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I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: 9/1/2015
Synopsis: All twelve years of Eden’s life have been spent in an antique oil lamp. She lives like a princess inside her tiny, luxurious home, but to Eden, the lamp is nothing but a prison. She hates being a genie. All she wants, more than anything, is freedom.
When Eden finds a gateway to Earth inside the lamp, she takes her chance. In a moment, she’s entered the world she loves. And this time she won’t be sent back after three wishes.
Posing as the new kid at a San Diego middle school, Eden revels in all of Earth’s pleasures–but quickly learns that this world isn’t as perfect as she always thought it was. Eden soon finds herself in the middle of a centuries old conflict between powerful immortals. A ruthless organization run by a former genie will stop at nothing to acquire the lamp and it’s power–including hurting Tyler and Sasha, the mortal friends who have given Eden a home. To save her friends, and protect the magic of the lamp, Eden will have to decide once and for all where she belongs.
I’ve been on a bit of a Jinn kick lately, and when I saw this offered on NetGalley it immediately piqued my interest. It wasn’t exactly as I wished (Sorry. I couldn’t resist!) it would be, but overall, I found it to be an adorable read that added some new elements to the genie myth.
Eden is only twelve but she has a lot of responsibility on her young shoulders. Among the many rules governing her kind, she has to grant 999 wishes before she can retire and get her own wish. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she’s not allowed to move freely on Earth and spends most of her time within the confines of the lamp with her two guardians, Xavier and Goldie. Bitter and resentful at all the rules and restrictions placed on her, when she sees a chance to escape she takes it–unmindful of the consequences.
I really didn’t care for Eden at the beginning. I understood her wish to be free and to live a normal life, but honestly, she’s a bit of a spoiled brat and spends quite a bit of time whining and throwing temper tantrums. Yes she spends most of her time in the lamp, but the place is gorgeous. Add to that two guardians who love her and just want her to be happy–well, it’s not a perfect situation, but it left me wanting to switch places with her. Thankfully, her personality takes a dramatic shift once she escapes and is living as a human. She quickly discovers that living outside the lamp has it’s drawbacks also. Not that this results in her changing her mind completely. No, she just realizes that life in general isn’t perfect. Along her journey she learns about love, friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice.
Helping her are her two human friends, Tyler and Sasha who take her in when she finds herself homeless in this paradise she’s always to live in. These two characters become very important to the development of Eden’s character, particularly Tyler who shows Eden the true meaning of friendship.
What also makes this a unique addition to this mythology is the addition of retired genies. Have you ever wondered what happens to them when their free? We know that Genie from Aladdin couldn’t wait to travel, and that’s certainly the same for some of the genies in this book, but there are also some surprising twists.
Despite some loose threads, the ending is more than satisfactory. I’m interested in seeing if there will be a sequel. I’d recommend Eden’s Wish for 10-12 year olds girls. I wouldn’t call it ground breaking, but it’s a sweet treat which will enchant it’s audience and have them rooting for Eden and her friends.
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