Title: The Wish Thief
Series: None (currently)
Year: 2016 (first published in 2012 under the title Glory Alley and the Star Riders)
Author: C.D. Verhoff
Summary: A girl on a quest for the perfect stone finds more than she ever imagined. A modern tale about the power of hope, courage and persistence.
Glory Alley is a young caving enthusiast on a personal mission. Since Mother's death, Father started drinking again and can't find employment. Her siblings constantly quarrel with each other, making home feel like a war zone. Labeled a loser by her peers, school isn't much better. Thinking money will solve their many problems, she sets off to find the legendary treasure of Queen's Mesa. Just as the prize appears within reach, otherworldly beings arrive to take it away, but they have met their match in Glory.
A battle of wits versus magic ensues, unraveling the order of the universe. Only the girl who started the trouble can return things back to normal. Considering her unhappy situation back at home, surely there's a better option than 'normal', but can she find it before time runs out? (from Goodreads)
Glory Alley is a young caving enthusiast on a personal mission. Since Mother's death, Father started drinking again and can't find employment. Her siblings constantly quarrel with each other, making home feel like a war zone. Labeled a loser by her peers, school isn't much better. Thinking money will solve their many problems, she sets off to find the legendary treasure of Queen's Mesa. Just as the prize appears within reach, otherworldly beings arrive to take it away, but they have met their match in Glory.
A battle of wits versus magic ensues, unraveling the order of the universe. Only the girl who started the trouble can return things back to normal. Considering her unhappy situation back at home, surely there's a better option than 'normal', but can she find it before time runs out? (from Goodreads)
Main Characters:
~ Glory Alley
~ Clash
~ Bone
~ Needle
~ White Feather
~ Glory Alley
~ Clash
~ Bone
~ Needle
~ White Feather
Review: In truth, this review should have been up a month ago. Shame on me for finally getting to it.
The author contacted me about reviewing this book for her a few months ago. I will admit, I was instantly interested in this book based on the title alone. I mean, come on! The Wish Thief! Isn't that just epic? I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its title, but I think I may have. It sounded awesome. And then I went and looked it up, and judged the book by its cover, too. It sounded even more awesome. Of course I agreed to review it.
All in all, this was one really cool adventure. Bits of it reminded me of Narnia, as Glory underwent tests and met interesting people in a new world. Other parts reminded me of a dystopian novel. There was even some sci-fi flair in there as well. Basically, a little bit of everything to please any reader.
Glory Alley isn't your typical heroine. In fact, for most of the book, she's not even the heroine. She's the bad guy. But the good guy all at the same time. Fascinating how that works. The fate of a world and perhaps much more of the universe rests in her hands, and her thoughts are for her family. That's one thing that I really liked about Glory. She's got a very keen love for her family, despite the hard times and arguments. Whatever she does, she does for her family.
The whole concept of the wish thief is so cool, and it got cooler with every page. Seriously. I could rave about that, but I won't. You'll just have to read that to figure it all out. Spoilers, ya know.
Most of the action goes along pretty quickly, and it's easy to get lost in the adventure. There was a section toward the middle where Glory is learning of the other worlds and the Elboni that is a lot of talking and information. There, the pace does slow down, and it gets a bit difficult to wade through, but its worth getting through. Trust me.
Also, shout-out to fantastic secondary characters! Clash was awesome. Which is why we need a sequel to this novel. And more of George. Which is also another reason for a sequel. *cough*
The author contacted me about reviewing this book for her a few months ago. I will admit, I was instantly interested in this book based on the title alone. I mean, come on! The Wish Thief! Isn't that just epic? I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its title, but I think I may have. It sounded awesome. And then I went and looked it up, and judged the book by its cover, too. It sounded even more awesome. Of course I agreed to review it.
All in all, this was one really cool adventure. Bits of it reminded me of Narnia, as Glory underwent tests and met interesting people in a new world. Other parts reminded me of a dystopian novel. There was even some sci-fi flair in there as well. Basically, a little bit of everything to please any reader.
Glory Alley isn't your typical heroine. In fact, for most of the book, she's not even the heroine. She's the bad guy. But the good guy all at the same time. Fascinating how that works. The fate of a world and perhaps much more of the universe rests in her hands, and her thoughts are for her family. That's one thing that I really liked about Glory. She's got a very keen love for her family, despite the hard times and arguments. Whatever she does, she does for her family.
The whole concept of the wish thief is so cool, and it got cooler with every page. Seriously. I could rave about that, but I won't. You'll just have to read that to figure it all out. Spoilers, ya know.
Most of the action goes along pretty quickly, and it's easy to get lost in the adventure. There was a section toward the middle where Glory is learning of the other worlds and the Elboni that is a lot of talking and information. There, the pace does slow down, and it gets a bit difficult to wade through, but its worth getting through. Trust me.
Also, shout-out to fantastic secondary characters! Clash was awesome. Which is why we need a sequel to this novel. And more of George. Which is also another reason for a sequel. *cough*
Advisory: Various characters use "fake profanity" and swear and cuss. Also, some adult comments from time to time.
In addition, there is a scene where a character appears before people naked. Nothing is described, but following are multiple comments related to the unfortunate event. Just something to be aware of.
As far as the magic is concerned (because magic is a big part of this story), it was the same as the magic in Narnia and similar stories. Glory comes from a world that doesn't use magic, so she doesn't know anything of it. It's not until she visits another world that she becomes aware of its existence. And even there, magic has strict regulations.
This book is categorized as "Christian Fiction" because it contains a lot of symbolism. At the end of the book, the author included a section explaining the symbols in depth. While I can't say I personally agree with all of it, I really enjoyed reading through that and understanding the story at a deeper level.
In addition, there is a scene where a character appears before people naked. Nothing is described, but following are multiple comments related to the unfortunate event. Just something to be aware of.
As far as the magic is concerned (because magic is a big part of this story), it was the same as the magic in Narnia and similar stories. Glory comes from a world that doesn't use magic, so she doesn't know anything of it. It's not until she visits another world that she becomes aware of its existence. And even there, magic has strict regulations.
This book is categorized as "Christian Fiction" because it contains a lot of symbolism. At the end of the book, the author included a section explaining the symbols in depth. While I can't say I personally agree with all of it, I really enjoyed reading through that and understanding the story at a deeper level.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
*Please note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
