The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar

The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar
Series: The Art of Wishing #1
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication Date: March 21st 2013
Source: Bought

Margo McKenna has a plan of attack for everything, from landing the lead in her high school musical to dealing with her increasingly absent parents. But when she finds herself in possession of a genie's ring and the opportunity to make three wishes, she doesn't know what to do. Especially since Oliver--not blue-skinned, not bottle-dwelling, but a genie nonetheless--can see more than what she's willing to show him. With one peek into her mind, he can see the wishes that even Margo herself doesn't know she wants.

But Oliver comes with more than just mind-reading abilities, a flair for magic, and the prettiest eyes Margo's ever seen. Someone from his past is hunting him--someone bent on killing him, along with all the other genies in the world, for the sake of honor. And as Margo soon discovers, it will take more than three wishes to save him.

A whole lot more.

The Art of Wishing was one of my most anticipated 2013 releases and I'm pleased to say that it was just as adorable and amazing and I was expecting it to be. 

It follows out main character Margo who is a serial planner. She likes to make sure that she's planned everything in advance and then when one of her plans doesn't go the way she thought it would, she's stunned. Margo was sure she would get the lead in the play and then it went to someone who can't even sing, Margo isn't happy. But then, she finds herself in possession of a genie's ring and it turns out that Oliver (the cute new guy at school) is in fact, a genie! Oliver can grant Margo three wishes but he has to get her to hurry because someone is hunting him down and trying to kill him.

Margo is one of those characters who likes everything to follow her plans. She's a serial planner. That was one of the things I really loved about Margo because I'm a serial planner as well. Nothing ever turns out the way I want it to though, but I still continue to plan. Margo's family life isn't perfect, no matter how much it seems like it is. Her mother and her father split up when Margo was young and it was just her and her mother. Her mother treated her like an adult and she grew really close to her mother. Now, her mother and father have gotten back together and have gone back to treating her like a child. Margo is harboring a lot of hate for her mother and her father because of that. She hates the fact her father has come back and everything has changed. She's a really strong character though and she learns to stand up for herself throughout the book. I really loved Margo.

I was definitely intrigued by Oliver right from the start. I mean, he's a hot genie. Who wouldn't be intrigued? My feelings towards Oliver were constantly changing throughout the book. One minute I could be completely in love with him and then the next I wanted to punch him. That was because there was lot we discovered about Oliver throughout the book and learning about his past and what being a genie required. Oliver's feelings for Margo are genuine though and she seems to be the only one questioning it. Oliver is just such a sweetheart <3

The romance in this book was just adorable. Sure, you could say that Oliver and Margo's relationship was insta-love, but it never felt like that to me. Their relationship just felt so natural and you could tell they were meant for each other. Every time they were together my heart melted and I had my fingers crossed the whole way through the book for them.

The story line of this one was just as cute as I was expecting it to be with a bit of suspense and mystery surrounding Oliver. This is actually the first book I've read with Genie's in it and I loved Ribar's take on them. Instead of a lamp, Oliver had a ring which he was tied to. It was an interesting concept. The master could use the ring to call their genie and no one could take the ring from them unless they'd used all their 3 wishes or gave it away. I really enjoyed learning about Oliver throughout the book. It takes him a while to open up about everything, but when he did I really felt for him. I also really enjoyed seeing what Margo was going to wish for. She had so many ideas but it was interesting seeing what she would actually use her wishes on and whether they would be selfish or not. The main thing about this book that interested me was the fact that someone was out to get Oliver. We don't know much about it to start with, he just drops hints and tells Margo to hurry up and make her wishes so he can run. But of course, Margo doesn't so this person shows up in town and starts harassing Margo to give up the ring. Things get pretty sinister and the lengths the person went to to get the ring were unbelievable. It was crazy!

The ending was crazy and now I'm super excited for the second book! I can't wait to see how Margo deals with what happened in book 2 and see how she adjusts to everything. Plus, I want more Oliver.

Overall, I absolutely adored this book. It was cute and sweet, but it also had a really intriguing and mysterious story line that I loved unravelling throughout the book. It's one that I definitely recommend.