Title: Wicked as You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1)

Author: Rin Chupeco

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left encased in ice when the Snow Queen waged war. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in...Arizona.

Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family, is hiding in a town so boring, magic doesn't even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them.

A new hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala must unite with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I loved the mash-up of various systems of magic and worlds from other literature. I loved the action sequences especially all those involving the Ice Maiden and the Snow Queen. It took me a while to get the hang of the terminology, but I did get the hang of it. The story was decent and set up the rest of the series pretty well. This one ends on one hell of a cliffhanger, so beware. Unfortunately, I am very tired of the trope where everyone other character knows what’s going on, while the main character is kept in the dark “for their own safety.” I really get so very annoyed by this in every book it appears. I just cannot. Why can’t characters just communicate the relevant information in any given situation? I can’t deal with the lies by omission. I am still debating whether or not to continue reading this series.

Next up on the TBR pile: