Nadine Brandes has a very unique writing style. She builds up her stories and characters slowly, drawing you into their worlds and their lives and letting them sleep beneath your skin, so that when trouble strikes you feel the blow as though it was personal. Wishtress is a stunning, heartfelt story that left me longing for more. A beautiful book with a beautiful message.

Received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and its publisher <3

Could not finish unfortunately. I just couldn't get in to it and continue reading so I had to quit. I think I will try again as the premise sounds so interesting to me.

Another fabulous book from Nadine Brandes! I love everything about Wishtress! Can't wait for her next novel!

At first glance knowing that this book is almost 500 pages can be a little daunting to some, I was able to read this in one sitting. This also isn’t one that I would normally read but Nadine seems to have a way to tell a story that keeps invested in her story because I have read a few books by her already and have loved the magical aspect she adds to her story’s.

I am conflicted here - while I recognize that this authoress is immensely talented and the story she is presenting in this novel has very interesting world build-up, colourful plotting and innovative set-up, I also think that she giving up the storytelling too much for the sake of presenting the morale of the story. And that morale is told quite clearly - I would even say that I prefer the rule of "the less is more" in my readings (but this is a personal preference). Let me name the fate of the queen Anouk here as an example (I find the "morale" of this story being simply infuriating).

But having said that - I will follow this authoress. Her talent is obvious!

I really enjoyed this book, it was very complicated and slow in parts, however the ending was really worth it.

I really enjoyed this one! The character development was so well done, especially for Myrthe and Bastiaan. I really appreciated that this story dealt with so many important themes like not being defined by your mistakes and having a choice in how you live your life.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns of this novel but got tired of the decisions made by the main characters.

The wishtress is about Mrythe who has the power to give wishes. When she is killed for a bad accident she causes, her world falls down around her. Our male love interest Bastiaan has one of the best and interesting powers. He can stop time for as long as he wants. We are introduced to him so wonderfully that I was hooked instantly.

What I didn’t like about this book was that banes were “evil” and talents were “good” which was intriguing at first but when we reached the end when people come together and have choices, they still determine it as evil. For literally no reason. Myrthe had a full scene with the nightwell befriending it and still banes are seen as bad? It just got tiring and was such a let down in the end. I’m actually wondering if it’s an allegory for the good and evil inside warring you and u have to choose good to be good??? But the nightwell was never even bad it just gave people talents that benefitted them. It just doesn’t make sense and really ruined the ending for me. The people started off being looked down on if they had a bane and it ended that way.

This book is published as Christian fiction which is notorious for having battles of good and evil so I really think that that’s what is happening here now that i think about it LOL Which is quite disappointing. Why let religion dictate how u write your fantasy fiction?

Still a great read though just know the ending isn’t very satisfying! And don’t even get me started on the final scene and how selfish it was.

This was simply a delightful story to read. Brandes has a writing style that has you enthralled in the story and her characters from the first page. I always looked forward to picking it up and even though 450 pages, I would happily have kept reading it.

The story is clever, Myrthe and Baastian are wonderful creations, so easy to have empathy for and to feel their emotions throughout the story. And the bad guys are bad! Sven and Mattias display all those characteristics of the self-absorbed narcissist.

And then there's this brilliant reflection on good and evil, the wonder and beauty of the Holy Spirit and the river of life.

There were many moments that I wasn’t expecting, and our heroes were stuck in situations that I wondered whether they’d be able to get out. It was brilliant storytelling and how Brandes weaved the good and evil and river of life metaphors throughout the story was tremendous to experience.

I can't recommend Wishtress enough and was thrilled to have been able to read it.

I was fortunate to have received an early ebook copy last year from the publisher via NetGalley and have only now read it. This had no bearing on my review.

This was a beautiful, heartbreaking, hopeful story. Never having read Nadine Brandes, I had no idea what I was getting into, but she created a beautiful fantasy world. A girl whose tears grant wishes and a boy who can stop time find themselves caught in a war between how and if magic should be used. They have to learn to trust themselves and each other, and find hope that the well of magic tends toward goodness.

The story reminded me a little of Carol Beth Anderson's books and has cemented Nadine Brandes as an auto-buy author for me. I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and have reviewed it willingly.

Myrthe is born with a talent, causing her to become the Wishtress. When one day, one of her wishes goes wrong. As a result, a woman places a curse on her. If she ever sheds another tear, this one tear will kill her. She will need to take a journey to the Well to break the curse and save her life. This book offers a variety of characters. The plot was well-crafted and filled with twists I didn't anticipate. The romance is very slow-burn, very wholesome, I'll say, though, that this book has a few issues with pacing.

An addictive and enrapturing read. Nadine Brandes knows how to draw her audience in with beautiful prose and keep them reading deep into the night with her character arcs. I loved Myrthe's fierce determination. In the face of devastating odds, she forged ahead. Bastiaan is on a mission, and nothing will waylay him from reaching his goal. Not even his emotions. He and Myrthe go head to head as they both seek the Well and a cure for their ails. Myrthe's ability to create wishes brings up the notion of what would happen if you could wish for anything and everything you've ever wanted. These characters put their heart and soul into everything that they do. They have similar strengths and it was an interesting trip watching them become better versions of themselves. This is Christian fantasy at its finest. I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I received this book for free from netgalley for an honest review.

Magic in all the best ways possible! So happy I got this.

I was saving this book for a rainy day, and finally took the time to read it! I enjoyed the characters and the unique world that they live in. Az tad bit gory for my taste, but well written and thought provoking with the fantasy world revealing deeper truths.

I have often thought about what if years granted wishes. And Nadine brought that to life. A bit slow but I do love a character-driven book like this. Nadine is a lovely writer and I throughly enjoyed reading this novel.

[ARC REVIEW]

Nadine has given us another great story, yet again!
Some areas did leave me wanting for more, however.....
the characters and plot were very well written.
I didn't want to stop reading!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book.

I was really looking forward to this novel since I am a huge fan of the author. However, I was not captivated by the storyline. There were many cliches in the book, and it didn’t feel original. The world-building was also not developed and seemed a typical fantasy setting. Still, I recommend this for fans of young adult fantasy. However, as a fan of the author, she had written better. I recommend readers to read Romanov, which is her more superior work.

This story definitely surprised me with its twists and turns. Nadine did an excellent job creating a full cast of characters for everyone to fall in love with and a villain for you to root against.

Myrthe was born with the ability to turn her tears into wishes. It's a big secret to keep. When a granted wish goes wrong, a curse is placed on her: the next tear she sheds will kill her. She needs to journey to the Well and break the curse before it claims her life--and before the king's militairen track her down. But in order to survive the journey, she must harden her heart to keep herself from crying even a single tear.

He can stop time with a snap of his fingers.

Bastiaan's powerful--and rare--Talent came in handy when he kidnapped the old king. Now the new king has a job for him: find and capture the Wishtress and deliver her to the schloss. But Bastiaan needs a wish of his own. When he locates Myrthe, he agrees to take her to the Well in exchange for a wish. Once she's fulfilled her end of the deal, he'll turn her in. As long as his growing feelings for the girl with a stone heart don't compromise his job.

They are on a journey that can only end one way: with her death.

Everyone seems to need a wish--the king, Myrthe's cousin, the boy she thinks she loves. And they're ready to bully, beg, and even betray her for it. No one knows that to grant even one of them, Myrthe would have to die. And if she tells them about her curse . . . they'll just kill her anyway.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own. Review withheld for the duration of the HarperCollins Union strike.

Wishtress is the first book I’ve read from Nadine Brandes, although I’ve long been interested in the premises of her books. While it isn’t immediately obvious, there are subtle Christian messages in the book, which makes sense as this was put out by a Christian publisher. The effectiveness of the blending of fantasy and faith will depend on the reader, but I enjoyed it for the most part.

I liked the magic system of Talents, and how each person with a Talent has a different one (ie Myrthe has the ability to grant wishes with her tears, Bastiaan can stop time).

Myrthe is an intriguing character, and I love how the combined impact of her power and the curse on it have hardened her, otherwise any tear she sheds will mean she dies. On top of that, she’s been through a lot, having been faced with her aunt’s manipulation and now dealing with being on the run from the king and his militairen. She does vacillate at times between that hardness and a softer side, but it always feels believable. I also loved that the book highlighted the relationship she had with her mother, and reckoning with her grief for her over the course of the book. The dedication at the beginning to Brandes’ own mother is a nice touch.

Bastiaan is the other major character, and he’s also pretty compelling. While he’s been tasked by the new king to bring Myrthe in, and he does this by making a deal with her, which he plans to go back on once he gets what he wants. While that can be very hit-or-miss for me, it does add an interesting dynamic, as he has to avoid getting his feelings compromised for his own reasons. And ultimately, just like Myrthe, he can’t help but be in touch with his emotions and feelings for her. Ultimately, he’s doing it for good reasons, and is protective of those he loves.

While it’s on the longer side (448 pages + acknowledgments and discussion questions in the hardcover edition), I didn’t feel the length at all. It’s a well paced, engaging read, with relatively short chapters and prose that easily kept my attention.

This is an enjoyable read, and I’m more intrigued to check out more of her work. If you’re a fan of YA fantasy, I recommend checking this out!

First thank to Negalley and the publisher for this arc.

Myrthe is born with a talent. The one that made her the Wishtress, she had the ability to turn her tears into wishes. One day one of her wishes goes wrong, and a woman place a curse on her. If she ever shed another tear, this one tear will kill her. She will need to take a journey to the Well to break the curse and save her life.

It was the first book from that author that I was reading and i really enjoyed this story.