ARC Review: Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine

Of Metal and Wishes

Author: Sarah Fine

Series: -

Pages: 320

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Amazon

Release date: 5^th August 2014

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

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.

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

When I first heard that Of metal and Wishes was described as Phantom of the Opera set in a meat factory I was super excited to get hold of it and I’m pleased it lived up to my expectations.

Our main heroine is a sixteen year-old Itanyai girl, Wen who after the death of her mother now works as an assistant in her father’s medical clinic in a slaughterhouse in Gochan One far from the life of beauty and relative ease her mother had planned for her.

Wen wasn’t always the most likeable character, she was quite dreary, melodramatic and woe is me often so I couldn’t connect with her most of the time. I did like the way she was kind and compassionate to others, especially the mysterious Noor but she still wasn’t the sort of person I found myself really enjoying.

I have to admit, it took a little while for me to get into this book, it started off slowly as we learnt who were who and as the Noors were introduced, they were the cheap labour hired to help out at the slaughterhouse. When Wren is humiliated by one of them, she makes an offering and a wish to the towns’ mythical ghost and is surprised when it comes true – brutally.

Melik is a Noor, and different to the others; outspoken and able to communicate with Wen he was an interesting character but one I would have liked to have gotten to know better. There was a small amount of romance but it definitely didn’t take centre stage, it was done nicely.

This book at times with its descriptions was gruesome, there was death, pain and illness – it was all written very well. The story behind the ghost was also very interesting; I enjoyed this aspect of the book especially but I won’t reveal too much about this to avoid spoilers; the overall concept was creative and I liked the way the story played out.

Sarah Fine is a fabulous author, I am a huge fan of her Guards of the Shadowlands series and this was also written extremely well with the intricate details she gave and the industrial Asian setting.

Overall, this book had a lot of the elements I find myself enjoying - romance, mystery, a wonderful setting; written beautifully, it is a darkly haunting tale that kept me entertained throughout and ended in a way that was fitting for the story.

  

About the author: When I'm not writing, I'm psychologizing (really, I even get a paycheck for it). Sometimes I do both at the same time. The results are unpredictable. 

For extra information about the Guards of the Shadowlands series, including Malachi's personal journal entries, or to ask a question: http://guardsoftheshadowlands.tumblr....

I also write with Walter Jury under the name S.E. Fine.