Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine (review)

Wen lives with her father in the medical clinic at the Gochan One factory, and while she knows her family is in debt, she also knows that the Noor, the poorly paid workers they treat, are worse off. This, plus guilt, is why she sells her own beloved dresses to help cover the Noor’s expenses after multiple accidents befall the workers at the hand of the factory “ghost” who will do anything to protect Wen. The ghost is, of course, not a supernatural entity but rather a young man named Bo, who went into hiding after his body was mangled in the killing room of the slaughterhouse. Even while Wen finds him intriguing, she recognizes she is falling for one of the Noor, and that she will risk almost everything to allow them to be together. The metaphorically and literally scarred Bo is the true and complex star of this homage to Phantom of the Opera, and his melding of beauty and horror will likely be the most memorable element of this novel. Unfortunately, too much of the plot hinges on Wen’s virtue, an abstract concept with which almost every character in the novel is obsessed. In addition, the world outside of the factory is so poorly explained that it actually becomes a distraction: it isn’t quite clear what pieces are historical or purely fiction, or whether this is a creative merging of both. Nevertheless, it’s always refreshing to see fantasy showcase for Asian characters (Fine’s world seems to be Asian-inspired as well), and the romance is so darn swoonworthy that some readers won’t mind the flaws.