Sticks and Stones (The Wish Makers #1) by Shawn McGuire
Add to Goodreads
Coming of Age, Fantasy, Romance
Everyone has a dark side. Mandy’s just moved in with her. The last time sixteen-year-old Mandy Matteo broke a rule, her sister died. Since that day she has done only what is expected of her, but life as a goody-goody has made Mandy so boring her friends have all but abandoned her. And she’s given up on ever getting Ethan, the boy she’s liked forever, to notice her. Desperate, Mandy makes a wish to simply be happy. Her wish is granted and happiness arrives in the form of Lexi, her childhood imaginary friend come to life. Magical wishes have conditions though: Once started, the wish cannot be altered or stopped. And once Mandy is truly content with her life again, Lexi must go back to where she came from. But Lexi loves being alive and she’ll do whatever it takes to stay that way.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
The premise of this book is unusual which immediately grabbed my interest. It isn't the same formula re-worded. However, I was still unsure, even after reading the synopsis, about what I would be getting. What I got was an interesting, rich and fully detailed book covering not just our main female character but Lexi and the Wish Mistress too. There is enough background on the other characters that they all slot in perfectly together and you know that you are getting a complete story. There are no big chunks missed out of this one. Mandy's birthday wish was a rare one - it was her soul wish. And it is not just granted without a thought. The wish is the start of a journey that she can choose whether to take or not. And therein lies a brilliant story. It starts off quite light but soon gets darker (in a YA friendly way). The secret that Mandy was hiding was heartbreaking in it's childlike simplicity. It is easy to forget how literal children are with what you say to them and how long it can stay with them. During the conversation with Mandy and her mum, it brought tears to my eyes. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will be reading Break My Bones, the second in this series.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Shawn McGuire is the author of young adult novels that blend contemporary settings and issues with a touch of fantasy and magic. She started writing after seeing the first Star Wars movie (that's episode IV) as a kid. She couldn't wait for the next movie to come out so wrote her own episodes. Sadly, those notebooks are long lost, but her desire to write is as strong now as it was then.
Her books deal with harder topics (death of a sibling, divorce, dating violence, bullying, and teen suicide) because she believes it is important to talk about these things. Those kinds of topics can be hard to handle and a bit overwhelming, so she infuses a bit of humor in her work as well because she also believes that a sense of humor can help you get through just about anything.
Shawn lives in Colorado with her family where she spends her time reading, cooking and baking, practicing yoga and meditation, and hiking and camping in the spectacular Rocky Mountains.