The Orphan's Wish by Melanie Dickerson Series: Hagenheim #8
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (2018)
eBook (345 pages)
Via: Library
Rating:
Also by this author: The Silent Songbird
Also in this series: The Silent Songbird
Reading Challenges: Read 2020
Synopsis
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 who 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 her 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 tale, The Orphan's Wish tells a story of courage and loyalty, friendship and love, and reminds us what "family" really means.
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon
My Review
Okay… so this was supposedly a retelling of the story of Aladdin but, apart from the same name, I have a hard time seeing it.
Aladdin is rescued from the streets of the Holy Land by a knight and a priest at the end of the Crusades. We never learn the priest’s name. Seriously, the text only calls him “Priest” which is totally not logical and pretty irreverent. He would have been called “Father.” And he should have been a named character… but I digress.
Aladdin is taken to Hagenheim and raised there in the orphanage where he befriends the Duke’s daughter, Lady Kirstyn. They are fast friends and Aladdin even takes a bear mauling to save Kirstyn.
Then Aladdin turns 18 and decides to leave to become rich and make his own fortune. That is all he really wants, to be rich. So off he goes and meets Herr Kaufmann. Aladdin is so perfect that he impresses Herr Kaufmann and is named his heir over Herr Kaufmann’s own son, Michael.
While Aladdin is off making money, Kirstyn mopes around the castle missing him. Then she is tricked by Anna, one of the orphans from the orphanage, and kidnapped by Michael, who also happens to be Anna’s boyfriend. Originally this was to get a ransom from her father but that falls through. Now Michael wants to hurt Kirstyn to hurt Aladdin because he is jealous of Aladdin’s relationship with his own father.
So the Duke shows us and tells Aladdin that Kirstyn has been kidnapped. So Aladdin goes off to try to rescue Kirstyn. And Kirstyn tries to stay alive with Michael calling the shots.
Confused yet? A bit. And I don’t really see the connections to the fairy tale that this is supposed to be a retelling of… *shrug*
The characters are also pretty flat. Aladdin is portrayed as perfect and yet still tormented by being forced to steal as a literal child so now he wants to become rich apparently. Lady Kirstyn is beautiful but naive. Michael is cruel and just plain not nice. Abu is a little street orphan rescued by Aladdin.
And at 55% of the way through the eBook, it could have ended. Things were wrapped up enough and I honestly just did not see the plot continuing past there… but there was still over 40% of the book left to come…
If you were writing a retelling of Aladdin, what time period and culture would you place the story in?
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