The Wish
by E.V. Jones
PLOT SYNOPSIS (from the author’s website)
Fifteen years ago, Jack’s father, Tom, narrowly escaped an ancient evil’s hunt for his soul, which houses the gift of knowledge. After years of searching for Tom’s soul, this evil has turned his sights on Jack. Fleeing for his life, fifteen-year-old Jack enters a magical world in search of a sanctuary inhabited by a powerful group of Wizards. Prophesied as the Son of the Gift Keeper, Jack is named as the rightful bearer to deliver the sacred four-leaf clover to the wizards. Unbeknownst to Jack, he is to fulfill the quests of the sacred clover, carrying out the clover’s acts of faith, hope, luck and love, ultimately defeating this evil. In a race against time, Jack must fulfill the clover’s first act and get to the sanctuary before this evil finds him. But does Jack have enough faith in himself to defeat the evil that is in search of him? The fate of two worlds rests on the shoulders of an ordinary boy with an extraordinary secret.
Series: Cloverleaf Chronicles
Book: 1
Age Recommendation: 8+
Content Notice: Mild violence
Faith Based: No
ISBN: 978-19382-0827-0
Overall
Characters
Story/Plot
Writing
Setting
Consistency
THE BOTTOM LINE
This brand-new Irish folklore falls short of its potential.
THOUGHTS…
The Wish draws on Irish mythology including leprechauns, mermaids, and magic to kickstart the Cloverleaf Chronicles. I am not familiar with Irish myth, but several of the testimonials said this book is true to the source material, so take that as you will. The plot has a lot going for it; unfortunately, it becomes bogged down early on as it relies on exposition to develop the world and propel the story. This continues for approximately two-thirds of the book. On the other hand, the writing mechanics of the story are quite good as thoughts and words flow together in complementary fashion. Purple prose, a particular pet peeve of mine, is also avoiding, making for an all-around smooth read. The characters in this novel are a mixed bag with their development being erratic and lopsided. The oddly compressed timeline of the book does not leave much space to develop the characters. A notable exception is the protagonist’s mother whom I found I cared about even more than the protagonist himself. In the end, The Wish has the making of an interesting story but falls short of its potential. Despite this, I think the author has potential herself, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.
RANTS AND RAMBLES
- No rant and rambles on this review. I wrote it a long time in a different format than I use now. I have posted it here in its original text.
Navigation: Home Store Book Reviews