The Orphan's Wish Review

The Orphan’s Wish by Melanie Dickerson is a Christian historical fiction set in Germany during the Holy Roman Empire. It is the 8^th book in the Hagenheim series and is a retelling of Aladdin. The young Aladdin is rescued as an orphaned child on the streets in the Holy Land and taken to Hagenheim where he befriends the Duke’s daughter Krystin and sets out to make something of himself.

Like all of Dickerson’s books, this was a wonderful, quick, easy and fun read. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars. The writing style flows so well and moves things along at a swift pace that keeps you turning the pages. As with her previous books, Dickerson is so clever in her retelling of this fairytale. I love how creative she is in molding the story to fit into a specific place and time in the real world, and make it so realistic that you would think that it could possibly have happened.

I was pleasantly surprised that Aladdin was the main character (usually the female is the main character or it is fairly equally split between the male and female leads). Predominantly following Aladdin’s perspective was different and lovely and I really enjoyed the change. All the characters were so well done. They were multifaceted and felt quite real.

The overall plot was captivating and thrilling. I felt so many different emotions as I read and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. There were a few times when the pacing felt like it was slowing down, but it always picked up again. I especially liked that there was one chapter after they were married and an epilogue. It is a unique perspective to see after a couple gets married and I always love getting a glimpse of the future of a couple that I become invested in through the story. This was even more of a pleasant surprise as all the other books in the series end with the wedding day.

As with her other books, the faith of the characters in God was portrayed so realistically (especially within the context of the time). Some had strong faith where as others seemed more “Christian” because of society expectations than because they actually had a relationship with God. It was nice to see those people with true faith lean on God and learn from Him in all that they go through.

The romance was sweet and heartwarming. I liked the childhood friends to lovers theme with all the memories they shared and the growing of love. It was also nice to see them learn to see themselves through the others eyes. As for the sexual content: there was kissing and hugging, but nothing too descriptive.

Overall I was not disappointed with this book. I had fun reading it and think it is a wonderful addition to this series. Only now I am eager for her next book to be released and don’t know when that will be.