Review: Wish, by Alexandra Bullen

Wish, by Alexandra Bullen

Published: January 1, 2010

Publisher: Point

Pages: 336

Rating:

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 was very apprehensive about reading this book. To be completely honest, I really only picked it up because it was a debut author, and I'm really trying to dedicate my time to new authors, for various reasons. The cover kind of added to that. It seems so....magical (which is quite appropriate, given the plot). The very thought of reading it sometimes felt silly, but I gave it a chance anyhow. Since I didn't expect much, I most certainly wasn't disappointed.

It started slow for me, but eventually did pick up enough speed. I contribute this to when her sister, Violet, came into the picture. She softened Olivia up quite a bit, as before, she was a bit of a depressing character.
The last thing I want to do is read an entire book from the prospective of a deeply depressed teenage girl.

I thought her budding relationship with Soren was cute, as was her growing relationship with the friends she was making at school.

Okay as I write this, I'm starting to wonder why I gave it four stars...bleck. Here's where I nit-pick...

The characters fell flat. Bullen did a decent job of putting their images in my mind, but their personalities kind of ran together. None of them, including Olivia, seemed to have much of a voice. If it weren't in third person, I may have had a difficult time distinguishing between all of them.

The story line was a bit cliché. Magical dresses, three wishes, and the typical rules that come along with those wishes. No wishing for more wishes, and so on. The "fairy" (though she's never called a fairy, but merely a seamstress) runs a small shop called Mariposa. Which makes me think of all things pink and frilly and so very....Barbie.

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system, let me tell you why I gave it four stars. It's a touching story about a set of twins, one of which dies, leaving the other behind to find her way in life. The relationships are cute, the writing is decent, and it was a quick read. I enjoyed it as I was reading it, and it wasn't until I closed the book that all of these negatives started popping into my mind. I think I'm digging too deep for this one, but for some reason, I can't help it! Maybe I should've waited a day before writing the review....eh well.

I believe this would appeal greatly to younger teens!