Title: The Wish Augur
Author: Cecil Wilde
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Pages/Word Count: 44 Pages
At a Glance: Quick read, warm-hearted story with good intentions
Blurb: Gabriel Juarez has only one wish for Christmas, uttered moments before midnight on Christmas Eve: a hug. He wakes up the next morning to find his wish being haphazardly granted in the form of an insecure elf called Felix, who works as a wish augur and couldn’t bring himself to let Gabe’s wish go unfulfilled.
Review: Sometimes it’s nice just to have a quick read with enough romance to make you smile. This story fits that bill, for the most part. It’s short and took me just an hour to read, but it was cute. I liked Felix and how cheerfully energetic he was, and I felt for Gabe. As a short story it’s going to be missing things such as backstory, but I would have liked a little bit more. I thought Gabe’s boss was over the top. Granted he was drunk at a Christmas party, but it could have been presented differently to show just how much of a jerk he was to Gabe.
I felt for Gabe, though. I haven’t been alone at Christmas, thankfully, but I have spent New Year’s Eve alone in the past and been depressed about it, just wanting someone to spend a little bit of time with, so his wish was completely believable. And I adored Felix. He’s just so energetic and fun.
The way the author twisted the traditional Santa and his elves tale was interesting as well. Cecil Wilde took the tale and made it their own. I would have loved to read more about it. What other types of elves are there aside from Wish Augurs? What makes Felix so different from the others? That part isn’t explored much because it’s Gabe’s story, but I would have liked his perspective as well. And I do wonder what his real name is, or even what the other elves called him. I thought that ending was pretty awesome…even if I was personally disappointed! I guess I’m just nosey like that!
As a final note, if the author were to write another story with these characters that follows them after the events of this tale and shows the progression of their relationship, I would read it.
You can buy The Wish Augur here:
