The Fourth Wish

The Art of Wishing #2

by Lindsay Ribar

Here’s what Margo McKenna knows about genies:

She’s seen Aladdin more times than she can count; she’s made three wishes on a magic ring ; she’s even fallen head over heels in love with Oliver, the cute genie whose life she saved by fighting off his archenemy. But none of this prepared her for the shock of becoming a genie herself.

At a time when she's trying to figure out who she wants to be, Margo is forced to become whomever her master wants. Everything she's taken for granted—graduating from high school, going to college, performing in the school musical, even being a girl—is called into question. But she’s also coming into a power she never imagined she'd have.

How will Margo reconcile who she is with what she’s becoming? And where will she and Oliver stand when she's done?

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Magic, Supernatural, LGBT

384 pages, ebook

First published July 31, 2014

About the author

Lindsay Ribar lives in New York City, where she works in book publishing by day and writes YA novels by night. She attends far too many concerts, watches far too much nerdy TV, and consumes fanfiction like it's made out of chocolate. She is fond of wine, cheese, and countries where they speak English with cool accents.

Reviews

[Lindsay Ribar · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE FOURTH WISH: A PLAYLIST

1. Phoenix Burn (Alpha Rev)
2. Joking (Indigo Girls)
3. Sing Loud (Alpha Rev)
4. Always (Panic! at the Disco)
5. Chokehold (Adam Lambert)
6. Middle Cyclone (Neko Case)
7. Torn to Tattered (Carbon Leaf)
8. Come Around (Sarah Jarosz)
9. Alone With You (Alpha Rev)
10. Take Tomorrow (One Day at a Time) (Butch Walker)
11. I Will Wait (Mumford & Sons)

[kari · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/2 star.
This is the worst follow-up book that I've ever read. Nothing that I enjoyed in the first book holds on in this book. Nothing.
I think the author was too busy making a point about sexuality to see that she was way off course with both the characters and the plot. She literally beats the reader over the head with it and I don't think that was necessary or added anything to the story. Additionally, I felt like I was being preached to by Oliver(or the author) about it and I don't like that, no matter what is being preached.
Also, the idea that someone has the right to do whatever they want to your body and you should as Oliver puts it, "simply adjust your thinking" is so off-putting that I don't have the words to reflect my disgust.
And the sexuality is some kind of omni-sexuality. It isn't straight or gay, it's whatever with whomever. Truly, Ms. Ribar, people actually do have sexual orientation or preferences. A girl who is straight isn't going to be into a girl and vice versa. A girl who is gay isn't going to be into a guy, even if that guy was a girl yesterday. And I could have just gone with the flow here except it is brought up over and over and over and over.
There is far less about what it means to be a genie and almost all of it is about their sexuality. Why?
Nothing much happens here, nothing of an urgent nature and Margo, whom I liked, becomes just such a special sparkly snowflake that I could not stand her. Being a genie is difficult, takes years of work, but she, of course, is just good at it and has awesome powers and control after just a few days, because she is, say it with me, a super-special sparkly snowflake.
And Oliver is just completely lost.
There is no fun banter between these two characters, not like the first book. And the romance is flat, flat, flat. I didn't much care whether they were together or not. I was quite frankly, bored with both of them.
Whoever made the comment that pushed this author from crafting one well done story into extending it into a series, you did not do her a favor!
I am so disappointed that I won't ever read this author again.
At this point I can't even recommend the first book. Badly done.

[Carmen]

Can I wish for this to magically appear in front of me.

Heh get it wish.

I really need to stop with my bad jokes.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

How nice it is to read a YA highschool book that tackles such intense themes as the balance between slavery and personal freedom, the gray areas of sexual assault and consent, moral integrity in a magical world, identity as it relates to responsibility to others, and non-binary gender issues... and does it all WELL. This book explores many of the sticky results of exactly what it could mean for a human to become (or make use of) a "genie" without preaching or moralizing. The characters make choices, good and bad, and the consequences of those choices are examined from multiple angles that I think will provoke young readers to personal reflection as well as offer them a broader perspective and insight to the real world they're growing up in. This book is what paranormal YA is meant to be: complex, engaging (and entertaining!) allegories for coming of age.

[Debby]

Why? Why this cover? Why?! ;_______;

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

PLOT WHAT PLOT

all the characters are major jerks. The shitty choices include but are not limited to:

-boy wishes for girl to be in love with him (fortunately they don't sleep together)
-boy wishes for girl to WANT to sleep with him (he doesn't consider this rape)
-girl threatens to force her "best friend" to stay in their home town forever
-girl wishes for her sister to break up with her fiance (this is fine with the characters and there are no consequences)
-entire school decides to bully a boy (online and IRL); when there's an assembly to address the bullying, the protagonist skips it and it is never addressed in-book again (there are no consequences for anyone)
-girl tries to manipulate her boyfriend into not having any other friends, while getting mad at him for supposedly trying to get her to .....give up her other friends???? (they eventually work this one out)
-boy with a history of being sexually abused encourages his girlfriend to just "adjust her thinking" and sleep with whoever wishes for it if it makes them happy (PS please get this boy therapy, please please please)

most of these shitty choices have zero consequences to them.....almost no one apologizes or learns from their shitty choices.

The arc of the book is just Margo trying to decide whether to be a genie or a human, even though she ALREADY MADE THAT CHOICE IN THE PREVIOUS BOOK and there is no way for her to become human again.

I enjoyed the first book so I honestly don't know what happened here.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was amazing! It explored gender issues, identity questioning, and young love. It put all these themes into a creative, unique storyline that left me entirely satisfied with every page. Overall 5/5 stars; I was so sad when the story ended- I want more!

[Juliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I love when I can get through an entire book in one evening.
This is the sequel to The Art of Wishing and it picks up directly after the first one. Many unanswered questions were answered in this one and I liked that. Margo made a fourth wish to save Oliver and in turn, became a genie herself. We see how she adjusts to the powers of becoming a genie and balancing her human life at the same time. Margo and Oliver are a great couple and Oliver is just so casual about everything. He's been a genie for hundreds of years and still gets excited over granting wishes. He's so encouraging when Margo learns something new and is so happy when she masters something. Margo's first master is just about the worst person ever. Ryan takes advantage of the wishing but he gets what's coming to him and that makes his awfulness worth it. There's not as much tension in this book as the last one but it's still just as quick of a read. I could easily read another book in this series even though it's over. There's plenty to explore. I really like the light nature of the fantasy in this because it makes everything seem so normal. Simple but enjoyable YA book.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. The first one was cheesy, quick, and had some serious issues in the Teens-Fall-Head-Over-Heels-And-Make-Ill-Advised-Decisions category, but at least it had a really morally ambiguous villain and a cool premise. This one had all of the bad stuff of the first, exhausted the premise and had no bad guy or major issue. It was 350 pages of her trying to figure out the genie thing, with no real big issues aside from some teenage angst. It's not really necessary to the series - it was more cute coupley-ness, and a bit more resolution, but I think this would have done just fine as a stand-alone.

Overall, not super impressed.

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

For more reviews, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.

Before I get started, let me state for the record that I think Lindsay Ribar is an awesome person. I consider her a friend and got to hang out with her a bit at BEA both inside and outside the conference center. What’s awesome is that I actually got to know her after I was the first person to review The Art of Wishing, which I totally reread and loved even more (knowing a book’s in a series is super helpful) than the first time. I don’t think my admiration of Lindsay affected my reading of her book, but full disclosure and all that. The Fourth Wish is a delightful, norm-smashing, humorous sequel and all people who enjoy a well-placed pop culture reference simply must read this series. There will be some spoilers for The Art of Wishing, so if you haven’t read that yet, just go do that.

The Fourth Wish is not what I was expecting. Usually that’s a bad thing, but it wasn’t here. The Art of Wishing was partly fluffy and partly intense and dark. That might sound unbalanced, but the story really made all of that work. There was a foundation for the turn the plot took, but it’s unexpected in that perfect emotion-punching way. I expected The Fourth Wish to continue with that dark intensity and, if anything, to be darker in mood than The Art of Wishing. That’s not the case. The Fourth Wish actually does something different altogether.

In The Art of Wishing, Margo was dealing with the realization that there’s magic in the world and with her feelings for a genie. It was very much about handling the paranormal aspects while being a human being. Now, though, Margo is paranormal herself and, unlike a lot of YA fiction, Ribar delves into the impact that has on her life. Obviously, this change means that she’s got to do genie work, which is a definite alteration, but it also affects her relationships with other humans and, most importantly, her sense of who she is and what she wants to do. Ribar tackles all of this and makes something fantastical feel very true to life.

In fact, The Fourth Wish ameliorated the only remaining criticism I had of The Art of Wishing, which is that Oliver and Margo enter the “I love you” phase much faster than I’m comfortable with. While they’re still together, it’s not easy. The love declarations obviously were not a way around developing the relationship. For all that Margo felt like she was in love, she’s constantly having to reevaluate their relationship and everything is not sunny. They fight and have to reach compromises.

Even better is the way that being genies impacts their relationship. See, genies change their form every time they get a new master, meaning that both Oliver and Margo change gender throughout the book. Though both can change back to a desired form if they work at it, sometimes they’re not the Margo and Oliver they’re both used to from the first book. For Oliver, this is old hat and no big deal, but Margo has to shift her paradigm that says what a relationship should look like. As with a lot of things, Margo’s not fully embraced the potential of their unique status by the end, but she’s made progress and oh my do I want some steamy fan fiction about these two.

Margo’s character arc is wonderful. She’s very much the same girl she was before, both in good and bad ways. Margo does some seriously frustrating things and sometimes I wanted to shake her. All of it, however, is very Margo and the book is about her gaining awareness of some of her less healthy mental processes. Basically, falling love and becoming a genie in such a short period of time sort of throws her off and she has to sit back and think about her behavior. Margo may be a hard character for some to take, as most characters who push people away seem to be, but she’s trying really hard and learning all the time. Also, I love her for the way she handles her first master; it may not be the classiest way, but I want to give the girl a high five. Plus, it attacks gender norms yet again, which is fabulous.

I wouldn’t say The Fourth Wish is action-packed, but my attention never wandered. There were always things happening, but it was life happening rather than the lives are at stake norm of paranormal fiction. It’s more character-focused than plot-focused, which for me is ideal. The one thing I would have liked to see is some resolution with Margo’s family. They’ve been typically distant for the whole series, neglecting Margo partly through trust but mostly because they’re so wrapped up in love for one another. Throughout the series, they don’t have many moments and Margo never really even starts to deal with her issues there, which felt out of place next to the time Margo spent dealing with everything else important to her (and her mom at least is very important to her).

There’s a special kind of bantery magic in this series and I wish that the people who would love this series will find it. I love both of them and they’re definitely the sort of books I’ll be rereading throughout the years.

[Stormy]

The Fourth Wish dives right into the story–we’re thrown pretty much right into where The Art of Wishing left off. For that reason, The Fourth Wish doesn’t feel so much as a sequel as just part two. While this sometimes bothers me in books(I feel strongly about books having their own story arcs), for some reason The Fourth Wish didn’t feel that way at all. Instead, I found The Fourth Wish to be a great wrap-up on Margo’s story.

As Margo is now a new genie, she struggles to figure out how to balance her genie life and her human life. As a genie, Margo has to take whatever shape will make her master feel comfortable, grant wishes even when they have affects on the people she cares about, and be at someone’s beck and call. As Margo tries to remain tied to her human life, she finds the balance between her friends, family, and things she cares about thrown off balance. How can she think of going to college when she has to deal with all her genie things? And then, of course, there’s the nature of Margo and Oliver’s relationship. Now that they’re both genies, some things are easier for the two of them, but at the same time it also makes their lives harder as they keep changing at the whims of their masters.

Despite all that’s going down in The Fourth Wish, it never feels like too much is happening. There’s a lot of introspection on Margo’s part, which is to be expected. While it may have been slightly annoying to see Margo struggle with her new life, I found it refreshing. There’s a learning curve to being a genie, after all, and it makes sense that Margo doesn’t just find herself immediately comfortable in her new identity, especially as her identity keeps changing due to her genie nature.

I find that often when books have a magical element, the magical world is always considered superior to the “normal” world, without any thought as to how or why that is. That’s why I appreciated how much Margo was willing to fight for her human life in The Fourth Wish. She enjoyed her magic at times and hated it at others, when it caused her to do things she didn’t want to do, but the portrayal was all very balanced. She wasn’t ready to just uproot her entire life to become a genie, and I really appreciated that. There’s always a sense of dismay when a character abandons the real world for the magical one and the magical one is “better”–it leaves the readers in a world that’s portrayed as empty of adventure. Which is why seeing Margo clinging to her human life was so refreshing and made me happy.

Of course, the romance in The Fourth Wish is quite strong considering what happened at the end of The Art of Wishing. Now that Margo and Oliver are both genies and they’re past that initial stage, their relationship takes a turn for the more serious. They have cute moments, too, but on the whole this book has a shift to a darker and more serious tone. However, it’s still endearing to watch Oliver and Margo navigate their relationship, especially given the new parameters of the world. The Fourth Wish delves into the nature of gender and identity a bit, and the exploration is all done thoughtfully and considerately.

In the end, The Fourth Wish was a great conclusion to Margo’s story. It had the cute moments from the first book, but manage to shift it’s focus to more serious topics well, including things like identity and the struggle Margo felt between her genie life and her human life. The magic system in The Fourth Wish was explained a bit better, and it’s clear that everything in this book was very thought-out. I just can’t help but to be charmed by this sequel.

This review first appeared on Book.Blog.Bake.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey! It's a duology! You don't get a whole lot of those, do you? It's pretty great to read a sequel that isn't just biding its time in a trilogy. Very smart choice.

I was very eager for this one, because our previous teenager/genie encounter in The Art of Wishing leaves us with about a thousand more wishes questions. Because — I guess we're not spoiler-spacing Book One any more — in the end, after a few weeks of whirlwind "magic is real; also having a genie is complex and rather ethically dubious also fun," our hero Margo marches right off into the turning-yourself-into-your-boyfriend's-magic-power trap. It is a trap. And, uniquely, Margo knows it (now, if she didn't at the critical moment) and spends the good majority of her sequel pondering it out. What a crazy thing to do for your boyfriend! How did I really do this? etc.

It's a neat formula: this book reads like it's made of Marshmallow Fluff, but what you're reading about is not. There's gender-fluidity and sexuality-questioning, ethical quandaries and sexual consent issues, infinite identity crises, and fine yes there's kissing as well. You get some kissing, guys! Red alert! But mostly, for Margo the whole point here is: Who is she? Can she still have an identity? This is a girl who turns into a magical genie — which forces her to look like a different person, per her master's desires — and then goes right home to her parents' house to sleep in her room. Because she's still her! Her life is still there. Right? Or is it her life, with a Margo-shaped hole in it?

Things brighten up and then complicate some more for her once she learns how to control her body to look like her old self. (Being a genie sounds pretty uncomfortable, actually.) What's the first thing she decides to do? Put on her old body, and go to school. Keep up with rehearsals for the musical. Open her college admissions mail. Both she and the genie boyfriend, Oliver, are in a little denial about things. They're happy together, but where is this going, now? You know… forever? That's weird.

I wish a hundred more things could be included in this book. Like, you're actually immortal now, WHAT DO YOU DO with this information! How do you process. Also, when will you tell your parents? Tell them, tell them! I wanted to see what would happen. But the things Margo spends most of the book figuring out, and the plan she announces at its end, is pretty spot-on and satisfying.

The only difficulty in reading this is that you can't really make a case for it as a stand-alone sequel; it picks up right away and hews very closely to Book One, and relies on lots of rules and information we learned there. (And, if you've read it too long ago, mighta forgotten? Erp.) So if you go for no. 1, just read them both, if the mood's right.

Also, notable: Margo's wish-making spirit vessel is the guitar pick she picked up as a souvenir from a Neko Case concert. Therefore: everything Neko Case touches turns literally to magic? And, possibly someone in her band is a genie? QED. <3

[Kinsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cutesy. Not as good as the first, I think, but I did enjoy it. It was fun learning more about their magic and watching them grow together; though Margo acting like the jealous girlfriend the majority of the time didn't leave me with anything but a slightly annoyed expression
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Before I start, may I just say the amount of Aladdin references I could make are absolutely infinite, so be grateful I've suppressed ever pun-making bone in my body to write an actual review.

If I could use one word to describe this book, it would be "cute". Because that's what this second installation to Lindsey Ribar's series is. The first book sort of stunned me with the whole modern genie thing, as it was the first genie book in Young Adult literature I had read. It was quite well done and I really enjoyed it, so I had sort of high expectations for this book.

Don't get me wrong, there were some cool things in this story. We got to learn more about the actual rules of being a genie, and traveled to all the cool genie places and played with the new magic, which I found quite entertaining. However, I feel like we could have gone more in depth as to what the magic actually was and how it worked.

I think I didn't enjoy Margo or Oliver as much in this book either. Margo was pretty self-centered, and Oliver wanted to just do things his way, without giving much thought as to Margo's actual life.

That was another thing I didn't quite agree on. If I were suddenly turned into a genie I wouldn't attempt to live my normal life like usual. It would be painful to leave, but in the end probably easier for everyone instead of revealing magic to every human in the town. It just didn't make much sense to me.

I did like the ending a good deal. I thought it all wrapped up pretty nicely, even if it fell sort of rushed.

If you liked The Art of Wishing, and are wondering whether to read this book, I'd say go for it, but don't go in expecting it to be like the first. I still definitely recommend the first book. Especially if you enjoy magic in modern settings.

[Kyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was won in the goodreads first reads giveaway.
First reaction: 4.5 stars. WOW OK THAT WAS CUTE AND UP TO MY HIGH-BROW FEMINIST STANDARDS. I enjoyed it far better than the first one, because this was more about people and how people behave. It was more of an inner conflict, Margo was fighting herself more than fighting off bad guys. In fact, for a book about genies there wasn't any mystical evil forces. The bad guy was a potential rapist. I was able to connect to the characters more because they were dealing with normal teenaged problems (along with genie problems of course). The author didn't even skip the sexual scenes. It was real and raw while still being fluffy and adorable. GENIES AND MUSICAL THEATRE AND GENDERFLUID BISEXUAL LOVE INTERESTS. MAGIC, MUSIC AND QUEERS!

I still have to sit on the gender thing. Right off the bat, as a cis woman, I thought it was genius and wonderful. She knew in her heart she was a girl no matter what body she was in. She and Oliver were still in love and showed affection (though it took awhile), no matter what gendered body they were in. However once I tried to think of how others might react to it, I started to question the gender commentary I thought I saw. It's possible some might not like that they take switching genders for granted. Some might not like how comfortable Margo felt in a male body, how much more powerful she felt (which to be honest I was certainly feel more powerful and safer appearing as a man too). Then there's Oliver's sexuality which I thought was handled well by the main characters, especially in the first book. In this one, though, Margo seemed in insinuated that Oliver was more inclined to leave her because he's bisexual (the word is never said). Those are really my only complaints, and their very very minimal. I'm still thinking over the gender thing and I'm leaning towards loving it.

Full video review of the series coming soon.

[Nasty Lady MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

To see full duo-logy review click here.

Don’t get me wrong. The Fourth Wish had a lot going for it. I liked the look that Ribar took on serious issues-like sexuality, slavery, and free choice. But compared to the first book. Well, I didn’t get the chemistry between teh two characters.

Yeah, the fluffy kitties were gone.

It’s still a good book. And even though I wasn’t having a purr worthy moment reading about Margo and Oliver, there were some cute moments.

One thing I did like about this book (and the previous book) was how all the characters-save for Oliver-were teens. Undeniably teens. A lot of YA protagonists just don’t act like high school kids. But Margo, she actually has parents, classes that she’s passionate about, and a social life other than the love of her life.

So, the fact that Ribar kept most of that up in the sequel gets a plus from me.

Probably the best thing about this book was the way it handled such sensitive and deep subjects. I never felt like Ribar was trying to force anything down my throat. And I thought all the characters reactions were natural.

That being said, the resolution was a bit abrupt. And I did feel like there were lots of loose ends to this book.

So, while I liked it I didn’t love it like I did the first one.

[Dahlia · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE ART OF WISHING was my most pleasant surprise of 2013, given that I'm not typically a paranormal YA reader, and I was dying to see if I could possibly love THE FOURTH WISH as much. The answer is hellllll yes. Not only do I remain utterly in love with Margo and Oliver, both separate and apart, but this book is full of themes and discussions that kept making me think "Really? You just did that in a cute genie book? Really?" Consent. Bisexuality. Gender fluidity. All these things are somehow covered with care and depth in THE FOURTH WISH in a way that put me in serious awe of Ribar's skills and convinced me there's pretty much nothing she could attempt for her next book that I wouldn't read.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe like 3.5

So I really liked most of this book, but it was kinda unsatisfying in the end. First off, there wasn't that big of a plot. The first book had this crazy intense Big Bad and it was dramatic and full of action, and this one was so much weaker in comparison. We didn't have a Big Bad, and then, the ending was insulting. I always loved Margo because I felt like I could super relate to her, but she got pathetic in this book. Especially in the end. No lies, she was such a bitch to Naomi and Oliver was super controlling. It felt like a different series. What a disappointment.

[Jen (Pop! Goes The Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please Note: This review will contain spoilers for the first novel in this series, The Art of Wishing.

“There was only pain, at first – the pain of my magic breaking me into a collection of atoms, getting ready to make me into something new. It was painful, but I knew it was necessary.
I just wished I could make it happen faster.”

One choice can change everything. No-one knows this more than eighteen year old Margo McKenna. After choosing to cast a fourth wish in order to save Oliver from his dangerous, megalomaniacal ex-boyfriend, Xavier, and circumvent the multitude of differences that threatened to separate she and Oliver forever, Margo is transformed into a genie and life, as she knows it, will never be the same again. New body. New powers. New rules. Ready or not, before she can say ch-ch-changes, Margo has been transformed and her spirit vessel, her favourite red guitar pick, is discovered by her first master. Worst still, the lucky new owner of said pick is none other than notorious womanizer and fellow classmate, Ryan Weiss. As her time in the theatre has taught her, however, the show must go on. Now, Margo must attempt to satisfy the wishes of Ryan – all of which seem disconcertingly focused on her best friend, Naomi – while simultaneously attempting to understand and control new, monumental powers the likes of which she has never known. Straddling two opposing worlds, Margo will ultimately be forced to confront her most difficult decision yet: Where it is she truly belongs.

“I’d had nightmares like this, over and over throughout most of junior high, before I’d conquered my stage fright: It’s the opening night of the musical, and I’m supposed to play the lead…only there hadn’t been any rehearsals, and I don’t know my lines.
And just like in the dreams, there was only one thing I could do.
Wing it.”

Move over, Aladdin, because Lindsay Ribar is single handedly redefining the genie sub-genre for a new generation! Regular visitors of Pop! Goes The Reader will know that I rarely, if ever, read paranormal or fantasy stories. Were all the novels in these aforementioned genres half as smart and entertaining as Ribar’s magical duology, however, I can assure you that this would not be the case. I’ve made it no secret that The Art of Wishing holds a very special place in my heart – I even went so far as to declare it the best young adult debut novel I read in 2013. On a personal, sentimental level, The Art Of Wishing was one of the first books I reviewed on Pop! Goes The Reader but, more than that, it was (and still is) a thoroughly enjoyable, memorable narrative that remained with me long after I turned the final page. Given the vast array of novels I read on a regular basis, it’s not uncommon for stories to begin to blend together or fade from my memory entirely. Not so with this series, however. So you can imagine my excitement and relief when I found that the author does not disappoint with this immensely moving follow-up novel that will challenge reader’s notions of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in a thoroughly modern, diverse tale that confronts issues of power, consent, identity and sexuality and the ethical complexities inherent in each. Magical, enchanting, and far superior to its peers, The Art Of Wishing and The Fourth Wish are two novels that should not be missed or ignored under any circumstances.

“I wondered in NYU offered a major in being a genie. I could take classes in how not to flicker in front of people. I could minor in shapeshifting.”

While The Fourth Wish begins precisely where The Art Of Wishing left off, from there the two novels diverge quite sharply in a number of respects. Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of Margo’s development as a character. In The Art of Wishing, Margo begins as a character firmly in control, a strong, confident friend, dedicated student and passionate performer and musician with clear ambitions and her future all but laid out before her. Because Ribar’s debut is primarily action and plot-based, Margo’s personal journey is relatively simple and straightforward, with the focus being placed on her growing acceptance of the role of magic in the everyday world and her struggle to understand and act upon her burgeoning feelings for Oliver. In The Fourth Wish, however, the scope of Ribar’s writing has grown much more ambitious and intricate, seeing the author use Margo’s transformation and inherited abilities as a genie to explore a number of complex societal and moral issues including power, consent, identity and sexuality. While Margo was aware that casting a fourth wish would lead to her metamorphosis into a paranormal being, the realities of being a genie in a practical sense are far from what she once imagined. An entity whose sole purpose is to grant the wishes and fulfill the desires of another, Margo initially struggles with the scope and limits of her power and its affect on her own will, freedom of choice, and autonomy, both physical and emotional. How far should one go to ensure the happiness and satisfaction of one’s master? At what cost are these wishes achieved? What does one do when said wishes run contrary to one’s own moral compass? Likewise, Margo and Oliver’s capacity to shapeshift, an ability inherent in their role as genies, raises a number of interesting questions both in regard to their individual identities as well as their romantic relationship as a couple. Are the personas they adopt for each new master an aspect, however minute, of their own identity, or a manifestation of their master’s deepest desires? How does one love a being whose physical identity is forever in flux? Once again Ribar uses a paranormal premise to inspire a dialogue about relevant societal issues, in this case the fluidity of sexuality and the nature of true love. The author deftly weaves together these and other elaborate societal and ethical issues, all while furthering Margo’s own personal development, making this novel the perfect choice for classrooms and book clubs interested in inspiring intelligent, spirited discussion.

“You read romance novels?”
“I went through a phase in junior high school. Totally Naomi’s fault. Point is, I know how this works. Heaving bosom, throbbing manhood, all that.”
“Throbbing? Really? You want me to throb?”
“You throb,” I said, heading for the stairs. “I’ll heave.”
“That’s possibly the least sexy phrase I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Predictably, as a couple Margo and Oliver are just as wonderful, if not more so, in The Fourth Wish. What I love most about this couple, apart from their scorching chemistry and playful banter, is how Ribar uses their romantic relationship to subvert expectations and play with traditional archetypes at every available opportunity. Their feelings for one another are almost immediately and extremely strong. So much so, in fact, that Margo is willing to sacrifice her mortality in order to save Oliver from Xavier and bridge the many differences that threaten to separate them. Under normal circumstances this would be an egregious example of the much-dreaded ‘instalove’ that would have drastically reduced my enjoyment of the novel. In the case of Margo and Oliver, however, this didn’t bother me, not the least of which is because these two characters are too charismatic and loveable to begrudge anything. Putting that aside, I appreciate that the author does not use their feelings as a plot device to resolve conflict or tie up loose ends. If anything, Margo and Oliver’s feelings for one another complicate matters further, particularly in The Fourth Wish, where Oliver is acting both as Margo’s boyfriend and mentor, helping to instruct her in her power and responsibility as a genie. This changes the dynamic between the two drastically and creates some new issues around which the couple have to navigate. While their path to a happy ending is anything but smooth or straight forward, I appreciated the work that Margo and Oliver put into their relationship in order to make it work. There was one scene in particular that I found refreshing, in which Margo and Oliver have a frank, open discussion about their prior sexual experience (or lack thereof) and their expectations moving forward in their own relationship. This sets an excellent example for young readers about being open and honest with their partners when preparing to engage in a physical relationship and was a welcome (and much-needed!) change of pace. Bravo, Ms. Ribar.

“Ciarán-Gwen-Alicia-Oliver,” I whispered, pretending I could see all of him, too.
“What do you wish of me?” he asked.
I looked at him. He looked at me. We were a live wire. An explosion waiting to happen.
I said, “Everything.”

I don’t want to live in a world where everyone hasn’t read The Art Of Wishing and The Fourth Wish, Ribar’s smart, spirited, effervescent duology that will steal your heart and inspire you to believe in magic again. My only disappointment is that this series cannot continue on forever. While I was no doubt eager to read the follow-up to one of the most memorable and enjoyable novels I read last year, it was bittersweet having to say goodbye to Margo, Oliver, and a diverse, creative world that has come to mean so much to me. I have absolutely no doubt that this book, and by extension this series, will remain in my memory, and my heart, for many years to come. Although it might not have Arabian nights, magic carpet rides or an adorable simian sidekick, The Fourth Wish is something infinitely better, with a cast of charming, captivating characters, creative world building that puts a unique twist on traditional genie lore and clever social commentary that will challenge your accepted notions of power, consent, identity and sexuality. You ain’t never read a book like this.

Please Note: All quotations included in this review have been taken from an advance reader copy and therefore might be subject to change.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story. I can't remember the last time I read a book with a genie in it so it was a nice change of pace. This book was ok. Margo really wasn't my favorite kind of heroine. I prefer a stronger heroine that can kick your butt and hand it back to you. Instead, she is one of those high school girls who don't really know what they want and keep changing their minds. Plus she seemed a bit self-absorbed. Jamie was all about using the gift to help people and she just wanted to live a normal teenage life. Overall, it was nice change of pace. Also, I didn't read book one as I didn't realize it was part of a series when I grabbed it. This book is easily read on its own but reading book one first might give a little insight into how she got she is.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only wanted to read this book because I knew it included musical theater. I didn't know it was the second book in a series but I didn't find it hard to follow. I found it very similar to the sequel to Evil Librarian, except this I actually finished. I shouldn't be too hard on the book though. When people write about some nonhuman creature that there's hardly anything else written about, they make up stuff that that's hard not to sound meaningless and weird. But there didn't seem to be much of a plot. I don't know if I would have a different view if I read the first book, but after this, I don't really want to. Still, I give the author credit for trying to shed light on a creature that has pretty much nothing more than a movie/musical written about it.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book only to see what happened to Margo after the first book. There were some parts that I did not like: Ryan wishing that Naomi would love him, Ryan wishing that Margo would sleep with him, and Oliver's attitude towards Margo wanting to stay and finish school.

But the ending. I was so hoping that Jamie would wish to switch places with Margo so that he could be a genie and she could go back to being a normal teenage girl. I'm not happy that she stayed a genie when she should be able to live a normal life.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very satisfying and neatly tied up conclusion to this duo series. Being a genie has consequences Margo didn't anticipate, but her strength of will and stubbornness are just two of her assets. Oliver is another. I enjoyed Margo's character--nice to have a smart, strong young woman who figures things out on her own. And....sure, there is room for another book, but I don't think there will be. We will have to imagine the adventures that Oliver and Margo will have.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The satisfying sequel to 'The Art of Wishing'.
The complexity of deciding between what is desirable and what is required is deftly explored thru the addition of the character, James. The impulsive nature of teenagers is tempered as they learn to look deeper than the surface of their wishes - hopes and dreams. The 'ending' is scary, yet exciting, beginning...
May I have a Fifth Wish?

[Kyla]

Best book ever! The Fourth Wish is my second favorite book! I try to read it again, but whenever I finish reading a book. I can't read it again! But I don't get why, Lindsay, would not make another book. It would be nice to make/have another one!

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous book! I usually don't read a series because books usually go down i quality as the series goes on but, not with these! I highly recommend this amazing and adoring novel. It will have your heart crying all throughout.

[Devina Boughton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the first one was decent if a bit fluffy but the main character became insufferable in this book. Does she have a conscience??? Apparently not!!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I enjoyed the first book more but, this still was a good read.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - got too strange

[Barbara Cryer · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my vibe. did not catch my interest

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was okay. It's pretty much just more of the same. The main difference between this one and the first book was seeing things from a genie's perspective, which was cool.