Wicked Wish by Alex Gordon ~ Review

When 18-year-old Regan accidentally kills her father, she discovers some startling truths.

First, she has the power of mind control.

Second, she must use it for evil or else suffer one of two fates: insanity or death. Her solution is vigilante justice.

To atone for her sins, she vows to protect her classmates from The Three Musketcheers, a vicious gang of cheerleaders who use lies, brute force, and blackmail as weapons in their quest to dominate the school.

Unfortunately, every time Regan uses her gift, it develops a persona of its own—one she has trouble controlling—leaving her to question whether she can save them without destroying herself.

Darkest Wishes Series – Book One
Written by: Alex Gordon
Genres: YA/NA Paranormal Romance, Coming of Age, Love Triangle
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: July 5, 2023

Excerpt:

I found a spot in the back corner of the room and hunkered down with crossed arms. I’d made it through my first day unscathed. Then in walked the dark-haired pretty boy, who, for some reason, didn’t seem to like me. Which was fine with me. He pulled a plastic bag out of the pocket of his unbuttoned, gray and black flannel shirt and tossed it on Mr. Clark’s desk. He smiled and said something in a deep, quiet voice, but I didn’t catch it. The teacher’s worn face lit up. Pretty boy stopped and surveyed all the empty spaces. He inhaled, his nostrils flaring, and exhaled for a long time before he strolled nonchalantly over to me. He swung the plastic chair around, its metal legs grating the floor, then straddled it. He stared at my profile, his gaze traveling slowly over me. It was as if I could physically feel his eyes caress my skin. The desire to reach up and brush the foreign feeling from my cheeks was strong. Instead, I concentrated on the paintings hanging above Mr. Clark’s desk. Abstracts. My favorite. I liked the way they invoked emotion without telling what it should be. After a full minute of this discomfort, I tilted my head toward him and said, “What?” The overpowering lights matted his bronze skin, but it wasn’t unflattering. He looked like he’d been carved from stone. His eyelashes were so thick and dark I couldn’t tell if he was wearing eyeliner to go with his black nail polish or not. Tiny silver hoop earrings hung from both his earlobes. His silence made me twitchy. I turned my chair so it was facing him. I crossed my legs and folded my hands on my lap, mimicking my previous therapist. “And Johnny? What do you think about this new girl? The one that seems to irritate you?” I blinked my long eyelashes rapidly. He fiddled with a polished arrowhead that hung from a braided leather rope around his neck. “It’s Jude actually,” he said in a deep, smoky voice. I already knew that having had four classes out of seven with him. All advanced placement classes and art. Jude’s eyes were so black that, even in this bright light, I couldn’t differentiate his pupils from his irises. He swiveled his head, trying to see what was behind me, which was weird because the only thing there was a wall. “And I think there’s something wrong with the new girl.”

Magical realism is my favorite genre to read and Alex Gordon has certainly created quite a magical world for us to escape into! This book takes place in a small town high-school where our main character, Regan, has seen more loss and trauma than should be allowed. This book is about how all of that happened, how she is handling it, and how she might be able to learn and grow from it – all while navigating daily bullying, gossip, and maintaining school studies.

Also on her plate, Regan has mysterious powers of mind control and we, the readers, find ourselves frantically turning pages as we wonder where these powers came from, what she is truly capable of, and why does she have consequences for both using them and not using them? Lots of secrets, lots of questions, lots of mystery, and I have to tell you… this book ends in a cliff hanger so be prepared to dive head first into book two, Wildest Wish!

A supernatural coming of age story where enemies are thwarted, friendships are made, and life purpose is found.

While this is technically a YA book, there is definitely mature content inside so be aware of that before recommending to a younger one.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this virtual book tour, Quill and Ink Book Tours

Alex Gordon is a bit of a wanderer, having lived in Washington, Montana, Germany, Alaska, and Tennessee where she currently resides with her husband and two rescued German Shepherds.

When not writing, you can probably find her hiking, or if she’s lucky–fishing, though she’s not opposed to camping out on the couch with dessert and bingeing murder mysteries.

Website: https://www.alexgordonauthor.com/

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