Review : Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Of Metal and Wishes (Of Metal and Wishes #1)
Author : Sarah Fine
Publication Date : August 5th 2014
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
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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.
 
Personal Thoughts

I read Of Metal and Wishes together with Sam over at Realm of Fiction one weekend and I was entirely smitten throughout. I tried to read the book as excruciatingly slow as possible, but it had such a hold over me that I absolutely couldn't not read it faster. While I was out doing my daily chores, my thoughts would easily wander to Of Metal and Wishes and even now, two weeks after I finished the book, I'm still reeling from the aftermath of reading a brilliant book.

Sarah Fine knows how to craft well-fleshed out characters and the characters in Of Metal and Wishes were simply put, gorgeous. Wen, our protagonist, was absolutely brilliant. I loved her from the very first instance I met her and as I got to know her over the course of the book, I fell even more in love with her personality. She was the kind of main character that I wish every main character was like : strong, driven and level-headed. She began the book as someone who was blind to the cruelty of the society around her, but once the blindfold around her eyes started to lift off, she began to make amends to her treatment of the Noor, laborers hired by her people. Wen was also an aspiring doctor, which automatically meant she had a kind and nurturing soul. Melik, her love interest and a Noor, was also amazing. He was also a character that was effortless to become attached to. He was kind, loving, but definitely rough around the edges. He was somewhat of a leader to the Noor who came with him and you could tell that he was completely devoted to them. Whenever something would happen to either of them, he would be ridden with guilt. Then you have Ghost, a Phantom of Opera-esque character, who was entirely fascinating. I can't really say much about him, but he was enigmatic, interesting and you can't help but feel all kinds of emotions towards him. You need to read the book in order to experience his character and go through all these emotions.

Of Metal and Wishes had an intriguing setting that was initially hard to grasp because it's a world that I had never come across, with it's almost historical background with elements of Asian history and a slaughter factory setting to it, but once the pieces started to come together, it was riveting. The romance in Of Metal and Wishes was also tactfully written. It was beautifully paced and it was a slow burn romance that made me feel along with the characters. The tension between Wen and Melik was so palpable and intense, especially with the forbidden element it had. I found myself rooting for these two characters and I hoping for them to get the happily ever after they deserved. Some of you may be worried about a love triangle, but I assure you that there's absolutely no reason to be worried about that. Sarah Fine is also a masterful writer. She weaved together all these gorgeous words and threaded them into an even more gorgeous story line that reeled and hooked me in from the very first page. I honestly don't think there was anything I remotely disliked about this book. It was the perfect book for me and I will continue to write everything this author writes, even if she writes a boring paper. She just has a way with words which makes it easy to immerse myself into her story. Even her description of the dresses that Wen wore was so vivid. She deserves all the hype for being such a cinematic author.

Of Metal and Wishes is a book I want everyone to read. It was original and beautifully written and if you're going to skip out on this one, you're going to miss a story that would most likely have amazed you. If you haven't read anything by Sarah Fine, change that immediately because she's a force in the YA community.

Rating 

Cover : 5/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5

Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for the e-ARC of Of Metal and Wishes.