As You Wish
Grade 9&ndash;11&mdash;As she ponders what she calls the "social mystery" that makes some kids seem to belong and others not, Viola, 16, wishes she didn't feel quite so invisible. Ever since her boyfriend confided in her and came out to his high school class, she has felt neglected and alone, while Lawrence has been adopted by the school's Royal Family of popular kids. When Viola accidentally summons a jinn, she contemplates the three wishes he offers to grant her, while Jinn considers Viola herself. Told in the alternating voices of Jinn and Viola, this story is a romance first and a fantasy last. After she wishes herself into the arms of popular Aaron, Viola finds herself comparing him unfavorably to Jinn, while Jinn, uncommonly critical of Aaron, struggles with his blossoming feelings for Viola. Though the first-person prose is easy to read and the romance is satisfying, the genre blending is less successful and might lead fantasy fans to judge the novel in harsher terms. The human/jinn romance ultimately comes off as a bit unbelievable, but the fantasy element draws attention to the wish-fulfillment trope at the heart of any romance novel.&mdash;Amy S. Pattee, Simmons College, BostonCopyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.