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Table of Contents
About The Book
This love story for the ages, set in a reimagined industrial Asia, is a little dark, a bit breathless, and completely compelling. A “grisly and satisfying” tale (Publishers Weekly) inspired by The Phantom of the Opera.
Sixteen-year-old Wen assists her father in his medical clinic, housed in a slaughterhouse staffed by the Noor, men hired as cheap factory labor. Wen often hears the whisper of a ghost in the slaughterhouse, a ghost who grants wishes to those who need them most. And after one of the Noor humiliates Wen, the ghost grants an impulsive wish of hers—brutally.
Guilt-ridden, Wen befriends the Noor, including the outspoken leader, a young man named Melik. At the same time, she is lured by the mystery of the ghost. As deadly accidents fuel tensions within the factory, Wen is torn between 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. Will she determine whom to trust before the factory explodes, taking her down with it?
Sixteen-year-old Wen assists her father in his medical clinic, housed in a slaughterhouse staffed by the Noor, men hired as cheap factory labor. Wen often hears the whisper of a ghost in the slaughterhouse, a ghost who grants wishes to those who need them most. And after one of the Noor humiliates Wen, the ghost grants an impulsive wish of hers—brutally.
Guilt-ridden, Wen befriends the Noor, including the outspoken leader, a young man named Melik. At the same time, she is lured by the mystery of the ghost. As deadly accidents fuel tensions within the factory, Wen is torn between 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. Will she determine whom to trust before the factory explodes, taking her down with it?
About The Author
Photo credit: Rebecca Skinner
Sarah Fine is the author of Of Metal and Wishes, Of Dreams and Rust, The Impostor Queen, The Cursed Queen, The True Queen, and The Guards of the Shadowlands series. She was born on the West Coast, raised in the Midwest, and is now firmly entrenched on the East Coast. When she’s not writing, she’s working as a child psychologist. Visit her at SarahFineBooks.com.
Product Details
- Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (August 5, 2014)
- Length: 336 pages
- ISBN13: 9781442483606
- Grades: 9 and up
- Ages: 14 - 99
- Lexile ® 850L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®
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Raves and Reviews
Fine creates a memorable atmosphere of desperation, deftly weaving together numerous subplots that intersect in a grisly and satisfying climax.
– Publishers Weekly
Sarah Fine's slaughterhouse-set Phantom of the Opera retelling is vivid, grisly, and beautiful. It's impossible not to root for the tenderhearted Wen and the noble Melik as they move through this world of endless meat and misery. Fine's writing is smart and fittingly brutal, and this bittersweet tale is as haunting as any melancholy aria sung on the stage.
– April Tucholke, author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
“Superbly dark and relentlessly engrossing, Of Metal and Wishes is a beautiful novel. Fine demonstrates expert writing and pacing, resulting in a vivid and finely tuned story. The romance is sweet and full of tension, and Melik is a swoon-worthy hero in all the right ways. Additionally, Fine has built a sordid and compelling world thanks to carefully used social and political turmoil. This is a gripping read full of twists and turns that will leave readers in awe.”
– Romantic Times Book Review
A slaughterhouse with a deep, dark secret makes for a lovely gothic setting for this dramatic homage to Phantom of the Opera...Fine has written an alluring novel with a lovely setting in which readers will revel.
– VOYA Magazine
Awards and Honors
- ALA Best Books For Young Adults
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Of Metal and Wishes eBook 9781442483606
- Author Photo (jpg): Sarah Fine Photo credit: Rebecca Skinner(0.1 MB)
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