars from the theater company that pays both their salaries. (Coincidence? Um, no.) Also, the groundbreaking play she's been slaving over has vanished in a puff of copyright-colored smoke.
Other, weirder things that have appeared: a magic lamp complete with genie wishes. A fully furnished (and paid-for) Manhattan condo and fabulous designer wardrobe. (The last two courtesy of the first one, obvs.)
So Becca's putting that last wish on hold. What with discovering a mesmerizing new play, getting it onstage and falling hard for the adorably awkward guy who wrote it, Becca is swamped. And that's without factoring in the guerrilla gardener, popcorn magnate and the gender-bending genie with an agenda of his/her own.
Now Becca's hoping that her good wishes don't go oh, so wrong….

As I mentioned, I loved the Jane Madison series. While I'm not as crazy about the As You Wish series I have still enjoyed them. I think the main reason I don't like them as much is because I was able to identify with Jane a little bit more. The characters in the As You Wish series work in the theatre industry and that's never been something that I've been drawn to. Jane, on the other hand, is a librarian and I know I'm definitely more of a librarian at heart. I had to remind myself to stop comparing the two series but the As You Wish series has grown on me and I really do like them too.

I actually liked the character in When Good Wishes Go Bad a little more than the first novel, How Not to Make a Wish. As bizarre as this may sound, it may be because of one of the wishes Kira makes in the first book. I'm not giving a whole lot away when I say that she essentially wishes for her crush to fall in love with her. It's not natural (because what's natural about a genie making someone like you?) and I think that could be why I didn't enjoy the book as much. In When Good Wishes Go Bad, on the other hand, Becca is attracted to someone and the romance grows naturally, without any magical assistance. Sounds kind of strange but sometimes you can't help what irks you, right? It's definitely not something that would keep me from recommending these books though!

There's a fun little twist to When Good Wishes Go Bad that I was not expecting. It was an interesting revelation and it provided insight into the magical universe. It made the book just that much better and I appreciated it. Ok, rereading those two sentences and that sounds incredibly vague. Sorry! I just don't want to give anything away :)

I'm looking forward to reading the third and final novel in the As You Wish series (I may even do a double feature for the Chick Lit Challenge this month!) even though it will mean the end of an amusing series that I've enjoyed reading. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a little something extra in their chick lit novels - in this case the something extra is a magical gender-shifting genie. These are fun, sweet books and I think any chick lit lover will enjoy them.

Happy wishing...er...reading! :)