The Wish List by Gabi Stevens
(Time of Transition #1)
Tor Books (May 2010)
Paperback, 371 pages
Paranormal Romance

The Wish List by Gabi Stevens is a book filled with magic, love and the emotional turmoil at discovering new powers. It subverts the magical boundaries of witches and wizards by introducing fairy godmothers, which aren’t commonly used in paranormal fiction.

Kristin Montgomery is thrown into the magical world from the very first chapter, when her three aunts suddenly spring the news upon her that she is a fairy godmother, and will soon be entering the time of transition. The time of transition is a dangerous time in the world of the Arcani (magic users), where the new generation of godmothers gains their powers and the old generation begins to lose theirs.

After dropping this bombshell on her, Kristin’s aunts leave for a world cruise and leave Kristin to the care of her arbiter, Tennyson Ritter. There is an instant of spark of animosity between them, with Tennyson seeming arrogant and impatient with Kristin’s lack of knowledge. She is a ‘rare one’, a godmother born to human parents instead of to Arcani, which means her magic is strong and we are primed to expect great things from her.

However, despite her friction with Tennyson another Arcani, Lucas Reynard, appears on the scene vying for her affections. He is rich and has all the luxuries money can buy, but is he all he appears to be? And why is he so interested in Kristin?

I really liked the character of Kristin at the beginning of the book, as she is strong and independent, and really stands her ground against Tennyson. She refuses to back down and is very stubborn, only experimenting with her magic in her own time and not being forced into anything. However, I felt that this changed by the end of the book as she developed her powers, as she became a bit too perfect. By this I mean that she was suddenly able to perform supposed advanced magic with no training, and was conveniently able to wrap up the plot.

“Sensible? What the hell is sensible about this situation? I have been through more than can be expected from one person in the past few days, but instead of helping me learn, you want me to obey your commands. Well, I don’t work that way.”

As for Tennyson, he was a really great love interest for Kristin, as there was immediate chemistry between them. He was protective without being overbearing, and the story seamlessly switches between both of their perspectives, so we can see his thoughts of Kristin and how his feelings develop. There were some very *ahem* steamy scenes between the two, which were a little bit over the top at times and sometimes took place at inopportune moments during the plot.

In relation to the plot, the threat comes from a very obvious source, which I was really disappointed about. I was thinking that it would be far too obvious for something to happen, and this left me anticipating a complete surprise. However, this surprise never came and the obvious happened, leaving me really disappointed. The ending of the novel is highly convenient and not satisfying, as the ends are tied up too neatly with not enough plot development.

Overall, despite really liking the characters of Kristin and Tennyson (not to mention their friends, Zack and Callie, too!), I felt that the plot of this book really let it down. The story is left open for the sequels, which I also felt was a little too convenient as far as the plot was concerned, but I am open to reading the sequels as I did enjoy the style of Gabi Steven’s writing.

VERDICT:

I loved the fairy godmother concept of this novel, and I really liked the character development and relationship between Kristin and Tennyson. However, the plot was just too predictable and I felt like I was waiting for a ‘wow’ moment that never arrived. On the plus side, the Arcani world created by the author has a lot of scope for future novels.

RATING: 

GABI STEVENS ONLINE
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BOOKS IN SERIES ORDER

1. The Wish List
2. As You Wish
3. Wishful Thinking

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