Melanie Dickerson: The Orphan's Wish

By Kelly Bridgewater

Orphaned and alone, Aladdin travels from the streets of his Arab homeland to a strange, faraway place. Growing up in an orphanage, he meets young Lady Kirstyn, whose father is the powerful Duke of Hagenheim. Despite the difference in their stations, Aladdin quickly becomes Kirstyn’s favorite companion, and their childhood friendship grows into a bond that time and opposition cannot break.

Even as a child, Aladdin works hard, learning all he can from his teachers. Through his integrity, intelligence, and sheer tenacity, he earns a position serving as the duke’s steward. But that isn’t enough to erase the shame of being forced to steal as a small child—or the fact that he’s an orphan with no status. If he ever wants to feel equal to his beautiful and generous friend Kirstyn, he must leave Hagenheim and seek his fortune.

Yet once Aladdin departs, Lady Kirstyn becomes a pawn in a terrible plot. Now, Aladdin and Kirstyn must rely on their bond to save Kirstyn from unexpected danger. But will saving Kirstyn cost Aladdin his newfound status and everything he’s worked so hard to obtain?

An enchanting new version of the well-known fairy tale, The Orphan’s Wish tells a story of courage and loyalty, friendship and love, and reminds us what “family” really means.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Melanie Dickerson's fairy tale remakes usually capture my attention. I love her take on the stories. She sprinkles in a little bit of her Dickerson magic and tosses what I know of the popular tales and whips up a batch of a new perspective. With her latest installment of her Hagenheim series, The Orphan's Wish, I believe it wasn't as good as the others preceding it.

The only approach to Aladdin I had is the Disney version with the Genie and Jasmine, so I'm not that familiar with the true written story. Dickerson does a great job at inviting me into the Hagenheim kingdom and bringing back familiar characters that I'm familiar with. Clear and concise writing is what Dickerson does best. She really invites me into the character's mind and allows me to feel and think right alongside the characters.

But . . . I have some issues with The Orphan's Wish. First, the first forty percent of the book features a lot of flashback into Aladdin and Kirstyn's early relationship. I would be reading the story, and then be thrown into an aspect of importance to show how Aladdin and Kirstyn's past cemented their present world. Second, I believe, there were too many internal dialogue and thoughts from Aladdin and Kirstyn about the other person. Every decision Aladdin made was because of a "might" relationship with Lady Kirstyn. He couldn't really make any decision on his own. He thought about Lady Kirstyn ALL THE TIME.

The romance appeared a little childish. They met as young kids and became best friends. Then the romance grew, even though Aladdin and Kirstyn were not socially in the same station in life. Aladdin and Kirstyn's thoughts drove me nuts. They thought of each other all the time like a young couple in love. Plus, they were too afraid to admit to each other how they honestly felt.

I wish the bad guy was more. I don't know how to explain it without giving away the plot. He appears, kidnaps, and threatens. Not too much of a threat. Then he is captured, released, and captured / killed for the final time. The conflict wasn't deep enough for me. If felt too shallow.

Overall, I really looked forward to Melanie Dickerson's take on Aladdin with The Orphan's Wish, but it fell short for me. The romance and the plot didn't capture my attention and left me wanting more with the story. I believe I will still collect the book to complete my collection. Fans of Dickerson's other novels should read the novel and see if they enjoy it for themselves.

I received a complimentary copy of The Orphan's Wish by Melanie Dickerson from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars