Book Review: “Of Metal and Wishes”(Of Metal and Wishes #1) by Sarah Fine

“Of Metal and Wishes”(Of Metal and Wishes #1) by Sarah Fine (2014)

Genre: YA, Fiction, Fantasy, Retellings

Page Length: 321 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

There are whispers of a ghost in the slaughterhouse where sixteen-year-old Wen assists her father in his medical clinic—a ghost who grants wishes to those who need them most. When one of the Noor, men hired as cheap factory labor, humiliates Wen, she makes an impulsive wish of her own, and the Ghost grants it. Brutally.

Guilt-ridden, Wen befriends the Noor, including their outspoken leader, a young man named Melik. At the same time, she is lured by the mystery of the Ghost and learns he has been watching her… for a very long time.

As deadly accidents fuel tensions within the factory, Wen must confront her growing feelings for Melik, who is enraged at the sadistic factory bosses and the prejudice faced by his people at the hand of Wen’s, and her need to appease the Ghost, who is determined to protect her against any threat—real or imagined. She must decide whom she can trust, because as her heart is torn, the factory is exploding around her… and she might go down with it. (Description from Goodreads)

Review:

Of Metal and Wishes is a story that follows a teenage girl named Wen who works as her father’s assistant in his doctor’s office at a slaughterhouse factory. Wen doesn’t believe in the so-called “ghost” of the factory who grants the worker’s wishes and desires, so she ultimately decides to challenge its power. And after strange occurrences start to occur she learns the lesson of being careful what you wish for.

This book has been on my TBR for a while and I decided to pluck it off of my bookshelf. Initially, I was drawn to its cover art, synopsis, and fantasy-like description. Fine uses descriptive writing in order to draw her readers into Wen’s surroundings so that they can get a good feel for the overall setting. Wen lives in a grim place and she sees gruesome sights at her job in a doctor’s office. The people at the factory work hard to provide for their families for such little money, while risking the liabilities that might occur during handling heavy machinery.

Wen and her father are still grieving over the death of her mother (its been one year since her death) and they are trying to adapt to their new life. Though Wen is struggling she puts up a brave face and tries to be rock of support for her father. She is an intelligent girl who is loyal and skillful, but her superstition and naivete drag her into the ghost’s wrath. When Wen starts putting her faith in the ghost’s powers and learns its true secrets, things really start to intensify. Is the ghost truly lonely as it says or does it have dangerous intentions of placing Wen as pawn in it’s game?

While the novel is somewhat what predictable at times, it also has some surprising elements thrown in that I was not expecting. The suspense slowly builds as more of the mystery unravels and I love the heightened tension that is laced throughout the entire plot. I also enjoyed the fact that the book is an exciting retelling of Phantom of the Opera, which I had little to no exposure of before reading this book. I love retelling style novels especially when they are set in a different place (original story takes place in France) with PoC characters. I picked up on some of the similarities from the original tale, but appreciated that the author put her own spin on the story.

Of Metal and Wishes has a smooth plot progression, intriguing characters, lots of action, a little bit of romance, and a good mystery. I’m looking forward to how the story will continue in Of Dreams and Rust.

Final Verdict: