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The Cursed Wish
The Cursed Wish is a YA Fantasy, retelling The Little Mermaid with a twist.
Book Blurb:
Careful what you wish for.
All Kai Redsi wanted was an autograph. What she got was unimaginable.
Here she was, trapped inside one of her most beloved fantasy books. Without her voice, Kai is forced to play along with the novel’s plot in hopes of getting out. She finds herself in a race against the clock to break a curse or fade into the lines of the paper.
Only the tale unfolding before her isn’t anything like the story she had come to love.
But how did she get there?
Well, it all started with a simple wish and the delusion that maybe wishes can come true.
Book Blurb:
Careful what you wish for.
All Kai Redsi wanted was an autograph. What she got was unimaginable.
Here she was, trapped inside one of her most beloved fantasy books. Without her voice, Kai is forced to play along with the novel’s plot in hopes of getting out. She finds herself in a race against the clock to break a curse or fade into the lines of the paper.
Only the tale unfolding before her isn’t anything like the story she had come to love.
But how did she get there?
Well, it all started with a simple wish and the delusion that maybe wishes can come true.
338 pages, Paperback
Published December 31, 2023
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 24, 2025
Okay wow this book needs to be better known. I absolutely loved every second of this thing. If you love fantasy with a smidge of romance, one closed door spice scene and mystery this is so perfect for you. Kai is a regular girl in a small town wishing her life could be different, wanting to get away from it all she finds an author who can make her wishes cons true. But be careful what you wish for as it's not all as it may seem. People have been going missing from school, no account of where they are. Kai gets sucked into her favourite fairytale only to realize it isn't all picture perfect, finding her two new best friends in the same situation they must go along with the books story to work their way out. When the prince falls for Kai and nearly ruins things, Kai steps in to keep the story going in hopes of their escape. When a winged man swoops in right on time to take the princess, she sacrifices herself to get the princess out of harms way, the connection to this mysterious man instant, he cares for her, when her friends find her in the forbidden lands she ends up with a sword to the stomach between the prince and the man, finding herself waking up in the hospital, no one having any recollection of the book. I absolutely adored the ending with my whole heart, the fact he became mortal to spend his life with her was everything, I'm so glad she didn't end up with Zach he gave me the creeps. Favourite quotes have got to be " I chose this. This mortal life for a mortal woman. Who I had only known for a short time but had never been more certain about anything before her" "I would happily give up my immortality for a mortal life then to live a long and sad existence without her in it" like oh my freaking God yes. I love this man. And and he calls himself her husband the entire time they're dating like yes please. We love a man who yearns for her. And the way he bought her her childhood home was so bittersweet. Her grandpa being the one to love him most was so adorable. This book is honestly one of my favorites for this year, can't get a better fantasy story than a Disney retelling
December 26, 2023
The Cursed Wish was an interesting read. The book itself was jampacked with different plots that I personally feel, would have done better in a series rather than a single book. The ending of the novel was extremely rushed and the romantic aspects lacked any actual relationship building. The ideas that the author presented, however, were quite appealing. Unfortunately, they lacked the execution needed to drive such a story home. The story within a story was an intriguing plot point, but the story had no real depth and the character slowly lost personality throughout.
December 20, 2023
*ARC Review *
Star Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice Rating 🌶
Synopsis:
Careful what you wish for.
All Kai Redsi wanted was an autograph. What she got was unimaginable.
Here she was, trapped inside one of her most beloved fantasy books. Without her voice, Kai is forced to play along with the novel’s plot in hopes of getting out. She finds herself in a race against the clock to break a curse or fade into the lines of the paper.
Only the tale unfolding before her isn’t anything like the story she had come to love.
The everyday character Kai being transported into her favourite book and everything that transpires afterwards was an interesting concept making her more relatable.
The world building and fairytale symbolism for such a short story was there throughout. It reminded me of the Isekai Sword Art Online of the main character escaping reality.
It did take a while to actually meet the MMC, most of his back story is told within the last few chapters and lightly brushed over.
Satisfying ending, although it felt a little rushed tying up all the characters loose ends. The story could honestly have been double the size and the concepts expanded upon. The character arcs and story lines could have been explored more thoroughly also.
A good quick read to break up bigger novels.
☆ Villain Gets the Girl
☆ Sexual Tension
☆ World Building
☆ Young Adult Fantasy
☆ Quick Read
☆ Morally grey MMC
☆ Little Mermaid Retelling
Star Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice Rating 🌶
Synopsis:
Careful what you wish for.
All Kai Redsi wanted was an autograph. What she got was unimaginable.
Here she was, trapped inside one of her most beloved fantasy books. Without her voice, Kai is forced to play along with the novel’s plot in hopes of getting out. She finds herself in a race against the clock to break a curse or fade into the lines of the paper.
Only the tale unfolding before her isn’t anything like the story she had come to love.
The everyday character Kai being transported into her favourite book and everything that transpires afterwards was an interesting concept making her more relatable.
The world building and fairytale symbolism for such a short story was there throughout. It reminded me of the Isekai Sword Art Online of the main character escaping reality.
It did take a while to actually meet the MMC, most of his back story is told within the last few chapters and lightly brushed over.
Satisfying ending, although it felt a little rushed tying up all the characters loose ends. The story could honestly have been double the size and the concepts expanded upon. The character arcs and story lines could have been explored more thoroughly also.
A good quick read to break up bigger novels.
☆ Villain Gets the Girl
☆ Sexual Tension
☆ World Building
☆ Young Adult Fantasy
☆ Quick Read
☆ Morally grey MMC
☆ Little Mermaid Retelling
December 18, 2023
The Cursed Wish offers readers a modern day twist to a beloved fairytale known as The Little Mermaid. Not a fan of TLM? You don’t have to be with TCW! Pauline has created a (few) new world(s) for us to indulge in complete with on-going symbolism, ease of understanding, and enough room for imagination to enhance the characters you will come to love and hold dear. You’ll find yourself grinning reading the connecting pieces as they are subtle, thoughtful, and do not over-intertwine the original fairytale’s concept. A quick read, doable within the day although taking the time to re-read sections allows the reader to fully grasp all the love Pauline has added in writing The Cursed Wish.
Kai Redsi, along with our other characters, reminds us as readers we are all humans with special talents, personalities, and backgrounds within the mystical and modern worlds able to break our own cursed wishes.
(!!!) Spoiler (!!!)
From the symbols of feathers everywhere and why they mean so much to us as the reader…
By the end of your adventure in Rosethorne, you will be sitting on your bed in hopeful happiness wanting someone to call you their Agapi Mou.
Kai Redsi, along with our other characters, reminds us as readers we are all humans with special talents, personalities, and backgrounds within the mystical and modern worlds able to break our own cursed wishes.
(!!!) Spoiler (!!!)
From the symbols of feathers everywhere and why they mean so much to us as the reader…
By the end of your adventure in Rosethorne, you will be sitting on your bed in hopeful happiness wanting someone to call you their Agapi Mou.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2023
The Cursed Wish by Pauline S. Flynn has a plot which is nice. It's a sort of The Little Mermaid retelling, but with a twist. Kai finds herself inside a fantasy story, desperate to break a curse.
I found it at first a bit hard to get into the story, but that changed further on.
Kai is a normal person, she is an interesting and likable character and you hope she gets back to her own world.
The writing style was nice, easy to read and as I love retellings, I liked that the plot was different from other retellings. The worldbuilding was interesting, as were the twists and turns, and there were glimpses of other tales woven into this book.
The Cursed Wish is a fairytale with a twist, a book you can read in a lazy afternoon, an enjoyable story where you can let it all wash over you, and that's sometimes really nice in this hectic world we live in.
I found it at first a bit hard to get into the story, but that changed further on.
Kai is a normal person, she is an interesting and likable character and you hope she gets back to her own world.
The writing style was nice, easy to read and as I love retellings, I liked that the plot was different from other retellings. The worldbuilding was interesting, as were the twists and turns, and there were glimpses of other tales woven into this book.
The Cursed Wish is a fairytale with a twist, a book you can read in a lazy afternoon, an enjoyable story where you can let it all wash over you, and that's sometimes really nice in this hectic world we live in.
January 3, 2024
I ARC read this book and I’m so honoured that I got the chance to do so! I love retellings and reimagining of stories, and because of that I was extra excited for this one. Let me tell you, I absolutely adored it! The author’s writing style really appeals to me and I could follow the plot easily, and nothing felt off or unresolved. The pacing felt natural to me. I could feel the depth of the characters and how much love has gone into crafting them.
I’m going to be rereading The Cursed Wish again in the next few weeks, and I will be getting the paperback as soon as it’s out.
Thank you so much for trusting me to be an ARC reader, Pauline! 💖
I’m going to be rereading The Cursed Wish again in the next few weeks, and I will be getting the paperback as soon as it’s out.
Thank you so much for trusting me to be an ARC reader, Pauline! 💖
December 7, 2023
A modern day twist of Little Mermaid and, I also saw glimpses of other myths. Im really fond of stories within stories. I appreciated the various characters and their dialogue and thought it was neat the author tied in her release date and time with the book. My only drawback was I did get confused at times with the different tales and what certain characters were there for. I thought it was Little Mermaid centered. Def applaud the author for a great plot.
December 2, 2023
A different take on fantasy with interesting twists and turns. An everyday person becomes the main character and has to beat the clock to get back to her everyday life. A good story with relatable characters.
March 22, 2024
The myths and blending of familiar characters in the flowing narrative in this book had me from the start! I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for magical mythical beings trying to escape a doomed destiny. Gripping and easy to read.
December 20, 2023
This book was a really enthralling read! I felt like from page one the characters were really interesting and the MFC, Kai, had some really relatable characteristics. For example, she isn’t necessarily satisfied with her life at the beginning and she doesn't always relate to those around her because of her background. I think this makes her a really round, vivid character.
Overall, this was a really cool concept for a story and I liked the retelling and how it was incorporated into the story. This author definitely pays attention to the little details and I thought that was awesome!
The only reason I’m giving this a 4/5 and not a solid 5 is because the ending lost me a little bit and while it was a satisfying ending, I felt like I wanted the relationships between characters to marinate a little longer before coming to a conclusion. I think a little bit more ease into the conclusion would’ve helped me relate to the characters and the tonal differences more towards the end, but overall this was a wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed!
I was also able to finish this read in just a couple of hours and the story held me for that long, so it’s a pretty good read, in my humble reader’s opinion!
Overall, this was a really cool concept for a story and I liked the retelling and how it was incorporated into the story. This author definitely pays attention to the little details and I thought that was awesome!
The only reason I’m giving this a 4/5 and not a solid 5 is because the ending lost me a little bit and while it was a satisfying ending, I felt like I wanted the relationships between characters to marinate a little longer before coming to a conclusion. I think a little bit more ease into the conclusion would’ve helped me relate to the characters and the tonal differences more towards the end, but overall this was a wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed!
I was also able to finish this read in just a couple of hours and the story held me for that long, so it’s a pretty good read, in my humble reader’s opinion!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews