Review: I Wish... (The Witches of Desire #1) by Wren Emerson

Summary/Cover Image from Goodreads:

All she ever wanted was a chance to settle down in one place.

Thistle Nettlebottom knows her life isn't exactly normal. She travels the country with her secretive mother and bestselling author grandmother in a pink RV going from book signings to crazy research trips. She's never been to public school or had a boyfriend, but she can pick a lock and hotwire a car. One day the phone rings and they set a course to a tiny town that's not on any maps. Suddenly, Thistle finds her whole life changing.

She's finally found the home she's been searching for.

Thistle soon realizes that Desire isn't like other towns and she's not like other girls. The family she trusted has lied to her about everything her entire life and the things she doesn't know about herself could cost her everything. Her legacy as one of the most powerful witches the town has ever seen has made her enemies that have been waiting patiently for a chance to destroy her. Thistle needs to learn to use her powers to protect herself before they succeed.

Be careful what you wish for.

Thistle has a power unique even among the magic wielding witches of Desire. She can wish things into existence. At first she enjoys the freedom of having everything her heart desires, but she soon realizes that her power comes at a terrible price. She's losing her grip on her sanity at a time when she can't afford any weakness. Her enemies are closing in quickly, but she might not have the strength to save herself.

Review:

I Wish has been sitting on my eReader for a long time now, and I'm not really sure why. It sounded like something I would love. I mean, witches and wishing powers?! It can't get much better than that! Recently, I decided to give it a go-around and I ended up loving it! Not only was I Wish captivating and suspenseful, but it contained so many fun characters and crazy plot twists and turns. Basically, this book was nothing short of fabulous!

I Wish tells the story of Thistle Nettlebottom, a girl who's always lived an unusual life thanks to her grandmother's budding career as an author. Thistle has never settled down in one place. Instead, her and her mother, Vanna, as well as their driver Shep, follow Thistle's grandmother around from tour stop to tour stop. As a result, Thistle knows nothing of her back story...where she came from, who her father is, and even if Thistle Nettlebottom is her real name or not. However, everything changes when her grandmother gets a phone call one day...Suddenly, Thistle and her family are racing back to Desire, their apparent hometown. Thistle couldn't be more excited. Finally, everything is going to be normal and fun, but that's not the case, as Desire is anything but normal and fun...

There were several things I really enjoyed about I Wish and one of those was definitely the plot. If you're a longtime reader of my blog/reviews, you'll probably know I'm always up for a good witch story. I find it fun to see how authors present magic as well as characters that are witches in their books, because the opportunities of what could happen are endless. I Wish, thankfully, was a great witch story. I thought Wren did a fabulous job of creating the town of Desire as well as its residents. Everything was always just a wee bit creepy as well as intriguing, and I always ended up dying to know what would happen next. I wanted to know all the secrets of Desire, and when everything was reveled, I was dying to know what would happen next. I especially enjoyed seeing Desire's social ladder come into play...it was horrible but a ton of fun to read about! One thing I really loved about the plot, though, was seeing Wren's power bloom as well as what other powers the witches had. Wren really came up with some interesting and unique ones in this!

I also enjoyed the characters in this one. Thistle was a character I liked from the start. She was a someone who's always been secluded from the world so to see her bloom and become her own person in this was a lot of fun. Plus I thought Wren did a great job of expressing Thistle's dismay and doubt when her family's past was reveled. I also really enjoyed the characters of Evan and Ben, Thistle's two love interests. Unlike most books, I found both options in the love triangle to be likable. Both represented something that Thistle desired so to see her constantly be caught between them was interesting. Plus I never really knew who she would pick...I still don't to tell the truth. I also really enjoyed the addition of Thistle's family! They were so scandalous and awful but in books, that's always a ton of fun to read about. I liked Thistle's one cousin, though. She was so sweet and funny and I can't wait to see more of her in the sequels.

I'm always a little hesitant to pick up Indie books because I'm never sure what the writing is going to be like, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Sure it had it's weak points here and there, but in the end, Wren Emerson created a great little story, and sometimes that's all that counts, in my opinion.

In all, Wren Emerson has introduced a great cast of characters in I Wish, and I can't wait to dive back into their world once the sequels are released! So basically, if you're looking for a series to end your pain of loosing the Hex Hall trilogy, look no further as I Wish is the one for you!

Grade: A-

I Wish (Amazon, Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Author- thanks Wren!