I was delightfully surprised at 'Of Metal And Wishes'. I wasn't sure that I'd like the book very much after reading the synopsis. Though it sounded interesting, I thought that maybe the ghost would bore me. I'm not even sure why, as the "ghost" was actually one of the most interesting parts of the story, as much is revealed and can be inferred about him early on in the book.
Wen and Melik were both amazing characters, and I enjoyed every moment I spent with them. Wen I loved from the very beginning. She lost her mother recently and now has to live with her father - who is almost a stranger to her - in Gochan One, a meat factory of sorts. She serves as a medical assistant to her father, and like any normal person, doesn't want to be at the terrible factory, where everyone is treated unfairly. What I love about Wen is that she's a realistic character. She's not perfect: she doesn't get away with all her schemes, and one of her mistakes even led to someone's death.
Now Melik, I didn't really like him much at the very end or the very beginning, but in the entire middle of the novel he was wonderful. I didn't like him much when Wen first sees him because honestly he seemed too nice, but after we actually meet him there's definitely a lot of depth to him. I only actually started loving him though after he began hating Wen. Weird, right? He was the perfect guy throughout the rest of the novel too. And unlike everyone else, he never pushed Wen to do things she was uncomfortable with.The fact that he couldn't always protect Wen is what made him more realistic, and it's also what made the Ghost more important to the novel. I didn't like Melik at the very end due to his...departure style (I'm trying to keep it vague), but hopefully he'll make up for it in the second book.
The setting was done very well, and while reading, I could literally see Gochan One and the characters clearly in my head. I loved the fact that the romance wasn't the central focus in the book, but that it was focused on the unfair working conditions against the Noor, as well as the arrogant Itanyai, and the public perception of the Ghost. I feel like I made that sound more boring than it was...just trust me when I say that 'Of Metal And Wishes' is an original book you won't want to miss out on.
'Of Metal And Wishes' is a beautifully written story about a girl torn between a Noor and a Ghost (though she's leaning more towards one than the other), as well as her father and her dreams. She has to figure out who she can trust in such a corrupt world, and at the same time has to figure out how to protect the people she cares about.YA, Steampunk, and Dystopia fans should absolutely add this book to their TBR pile.
Wen and Melik were both amazing characters, and I enjoyed every moment I spent with them. Wen I loved from the very beginning. She lost her mother recently and now has to live with her father - who is almost a stranger to her - in Gochan One, a meat factory of sorts. She serves as a medical assistant to her father, and like any normal person, doesn't want to be at the terrible factory, where everyone is treated unfairly. What I love about Wen is that she's a realistic character. She's not perfect: she doesn't get away with all her schemes, and one of her mistakes even led to someone's death.
Now Melik, I didn't really like him much at the very end or the very beginning, but in the entire middle of the novel he was wonderful. I didn't like him much when Wen first sees him because honestly he seemed too nice, but after we actually meet him there's definitely a lot of depth to him. I only actually started loving him though after he began hating Wen. Weird, right? He was the perfect guy throughout the rest of the novel too. And unlike everyone else, he never pushed Wen to do things she was uncomfortable with.The fact that he couldn't always protect Wen is what made him more realistic, and it's also what made the Ghost more important to the novel. I didn't like Melik at the very end due to his...departure style (I'm trying to keep it vague), but hopefully he'll make up for it in the second book.
The setting was done very well, and while reading, I could literally see Gochan One and the characters clearly in my head. I loved the fact that the romance wasn't the central focus in the book, but that it was focused on the unfair working conditions against the Noor, as well as the arrogant Itanyai, and the public perception of the Ghost. I feel like I made that sound more boring than it was...just trust me when I say that 'Of Metal And Wishes' is an original book you won't want to miss out on.
'Of Metal And Wishes' is a beautifully written story about a girl torn between a Noor and a Ghost (though she's leaning more towards one than the other), as well as her father and her dreams. She has to figure out who she can trust in such a corrupt world, and at the same time has to figure out how to protect the people she cares about.YA, Steampunk, and Dystopia fans should absolutely add this book to their TBR pile.
Book Synopsis: There are whispers of a ghost in the slaughterhouse where sixteen-year-old Wen assists her father in his medical clinic—a ghost who grants wishes to those who need them most. When one of the Noor, men hired as cheap factory labor, humiliates Wen, she makes an impulsive wish of her own, and the Ghost grants it. Brutally.
Guilt-ridden, Wen befriends the Noor, including their outspoken leader, a young man named Melik. At the same time, she is lured by the mystery of the Ghost and learns he has been watching her … for a very long time.
As deadly accidents fuel tensions within the factory, Wen must confront her growing feelings for Melik, who is enraged at the sadistic factory bosses and the prejudice faced by his people at the hand of Wen’s, and her need to appease the Ghost, who is determined to protect her against any threat—real or imagined. She must decide whom she can trust, because as her heart is torn, the factory is exploding around her … and she might go down with it.
~A copy was received from Margaret K. McElderry Books for review~
Title: Of Metal and Wishes
Author: Sarah Fine
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: Retelling, YA
Pages: 320 pages
