Review: Wish by Alexandra Bullen

Title: Wish
Author: Alexandra Bullen
Published: Point (Jan 1st 2010)
No. of Pages: 336
Grade Rating: B+

For broken-hearted Olivia Larsen, nothing can change the fact that her twin sister, Violet, is gone... until a mysterious, beautiful gown arrives on her doorstep. The dress doesn't just look magical; it is magical. It has the power to grant her one wish, and the only thing Olivia wants is her sister back.

With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses-and two more wishes left. But magic can't solve everything, and Olivia is forced to confront her ghosts to learn how to laugh, love, and live again.
In a breathtaking debut from Alexandra Bullen, Wish asks the question: If you could have anything, what would you wish for?
 
I've read many mixed reviews about this book and wondered if it really was as good as the cover. But, as any reviewer does, I went into it with an open mind. What I did find though, was a beautiful novel about love and loss. This debut asks many questions and captures many messages but the most important thing I received from this book was that sometimes to move forward, we have to let go of the past. Know matter how hard it is.

Wish is a nice novel. It is not spectacular but it is by no means bad. It was just a nice read. The beginning was quite slow and I had to read about seventy pages into it before I really began to enjoy it. The plot was enjoyable and interesting and over all had a fun premise but sadly dissapointed my expectations slightly. I thought that Wish was going to be a truly magical tale but was surprised at how modern it was. I did admire the contrast between a medieval fairytale idea set in a suburban backdrop but I think some aspects could have been portrayed in a much more clear way. I would have preferred more detail to the writing which I think was the missing element in this novel so instead of living up to my expectations, it was just cute. I did find that I thought some parts of the plot was less developed at I think some parts could have been more embellished to satisfy the readers knowledge. I would have liked for there to have been some explanation of the magic used in the story. Instead, it was just very quickly introduced to you but then left you wanting to know much more about it.

I think that the reason I gave this book a higher rating was because of the emotion used and the characters. Bullen may not be an amazing writer but she is very good at capturing emotions. I ached so much for Olivia. I could not even begin to imagine what it must be like to be in her shoes, to know that you'll never see your beloved sister again. This was one of the only novels in which I really sympathised and identified with the lead. At the last few pages, I had trouble at fighting back the tears but was content at how the story was left. The ending was simple which I think was how it should be. It left you wanting more but I realised that if anything else was added to it, it would probably be ruin it. This may bring a tear to your eye but will leave you with a smile on your faces.

Wish was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I did have a few complaints but that didn't stop me from soaking up the story and wanting more.