Wish of the Wicked
Written by: Danielle Paige
Bloomsbury YA
2023
Danielle Paige does it again with Wish of the Wicked, a dark new take on Cinderella and, more importantly, her fairy godmother.
A thrilling and dark new take on the story of Cinderella, Wish of the Wicked follows Farrow in her quest for revenge against the kingdom that stole everything from her.
Storytelling
Wish of the Wicked begins with Farrow and her mentor, one of the Three Fates, giving Queen Magrit a glimpse into her future. Change her ways, or die. Unhappy with the future, Magrit, in her fear, declares enemies and has them hunted down.
Alone and with her magic seemingly bound, Farrow hatches a plan to enact her revenge. She doesn’t count on falling for the prince herself and discovering he may be the one to help her save her people scattered across the thirteen kingdoms.
But she doesn’t realize that her formerly kind family has become wicked.
I love the tension in the story and the way it builds the story. It moves at a remarkable pace, and for a while, I wondered what would happen next.
But the plot twists! Those were amazing. The Entente, once magical guardians who kept the piece, have become the villains of fairy tales. I loved that about the book, the way this one story opened the way to other fairy tales and reinvented their origin stories. It was such a fun moment in the story, and my jaw dropped when the realization hit it.
And while her life has been bent on revenge, Farrow hasn’t become the villain. She sees the pain and grief reflected in her once-lost family, but she also sees how it has warped them. Farrow remembers her mom’s teachings; she remembers the balance. And when she turns on her family, it is a heartbreaking moment for her. But also an incredibly powerful one.
I also loved her relationship with Ella and the prince. The way they developed and she learned from both of them helped her grow. Ella has a spark to her, a spunk and attitude that makes her incredibly likable and very different from previous iterations.
Final Thoughts
Wish of the Wicked is a great new take on the tale of Cinderella, focusing more on her fairy godmother and the origins of some of our favorite Disney villains.
Cynthia Ayala
Cynthia Ayala-Bujnicki majored in Writing and Publishing from Emerson College. Editor-in-chief of Cyn's Workshop, she loves to read and write while tending to her pepper plants. She currently lives in South Florida with her husband, two kids Dante and Selene and two furbabies Mr. J the Kitten who Thinks He's Batman (yes, that is his full name) and Nyx.
