Thank you to Netgalley, Nadine Brandes, and Thomas Nelson for giving me a chance to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

First of all, this book has many fascinating concepts. The first one is Myrthe’s ability to grant wishes through her tears, and many other “Talents” and “Banes” other characters have. It is such a great concept in the book and it was also executed very well. The ambience of this book is spot on even in the very beginning of the story, even though it has a simple structure of political system, the book still provided a wise structure of the entire world. The way that it gave me vivid imagery of each setting has me in awe, I really appreciate how the ambience connected me with the world. The way that how the story was being told isn’t in an info-dumpy way, the information was scattered throughout the book and in bite-sized parts.

When it comes to the characters, I love that the author didn’t hold back in exploring each of them. They are not one-dimensional and they are in sync with the story as well. They are all wrapped around the story and the book didn’t just focused between Myrthe and Bastiaan.

What I think was a little draw back in this book is the last 30-40% because, oh my gosh, it hurt so much. The way that the characters was exploring all the possibilities that they can solve their problems and obstacles was always met with even bigger and more difficult problem. It was like the character was getting hope and then the author was like “oh you think you figured it out, don’t you? Here’s another obstacle”. I honestly feel bad and a little annoyed for the characters. I just want them to be happy and then the subtle ways the author gave them obstacles has me getting so frustrated. I was like, “give them a fucking break for once”. It was realistic though and has me hooked in the story and I honestly couldn’t put it down. I keep saying to myself that I will have a break once something positive happens and then the author was like torturing her characters. I’m not saying that I don’t like it. It’s just that it hurt so much and I just want the characters to be at least have some break.

Anyway, I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. I really couldn’t put this down and it’s quiet addicting. I highly recommend this to everyone because I feel like more people should know how simple yet well-explored this book is. Make sure to add this on your TBR!

I’ve read Nadine Brandes before. I’ve liked her books, even really liked them.

This book, however. This book I loved.

It is beautiful.
It is poignant.
It is relevant.
It is magical.

You need to read this book. Don’t wait until it comes out next week. Preorder it today, wait at the mailbox, and delve into the world of Winterune as soon as it arrives.

This is a five-star book for me, and I hope you, too, find the beauty and hope that are pouring out of the pages of Wishtress.

So, so many thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this novel for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review, but I simply could not hold it in. All opinions are my very own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A magical well that grants “Talents” to those that pass its trials, a girl whose tears grant wishes, a boy who can stop time at will and a young king vying for power.

This book had an interesting premise but unfortunately was not executed particularly well. I think it has the potential to be a really good story, but it fell flat in too many ways. too many ways to go into detail really but I did finish it so i’m giving it two stars.

I would certainly recommend this for a much younger reader as it is definitely on the younger side of the ya spectrum.

I loved this book! The theme of redemption and grace flowed all the way through the stories of these flawed characters, whom I found myself loving, flaws and all! The story is exciting, constantly moving forward with plot twists and just enough suspense to keep you thinking about the book when you aren't reading it, which is, in my opinion, one attribute of a really good book!

The Well of Talents is available only to those who are able to survive the challenges that are set in place at the gates, or those wealthy enough to pay someone to run the gauntlet for them. But Myrthe has a talent she was born with, and that has been abused and manipulated for her whole life. Will she make it to the Well of Talents to learn how to use her talent for good before she becomes a prisoner of those who would exploit her? You will love Bastiaan and Runt, who come alongside her on her journey. But mostly you will love that in spite of her flaws, her sorrow, and her physical challenges, NOTHING stops her.

Can we talk about the ending (spoiler free, of course?) You will possibly want to throw the book at the wall, or perhaps obtain a time traveling Talent for yourself because you will NOT believe this ending and you will feel desperate for the next book! (Will there be a next book, Nadine? Please tell me there is another book!)

A story of a girl who is born with the ability to grant wishes with her tears is cursed to die with her next wish. Definitely a compelling synopsis!

The good:
Wholesome and squeeky clean, this novel holds none of the usual teen sex, drugs, profanity, and occultism that tipically find their way into YA fantasy. Though this book is written by a Christian author, published by a Christian publishing house, and contains Christian themes, it isn't readily evident to the average person that this is a "Christian book." I guess I spoiled that part. Surprise, it's a Christian book! The story itself and the world building were great, especially toward the end during the quest.

The bad:
I'm pretty sure it's a rule of good storytelling that you should show instead of tell. I found myself frequently frustrated and disappointed by the amount of spoon-feeding of this story there was. The pacing of the story didn't eb and flow very easily in my opinion, and the first 3/4 of the way in was very slow and I found Myrthe to be a very annoyingly self-righteous protagonist.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for sending me a free eArc through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 Closer to 4 really but ahhhh I enjoyed this so much! A full review will be up this week. Thank you to Nadine Brandes and Pub for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. This was such a fun story to read, I enjoyed the concepts and would love to see another novel set in this world. The magic was so neat and the Wishtress herself was a brilliant thing to behold

...
THAT ENDING THOUGH!!!!

A delightful tale of secrets and wishes, of love and betrayal. In a time where flash fiction and quick reads are flooding the market, Brandes paints on a literary canvas in this atmospheric story of about the power of wishes, choices, and love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my copy of Wishtress by Nadine Brandes in exchange for an honest review. It publishes September 13, 2022.
This is quintessential YA! Bravo, Brandes does it again. I love how she brings her perspective to the genre. This was a unique story that I was truly engrossed in. For someone who has all but given up on YA for all the glorification of sex, drugs, and alcohol, Brandes is always a breath of fresh air. Lots of fabulous world-building, interesting magic, and good, clean fighting.
Highly recommend!

Thank you to Nadine Brandes, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for a digital ARC of Wishtress!
When I first read the summary to this book and saw the beautiful cover, I was hooked! I have not read a book by Nadine Brandes before, so I was excited to read this one. This story follows Mina who has the ability to grant wishes with her tears. But one day, a wish goes wrong and she ends up cursing herself. Now if she sheds a single tear, she will die. The characters in the story were written beautifully, but the plot fell a little flat for me. The beginning was a little slow moving, but it picks up throughout the story. The world-building wasn't as details as I expected, but other aspects of the story made up for that. Overall, this was a good story and I would recommend to people who like to read about magic and Christian Fiction.

I was excited to read this eARC as I thought the summary sounded interesting and unique. It also had many good reviews posted already on Good Reads. While I did like the book, I didn't love it and am pretty surprised that it has garnered so much positive attention. The copy I received definitely needed some further editing, but I do try to look past those things when I'm reviewing an ARC. I just found the overall plot to be boring and I was not invested in the main character at all. I think there needed to be additional world building to provide a more solid foundation to the plot of the story. I also think the story itself could have been edited to a more concise tale - it was just too dang long for what it was!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded to 3.

I think this may be my favorite Brandes book yet. I have read two others: Fawkes and Romanov, both of which I found interesting but not quite as unique as the world built in this one. I will include my reviews for both of them in my review backlog on my blog, which I will eventually get to between teaching and other life stuff.

The strength of this book lies in the fulfillment of its premise promise. The synopsis hints a plot that will deliver a developed world with a unique magic system and a love story between two people caught on either side of the “who gets to be magical” debate. Brandes executed this flawlessly. I absolutely loved the complexity of the narrative and how the story blended well with the world building without any info dumps or deficiencies in the plot or character development.

The absolute best part of this book is the narrative. Just how much of a gimmick is the magic system or fantasy element for any book? I grade this by how well the story would work if there were no magic in it, as I sometimes ask myself when I read fantasies. I find that the stronger plots always work well if I can answer yes to this question. Brandes’ Wishtress would very much still be a fantastic book if no one in it had magic.

Aside from the plot, Myrthe and Bastiaan make a great leading pair of characters. The relationship starts off well, I did not feel the two suffered from instalove (though there are zero things wrong with instalove romances), and the two gradually come to a recognition of love for each other through an intimate understanding of the actual person and not the special abilities and superhuman beauty of the other. Myrthe’s beginning is tragic, traumatizing her right from the start, and she must work through that in order to let others in and get to know her for who she is and not what she can do. Bastiaan, whose talent makes him technically an immortal, gives a good balance to Myrthe’s guarded heart with his insistence on helping those who’s have been abused by the line of kings ruling the land for centuries. Though there is a strong connection between them immediately, the two fall in love so gradually throughout the narrative that they, and maybe the reader, won’t realize it until they’ve declared their feelings to one another.

Brandes also masterfully crafts side characters and villains. In this book, the side characters could honestly be main characters and the book just have an ensemble, all-star cast. Too much detail on these can spoil the mystery and twists revealed at the end, so I won’t delve too deeply or draw attention to any one specifically. I just feel they're all so fantastically written.

The only drawback to the book for me was the terrible proofreading. I found my eye twitching so much, as one instance would be the correct use of things like subject/object pronouns and pronoun/antecedent agreement and the next would be incorrect, though that may be squared away by the time the finished copy hits shelves, so I may bump the book up a star to 5 when it comes out. Yes, I ding a book for that mess. Reviews are subjective, and that kind of stuff messes up a book experience for me. It's like I'm grading a paper. Unless it’s dialogue or internal monologue, clean that grammar and usage mess up.

Overall, 4/5 stars. I will be buying a copy of this book. In fact, I’ve have it preordered for a while. I took my time reading this, as it was complex and I think rushing through it for me would have made me miss out on some of the subtleties of the message. It is an allegory, after all. I heartily recommend this for young adults to read. It’s blessedly appropriate content-wise for the age level.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion. Find other reviews on my blog at www.eaterofstories.com.

Myrthe has a rare gift — her tears grant wishes. When one of her wishes goes wrong, she is cursed and she must trek to the mythical Well in order to restore her power. Meanwhile, she’s pursued by various players hoping to get a wish from Myrthe, even if the consequence is her death.

The mythical fantasy world built by Nadine Brandes in Wishtress is an enchanting Northern European-esque land. The setting feels remarkably similar to Frozen’s Arendelle - right off the bat, I recommend Wishtress for any Anna and Elsa stans. Brandes’s writing shines in the magic system. Each Talent (or Bane) was wholly unique to the user, and it was interesting watching how their desires would manifest in their powers. Myrthe is an incredible character. She’s loving and gentle, but also tenacious and headstrong at the same time. I really loved that she wasn’t afraid to break any rules if they seemed to be unjust. Reading about Myrthe’s journey to find self-worth was uplifting and inspiring.

While I enjoyed the story, I found that some characters fell flat — specifically, Anouk and Coralythe. Honestly, many of Coralythe’s actions didn’t make sense to me. Was she evil because of her Bane or did she actually just want revenge for her children? I feel like that wasn’t entirely cleared up. Bastiaan, while adorable and swoon-worthy at times, was somewhat bland as far as book boyfriends go. He was pretty typical, honestly. The ending seemed a little bit rushed as well.

Overall, this is a magical story that I enjoyed, despite a few flaws. I found that I really connected with both Myrthe and Bastiaan’s journey to make amends for the wrongs they’ve committed. Wishtress is the perfect quick read to snuggle up with this winter!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The author very cleverly weaves together a love story, magical powers, and the battle between good and evil into an engaging and well-paced YA Fantasy. The imaginative world is unique with familiar undertones. As a result, this book felt fresh and unique. I enjoyed every plot twist along the way (and there are many!). When it came time to end, I wanted it to just keep going on. Perhaps there will be a sequel? I hope so!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 3.75/5 Stars

The characters in this were amazing. Myrthe grows so much over the course of the story and I was rooting for her the whole way! It was so nice to see her become a strong young woman, without necessarily falling into the 'stabby heroine' trope.

I don't know if Runt or Anouk is my favorite character, and even then, they're barely ahead of Myrthe and Bastiaan in the running. Runt is absolutely adorable and I just want to hug him! I would have loved to see Anouk more in the story, but alas, she was not one of the main characters.

I absolutely loved Myrthe and Anouk's friendship in this! Seeing such strong and realistic family/friend ties is one of my favorite things to see in stories. It felt so natural, and even though there were moments they didn't see eye-to-eye that didn't stop them from pushing through.

I also think Myrthe's story shows how easy it can be to turn people into objects. It was refreshing to see a YA story actually address that, as well as second chances. Definitely loved the thematic elements in this!

Also, trials based on seasons? I didn't know that was something I needed in my life.

One thing that surprised me was that the "Murder King" just kind of disappeared at the end. And even though Anouk briefly defends him against being called this the issue drops off suddenly, and I was left wanting more explanation. (view spoiler)

Honestly, I was expecting a redemption arc or two, especially given the second chances emphasis, and was surprised when no one got one.

Overall, amazing story! Definitely recommend to anyone who wants a standalone fantasy novel with great characters and themes.

I got an ARC copy of this courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas Nelson, all opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was an okay read. It was well-paced and well-written but it just didn't do it for me. It was also a little bit too heavy handed with the Christian subtext, particularly in the latter 20%. I usually don't mind that at all but it was a bit too in your face. This is a good novel but I wasn't blown away.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

"You both get to write your story, but the longer you live, the more you'll learn to surrender your ink."

This is just a tiny glimpse at the stunning contents of this book. I love this book for so many reasons, but one of the reasons is beautiful way it is written. Nadine's prose is simultaneously poignant, relatable, and eloquent, and the life lessons that are subtly woven throughout are striking. I also loved that the story acts as an allegory for salvation and the Christian life. It is incredibly thought provoking, and I had to pause several times just to process the depth of what I had just read.

Moving on to the actual story, I loved Bastiann, Myrthe, and especially Runt. Their relationships are so pure and sweet, and they are all real characters dealing with relatable challenges. I especially appreciated the deeper look into the classic battle between good and evil that they afford us. So many stories like this tend to take a black and white approach, and I love how this book shows that life is really not that simple. People can do bad things with good intentions, and good things with bad intentions, and everything in between. It adds a depth to the story and the characters that is rare in YA. Finally, Nadine's world building is amazing and her plot is completely unique. I was down to the last 10% of the book and had absolutely no idea how it was going to end.

My only teeny tiny complaint is that it took me a while to get into the story. The beginning was full of a lot of setup for the world and backstory on the characters, which I appreciated, but it wasn't until I got a third of the way into it that I was hooked. Also I have so many questions about the ending, which I think was her point, but still.

Overall, it really reminded me of a mash-up between Tangled and Frozen, which are two of my favorite Disney movies, so I loved it. It is original and thought provoking, and I wish that YA was filled with more books like this.

The world building is amazing. The magic system is unique. I loved the spiritual aspect of it. I'm not usually a fan of instalove but this one is well written. The prose was on point and what kept me reading.

I enjoyed this story. It contained so much hope, and the story was infused with truths that I find invaluable. Nadine Brandes does a very good job of tying together an interesting and fascinating story and world with a message to encourage readers. Bastiaan and Myrthe's struggles were real, linking readers to the story and characters and evoking sympathy that comes from common experience.

I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

Didn't really feel like there was much character development and the plot overall was kind of meh to me.

I finished this and wanted to start again, absolutely breathtaking. Are you sure we cannot have another book?! I need to live this again and again. Defs being added to my yearly summer read list!