Review--The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine

The world has turned upside down for Thad and Ari Glavan, the bastard twins of Súndraille’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, saving 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 lose Sebastian, her brother…and her soul.

Another TBR book down!! I’ve had C.J. Redwine’s Ravenspire series on my pile for too long! This is a perfect series for me and fairy tale fans alike but it tells the classic tales in new and intriguing ways. While our first installment was clearly about Snow White, The Wish Granter is, as you might guess, about Rumpelstiltskin!

C.J.’s twist on Rumpelstiltskin was remarkable! It kind of blends the Rumple we knew from Once Upon a Time with a little bit of Crowley from Supernatural—at least in my opinion he does! And so it happened, one day, Thad was forced to make a wish by Alistair Teague, one that would put him on the throne and basically allowed Teague to do whatever he wanted. Thad who wanted nothing but to protect his sister, Ari, made the wish.

Now Teague is making Thad live up to his bargain as he starts making his own plans for world domination…or the like thereof. When Ari gets wind of what Thad did to save her, she’s determined to save her brother whatever the cost.

In walks Sebastian, who comes from the wrong side of town. He had an abusive father, a mother hooked on drugs, and a brother who died not that long ago. All he wants is to make enough money so that he can build himself a little cottage far from everyone and live in peace. He gets a job at the castle as a weapons master. And when the princess, Ari, comes to him asking for a weapon made of iron and to be trained how to use it, he can’t help but comply. Ari is a force to be reckoned with and he couldn’t refuse her even if his job was on the line.

What Ari doesn’t expect is how truly cunning and devious a man like Teague is. He’s clearly a fae of some kind as her research has given her that much of a clue. But trying to defeat him and save her brother’s soul is shaping out to be a lot harder than she anticipated as Teague has eyes everywhere and seems to know her every move.

This was quite an exciting tale! While it took a while to truly see the Rumpelstiltskin part of the tale, it becomes clearer pass the halfway point. Then trying to foresee the eventual conclusion was even more of a challenge! C.J. really knows how to write a twisted tale indeed, yet still keeping at heart the origin of the original story! It’s a marvelous blend, one that reminds me of a series I read ages ago.

What makes a really good fairy tale retelling for me is one that keeps to the original themes and storyline of the original and adds in some new twists and whatnot. C.J. has shown me twice now that she is exceedingly capable of doing just that! It is what making this to be an incredible series!

I love that each book acts as a standalone as well! Though we did catch a glimpse of Lorelai and Kol in this one, which was a nice touch at connecting the stories and characters, yet keeping them somewhat separate as well!

Naturally the romance element of this one was just as sweet as the one that developed before. Sebastian has a broken past and rarely warms up to people, until he meets Ari that is! Ari is his near polar opposite in some ways, she’s vibrant and full of life! I love that these two came together, though, naturally the circumstances were a bit dire, but that’s pretty much how it goes in fairy tales! If someone isn’t cursed or dying, they’re about to be! Lol!

The Wish Granter was yet another enchanting tale from the amazingly, talented C.J. Redwine! I am so glad I can happily binge this series at the moment! I’m excited to see what the next tale will be about!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars