Zakazane Życzenie (The Forbidden Wish)

Zakazane Życzenie (The Forbidden Wish) - Jessica Khoury

I read this book in Polish, mainly because the cover is gorgeous. To be completely honest, if I had been presented with the English cover, I probably would not have read the book. The English language cover makes the book look like a cheesy romance novel, whereas the Polish one just looks much cooler; it looks more like a novel with a badass female lead, and less like a novel that's solely about the romantic aspect of her adventures.

I think it's the face that makes the difference.

This is the story of Aladdin, but with a twist. Instead of the main character being the male thief, it's the female genie. In this version of the story, women are powerful. There's no princess who needs the thief to show her a "whole new world" with the help of a male genie who's just there for comic relief; instead, the princess is a powerful rebellious force with an army of strong women to back her up, and the female genie has a past that she's fighting hard to overcome. For me, Aladdin is just as goofy as in the movie - he's easy to relate to, but sometimes you just so want to shake your head at him.

The genie in this version is Zahra, who (of course) has a troubled past; she can't get over the mistakes she's made. Just like the genie in the Disney movie, Zahra wants her freedom. Throughout the book, she's on a mission to win it back, and she's also busy helping Aladdin exact revenge. Naturally, this book involves some romance, and before she knows it, Zahra has to choose between love and freedom. She has to decide: will she be happy with her freedom and no love, or with love and no freedom?

This book had some great writing and, surprisingly, made me think about my own happiness. It's a great story and I really wish there was more.

Rating: 5/5

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