TO WISH OR NOT TO WISH

Author: Mindy Klasky ISBN:9780778328308 10/2010 PARANORMAL Publisher: MIRA

Erin Hollister is waiting for her big break—or even a small one. She's been dumped by her boyfriend, canned by her employer and it doesn't seem that her dream of making it on Broadway will come true either. But then she's given a lantern—complete with genie!—and it looks as if a little magic may be in store…. That is, if she can decide what to wish for. There's the rub. Career? Family? Love life? Even a charismatic genie can grant only so many wishes. Or maybe Erin should just hold on to all those magical chances and think about what might be (instead of seeing just what's under her nose). Time's running out. Ultimately, it's Erin who must decide how to keep the magic alive—forever.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

TO WISH OR NOT TO WISH is the last in Mindy Klasky’s As You Wish series. TO WISH OR NOT TO WISH picks up right where WHEN GOOD WISHES GO BAD left off, but there’s enough new material that readers who are new to the series won’t feel lost. Likewise, there’s very little rehashing of plot points to annoy veterans to the series; in fact, we get some updates on past characters.

The unifying theme in these three books has been Teel, the gender-bending genie. In this last installment, we see Erin torn between a strong attraction to Teel (in his male form, of course); a grassroots chef and restaurateur, Timothy; and her Master Plan, which called for a year without a boyfriend. While I could appreciate Erin’s struggle between wanting to keep to her Master Plan while falling for Timothy, I thought her crush on Teel was an odd plot point. By the time Erin falls in lust with Teel, she’s already seen him in a variety of bodies and is well aware that Teel is just biding his time until she makes her fourth wish. I just felt like it was an unnecessary plot device that wasn’t that believable (as much as any story featuring a genie could be).

Overall, however, TO WISH OR NOT TO WISH was a fun and engaging end to the series. I’ll miss Teel and her crazy personas!

Melissa Stratford