I met Shawn McGuire online when I joined the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s indie author group. I knew she wrote YA fantasy and let it go by. I ran into her again at the awards event at the BookBar when I was named finalist in the Independant Writer of the Year award. Again, I knew she wrote YA fantasy but let it go by. I ran into her several times at the annual convention earlier this month and decided I really needed to read more of her work.
Yeah. I’m kicking myself for not digging into this series sooner. The books are not published by an indie press in California but by her own imprint that just happens to have the same name.
First, yes. She’s promoting them as YA. They’re YA. The characters are all mostly under twenty — except those who might be over 200 because it is fantasy after all. I think the YA tag kept me from digging in. That was a serious mistake on my part — and I knew it when I did it that I shouldn’t be looking too closely at that.
Second, holy cow. These books are amazing. The stories may be a bit stripped down for a YA audience but the richness that remains, like a nice pan-glaze reduction, carries these stories. I got the three-book omnibus edition and screamed through it in about three days and went looking for the rest. I think the series is complete at five books and it was the best investment I’ve made in a while.
Third, McGuire knows how to tell a story that doesn’t depend on people being stupid. Okay, Desiree has a serious blind-spot or two, but it only makes her feel more real – and having a genie (Kaf hates that word) feel as real as the mortals she’s helping is no mean feat. It goes beyond and I found myself questioning my own decisions, wondering what I would wish for, and what I would do if I got it.
I found this to be a touching, satisfying series. Grab a sample and see what you think … and think twice before you make your next wish.
About the reviewer:
Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.
Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com
ETA: Shawn contacted me to correct the press. It’s hers and not the California one. I corrected the review above.
[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t stepping up with reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]