Wicked Wishes

by C.L. Cannon, K. Matt, Erin Casey

Be careful what you wish for...it just might come true...

Join the authors of Wicked Wishes as they explore all the ways a simple wish can go horribly wrong! Will these characters be able to set things right again? Or is that just wishful thinking?

100% of proceeds from his anthology will benefit The World Literacy Foundation, a global not-for-profit that works to lift young people out of poverty through literacy. Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2003, the World Literacy Foundation operates on the principle that education is a basic human right.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Anthologies

487 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 4, 2022

About the author

✨ C.L. Cannon is a USA Today Bestselling Author ✒️ publisher 📚 marketer 📢 editor🩸designer 🖥️ & lots of other occupations with the -er sounds at the end!

She's a woman of many talents who never gives up, even when she probably should. She enjoys writing about love and friendship. She loves it even more when she can add Fantasy and Sci-Fi aspects to those themes!

She's an awkward AF, neurospicy spoonie who lives in fandom and band t-shirts, collects too many books and merch, and has a deep obsession with David Tennant, Tolkien, and Kaz Brekker. (I mean, can you blame her?)

She spends her days trying to #bookstagram/#Booktok (and probably failing), helping other authors grow and succeed (I love my job), and loving on her two human children/velociraptors, Seth and Petey, and a hoard of black cats.

Visit her website for more content, including book reviews, new release announcements, and weekly giveaways! https://clcannon.net ✨

✨Her publishing company Fiction-Atlas Press, releases two ⚔️ Fantasy & 🛸 Scifi multi-author anthologies every year. One is always for charity.✨

✨Fiction-Atlas also offers a variety of services & opportunities for ✒️ Authors & 📚 Readers! Visit here: https://fiction-atlas.com ✨

Reviews

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories. They’re all about wishes gone wrong in hilarious, dark, or darkly hilarious ways. Some of the endings are grim, some are happy, and some are bittersweet. Some characters get their own just desserts, some get really, really unfair deals. There’s some LGBTQ+ rep in the main characters of some of the stories too. While these are short stories, a lot of them had well-drawn characters that I felt like I knew. I developed a soft spot for a lot of them (despite their reckless wishing). One or two of the stories were a bit dark for my taste, just like some of my favorites were probably a bit too lighthearted, goofy, and comedic for those who prefer serious stories. Most of the stories I absolutely loved. A very memorable collection. All in all, there’s a lot of variety and something for everyone in this collection. All these stories have one common theme: be careful what you wish for … because getting what you want might not go as well as you imagine.

I received a free e-copy of this book via BookSirens. I am writing this review completely honestly and voluntarily.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Be careful what you wish for...it just might come true...”

This is a fantastic anthology of stories where you make a wish and it all goes horribly wrong. It’s a great collection of stories all well written, all exciting and entertaining, some have you tearing up, others have you groaning in frustration but all were intriguing and told with a twist or two.

[Ilona Nurmela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology was a YA/NA mix, mostly tales of horror where the wish-maker doesn’t question where the magic comes from. I particularly enjoyed the few scifi stories, although they didn’t have the wish-gone-wrong vibe (or anyone making a wish at all) compared to the rest of the book. There were a few chuckleworthy reads towards the end, so a bit of everything across the board. 4.5 stars overall.

My favourites were:

#1 Meet Me At The Crossroads by Courtney Cannon — a tale of a wish for immortality gone wrong that reminded me of Rice’s Interview With A Vampire & Lestat. As Barbossa would say: it’s you who failed to specify when and where. Beware of the lady of the crossroads is all I’m saying. #dealwiththedevil

#4 Date With A Demon by R.A. Lewis — when you summon a demon as a prom date and your wish is granted before you know the price - it should be an oh-oh! moment, right? Yet this was one of the few stories that pleasantly surprised me, not giving you spoilers, read it yourself!

#10 Ella’s Wish by Joelle Nichole — starts off like a Cinderella retelling, turns into a catch-the-ginn extravaganza and finishes with fated mates; kudos to the author for doing all that in a short story. Will definitely keep an eye out for this author in the future.

#11 In the Dying Light by Jo Holloway — a fun origin story of the sorceress and her brother Jacks the swordsman - the characters I loved from In the Mist in the Once Upon A Name anthology! Truly, the cost of wishes is sometimes not our own.

#13 A Dream Made Flesh by Adam Gaffen - Earth, 12505, AI-s have citizenship and options to transfer their consciousness into organic bodies not the other way around. A peaceful mesh of moral & tech considerations similar to Robocop & Transcendence with an FF kiss scene.

#15 Unenchanting Wishes by J.M.Rhineheart — dragons & unicorns in California? Yes, please? Except…havoc! And Prince Charming can’t battle everything away. Definitely chuckleworthy and that awww ending, ahh!

Wishes gone terribly wrong stories veering more on the horror side (so not my fave, but horror and dark fantasy lovers will appreciate them):

#2 The Influencer by Viola Tempest — a tale about a self-obsessed girl and her wish for fame gone wrong. Greed is a green-eyed monster & being loved is not a one-way street. I kept wondering what would have happened if the girl had done as she was told. #dealwiththedevil

#3 Musical Meals by Erin Casey — another wish for musical fame gone horribly wrong. Some FF kisses, but tame. Loved the nice twist in the end.

#7 Soul Tea by L.R.Braden — curious case of a teapot masquerading as a jinn’s lamp but still operating on greed. A rather dark explanation for why the jinn needs people’s wishes.

#5 Kids Will Be Kids by Deliaria Davis — kids helping a jinn fix wishes people made & jinn himself granted — create trouble and then be asked to solve it - the most moralistic tale out of the lot.

#12 Tabula Rasa by Paul Eagle — an enjoyable and thought-provoking scifi piece about Tessans arriving on Earth and resistance taking longer than the usual projections. I feel the story will continue because some endings are only the beginning. While I liked it, this story that had the least of wicked wish vibe in it.

[Christinaraven]

I enjoy anthologies and this one was a blast. Not quite the typical stories and that is why I liked them especially since they all had a similar theme of wish that they all took in different directions with some really stretching that wish link. Some made me laugh, some groan and some roll my eyes but they all entertained me. Liked the different take on a wish and how it can go all wrong, now that was a blast. Good and fun characters with some interesting endings to the story. Well worth the read. I enjoyed some better then others but I was entertained.

[Clarissa Gosling · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable anthology of stories showing the downsides and problems with casting wishes. Hard to choose a favourite story as they were all good.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of stories about wishes and how they can go oh-so-wrong. I enjoyed it very much and hope you do, as well.

[Shraddha Nanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape by S. Breaker
Astrid loves reading, and she wishes that the fantasy realm was real. One day this wish comes true and now she is stuck in a fictional world. She now has to make non- fictional efforts and needs to have determination, and sheer will to return to the real world.
I loved this story! Every bibliophile needs to read this!
This story is like every booklover's dream if you ask me. Highly recommended.

***I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.***

[Kritika · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the stories are quite interesting with a blast ending and entertained me a lot but some of them are just like….u might rill your eyes reading them or you might skip them.

Though, I like the theme.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tonia Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many different stories, different genres. There's something for pretty much everyone. Shine stories made you want to read more about the characters and then there's some that you just end up skipping over because it's just not your thing. Okay read over all.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own and honestly stated.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories by various authors, though I only read The influencer by Viola Tempest.
A new author for me, so I wasn’t sure what to expect really but this book was really enjoyable.
The story follows the character of Alexis Day, a girl who wants nothing more then to be one of the top influencers on an app called 'Shutter'. When she receives a message from "DreamComeTrue" offering to help her get her wish, Alexis jumps at the chance. Will the power of social media be everything she wishes? Or will her desire for attention get her more than she ever could have bargained for?

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm incredibly proud to have a story selected for this collection.
I couldn't be more excited to be part of this anthology with this group of outstanding authors.
All proceeds support the World Literacy Foundation, so I do hope you'll give these 15 "Be Careful What You Wish For" stories a chance. There's something for everyone in this collection.

2022-05-10 UPDATE: I've now also finished reading all the other lovely stories in this collection and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. There were dark tales of warning, gritty redemption stories, and some lighter adventurous reads. As always, I especially loved the ones with some romance and hopeful endings ;)

[Beverly Laude · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "Date with a Demon" by R.A, Lewis and if this story is any indication of the rest of this anthology, readers are in for a treat! Just the right touch of magic, along with a little romance, to keep you interested and invested in the characters. Well-written, great character development and enough of a cliffhanger to allow the reader to decide what the ending should be....just what I love!

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be careful what you wish for...it just might come true...
Join the authors of Wicked Wishes as they explore all the ways a simple wish can go horribly wrong! Will these characters be able to set things right again? Or is that just wishful thinking?
A brilliant book about the power of social media.
Really worth the read.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Social media isn’t what it seems to be all the time. Wishing for things we aren’t sure about is dangerous sometimes. Short and powerful

[Victoria Wyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Influencer Alexis wishes for fame through social media and gets more than she bargained for be careful what you wish for. She didn’t heed the advice given with the potion. A quick short read.

I received this ARC and my honest review is voluntary

[Anoesjka Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Influencer: A Wicked wish alright! A light quick read that shows the power of social media and how you can never get away from it. Be careful what you wish for!

[Marie Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.3 average rounded up

This was a fantastic collection that I've been meaning to read for over a year.

Meet Me at the Crossroads by C.L. Cannon
5*
Desmond discovers the dark side of immortality.

The Influencer by Viola Tempest
5*
Alexis discovers the dark side of influencer fame. I sense a pattern here.

Musical Meals by Erin Casey
5*
Katrina will do anything to become a famous singer. Happier ending than the first two.

Date with a Demon by R.A. Lewis
5*
Morrigan needs a date to prom. Reminds me of a Webtoon I read.

Kids will be Kids by Deliaria Davis
4*
This one was different. POV of a djinn teaching lessons about wishes like the Cat in the Hat.

The Wishing Well by Melissa E. Beckwith
4*
TW: thoughts of suicide
I didn't like this until about halfway through, but definitely give it a chance.

Soul Tea by L.R. Braden
4*
Basic genie-tricks-human-into-making-bad-wishes plot, but entertaining.

Escape by S.R. Breaker
4*
Cash & Astrid get trapped in a story. Entertaining, would read more.

Prowtied by Barend Nieuwstraten III
5*
So far the darkest story in the collection by a lot, and the most complex. Dirro wishes for rescue from a punishment he doesn't deserve and receives a curse instead.

Ella's Wish by Joelle Nichole
5*
I loved this UF witchy tale and looked up the author to see if there is more. There is! Yay!

In the Dying Light by Jo Holloway
5*
I loved learning more about the Mists & Amber (who I first read about in Once Upon a Name). I'm loving all these short stories about this new world Jo is creating. Plus the Jack & the Beanstalk nod was fun.

Tabula Rasa by Paul Eagle
3*
This doesn't seem to fit the theme as well as the others. I don't think anyone even made a wish. There was just hope that people could be better.

A Dream Made Flesh by Adam Gaften
5*
Another not-quite-a-wish scifi story, but I really enjoyed AI Diana's plans to transform herself into a human and looked up the related book series.

The Half-Monkey's Paw by K. Matt
5*
A futuristic scifi version of The Monkey's Paw? Yes, please. Why aren't there more retellings of this story anyway?

Unenchanting Wishes by J.M. Rhineheart
5*
"Sometimes, wishes do come true for those that need them."
This line made me think that maybe the last story was going to be a happy one with the wish going right for a change. I was wrong. Maggie's wish for a Prince Charming brings her Christopher, but also pixies, trolls, and dragons. It was hilarious, horrifying, and heartbreaking. A must read story.

[Angel 一匹狼 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very solid anthology, "Wicked Wishes" has been the happy surprise of the season for me, a perfect read for this time of the year, with Halloween around the corner.

It is difficult to review "Wicked Wishes", as there are 15 stories, all written by different authors, with, of course, different styles, focus and atmospheres. But two things are easy to point: there is not a bad story in the anthology, even if I liked some more than others, and the authors have done a great job in creating characters and stories that are easy to relate to and that blend perfectly horror, humor, love, mystery… This is a book that is easy to enjoy, as almost everyone has thought about the 'what would it be like to be able to make a wish come true' at least once in their lives.

As a side point, there are a couple of things that could be improved: a couple of the stories feel rushed, as if the author had a bigger world in their heads than space in the page (even the longer ones) and a couple of stories seem to justify violence if it is against 'the bad ones'. I am not a fan of 'justified violence', even in fiction (of course, I may have misinterpreted the author's words and that is why I say it seems).

If you have the chance, give this book a try. It is a wish come true.

The best: all the stories are interesting and all the authors bring something to the table

The worst: again, some stories come to a kind of sudden end and the 'when is violence justified?' conundrum

Alternatives: "Legends" even if very different, is the one that comes to mind

7/10

(English; original)

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you booksirens and all the authors of this anthology*

[Luc · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is based on the fact that this is not the type of book for me. Mind you, other readers may find this type of accumulation of short stories about wishes to their liking.
As for me, although I am aware that some people will do about anything, as mentioned in one very short story, to be loved and noticed, I have always found that this attitude was a waste of time. because you will never please everybody. As long as you can look yourself in the mirror, then, you are good to go.
Another story treats the case of someone wanting to be immortal without thinking it through. A higher power accedes to his wish and turns him into a blood sucking vampire.
It is not easy to write and the authors, I am certain have given it their best. But this book is simply not for me as I had to skip many stories before I got to the end. 2 Stars

[Amanda Sagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing mix if short stories with the common theme of wishes. Some were darker than others, a little romance here and there, a touch of magic and all with the potential to expand into bigger stories.
Anthologies are not usually my thing, but I gave this a go and I may just have to check out some others as well as some new authors.... my tbr list thanks all of you 😊

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Paula Rule · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a story for everyone who enjoys fantasy of some kind in this book. What I really enjoyed was the lesson each one has for you.

Some of the stories where not of the normal genre I read and found them harder to read, if the stories were more along one type of fantasy rather than a mixed of sci-fi, epic, urban and contemporary fantasy.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading ‘In the Dying Light’ by Jo Holloway, one of the short stories in this fantastic collection. It was slightly creepy, deliciously eerie in spots and from a first person perspective it grabbed. I liked the characters, and can’t wait to read more of this collection about wishes. Their charms and their costs.

[Divya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of fantasy stories involving vampires, demons, sirens etc about some wishes gone wrong. There are a couple where the wishes turned out to be not too bad. Although, the stories are short, they are well narrated and tell the whole picture! I received a free copy of the book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of shorts. I love fantasy and that’s exactly what I got! I tend to like books that are a little longer with the story drawn out more, but some of these stories just don’t need it to hook you. It was easy and fun to read.

[Belinda Clemons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wicked Wishes was a wonderful set of books each one was different and really well written and could stand on their own as a published ebook and not just for an anthology. there were one or two stories i just couldnt get through and that is why its a 4 star for me

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad to have joined this anthology to support literacy.
More than that, I loved so many of these stories! A fantastic group of authors with incredibly unique tales of wishes gone wrong.