This was probably the darkest book I've read in 2022 so far. I kept reading the book feeling hopeful and hopeless at the same time for these characters. Lies, deaths, betrayals. All those things in sake of a wish. This book shows the lenghts that greed can go and how it destroys you in a horrible way. Still, I couldn't put it down, Myrthe and Bastiaan were worth it. Absolute masterpiece. My thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

First of all the cover is stunning. Secondly I would be hard pressed to find a book I dislike by this author. She’s just that good. Thirdly, wow. Wishtress was incredibly creative. The story surrounds Myrthe and Bastiaan and their country of Winterune. The folk lore and magical elements were so creative yet easy to understand. Brandes doesn’t spend a ton of time building her world, and yet she doesn’t need to. The story moves with the characters. The characters grow, have faults, and even have things that make the reader tick. Theyre real but also fantasy. And that is where the talent (excuse my pun) and sheer brilliance lies.

I don't know if it's the disappointment of so many average hyped ya fantasy reads or it's just that this book just gave me what I was yearning for from a good ya fantasy read, this book hooked me from the very beginning till the very end. And I am in love with it.

The plot is dark and the characters gave me anxiety. No kidding! Our main character is suffering throughout the read and I as a reader had to worry about her the entire time! Forget about the guy. But also, I cannot forget the guy Bastiaan (Don't know why I believe his name was Sebastian all this time ☺️).

I kept worrying for both these characters.

I would say this is the only book in a very long time that a book actually lived up to its blurb! I don't need to tell you the story. And if you can, just pick up this book and go into it blindly. You will be thoroughly entertained and you will be at the edge holding your breath until the end. One with the curse and the secret. The other waiting to betray. And the unexpected feelings involved.

Yes, we are here for the drama, the adventure and all the dark secrets.

Gave me pure joy amidst the anxiety.

Thank you, Thomas Nelson, for the advance reading copy.

In typical Nadine Brandes style, Wishtress whisks you away on an unforgettable, edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster ride from its captivating first sentence right up until the last page, leaving you breathless and a little dazed by the end. Only Nadine could pull off a story so perfectly balanced between heart-stopping adventure, compelling character arcs, and deep, allegorical themes that hint at biblical truth. Suffice it to say, this is a book you won’t be able to put down!

Characters: Let’s start with Myrthe—dear Myrthe. The pain, the loss, the betrayal she endured—it all broke my heart for her. While she might have been a little careless and naïve at times, she still had a good heart. And her caring, sacrificial nature made me love her all the more.

I wasn’t sure what to think of Bastiaan at first. But he grew on me as I delved deeper into his character and saw him protect and care for Myrthe. The way Nadine contrasted his gentle respect of Myrthe with Sven’s total disregard for her melted my heart. Of course, their romance was adorable too! And I loved Bastiaan’s relationship with Runt—so touching and sweet!

My favorite scene in the whole book though? Hands down the one where Myrthe reunites with her mother. It was just so heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time. And it made me cry, which is rare for a fiction book!

Plot/Worldbuilding: Nadine’s trademark is her mind-blowing twists and turns that leave you never knowing what to expect next. Wishtress is no different! And yet, it is so much more than a well-crafted plot with plenty of clever twists to keep you turning pages. My favorite part of Nadine’s books is the way she so skillfully weaves profound truth into the very fabric of the story.

While the worldbuilding wasn’t particularly original, I thought it suited the story well, working as the supporting backbone to the rest of the story. And I loved the magic system! Somehow Nadine still managed to add so much depth and detail to it even though the story was already packed full of other elements.

Theme: Not only is Nadine a master of twists, but she’s also the undisputed queen of allegories. And while I’m not a huge fan of most allegorical stories, I L.O.V.E.D the allegory of the two wells in Wishtress. The picture of the two wells as light and darkness fighting against each other was simply powerful and such a beautiful illustration of Jesus, our living water.

Every Nadine Brandes book is packed full of biblical truth, yet always in the subtlest and surprisingly simplest of ways. Her stories somehow manage to paint vibrant pictures of truth in a simple yet profound way that speaks straight to the soul. I have yet to find another speculative fiction writer who can so seamlessly weave deep themes in while still preserving the natural pace and integrity of the story.

Be warned: You might not make it out with your heart fully intact, but trust me, it is a sacrifice well worth it. You’ll close the book a changed person, but a better person for having read it. It certainly won’t be a tale you forget soon!

I’m surprised I made it through this book. I was super excited to read this book. The premise sounded awesome. The beginning was so good. I was loving the story and feeling bad for Myrthe and her life. Enjoyed the world building as well. Then around 35% it went downhill from there. The pace was slow, I started rolling my eyes more and it just wasn’t compelling anymore. The characters were getting on my nerves. The story was dragging on until the last 15%. I felt bad for Myrthe at the beginning and liked that she took responsibility for her actions but man, she didn’t let up. It was all “I’m sorry for what I have done” or “I can’t believe what I did”. Like pity party for one please. I wished she just pulled herself together and did something as oppose to feeling sorry for herself. Bastiaan was an okay character but I found him lacking in depth. Didn’t care for the romance either. Plot was a little too easy and convenient at times. Hated Sven with everything I am. Runt was fine. Anouk deserved more and not Myrthe’s wishy washy loyalty.

Overall, such high hopes, good beginning but I really was disappointed in this book. The reason my rating is 2 stars is because I actually did want to know what happened. Ending was okay. Also, no idea this was Christian fiction. Just wasn’t for me.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

So this was one of those books you pick for the pretty cover and then sit down to read not knowing what your about to start and i am glad i found this book as what an unique story.
the characters are lovely with great growth in their ARCs with faults and basically made to be imperfect which made them so easy to read. the villain's where *chef kiss* the best i have read this year so far.

this author has now made it on to my buy now list, i hope everything they write is this good

2.75 stars

This book is a bit preachy. Also, I have a few issues with the "romance." Firstly, it's ridiculous and nonexistent. I really hate it when authors just randomly decide that characters are now in love, with no proof, and then expect me to do anything other than chortle when suddenly they would die for each other. They kissed like once. Also, she is 17 and he is 107, and not even like a vampire or something cool, just a 107-year-old man who looks like he's.. I don't even know how old he's supposed to be, younger.

On the note of her being 17, there is a point where 17-year-old What's-her-face is surprised that someone would disclose their talent because "I'd lived seventeen years chained to the code of secrecy" of the talent that manifested when she was 12.

Also on the note of her being 17, what the fuck do they have in common? Is it just her pure-hearted nature and steadfast belief in Jesus The Well of Talents?

There were a few other things that irked me, one being <see goodreads for spoiler if interested>

This wasn't a bad book, but it had too many flaws for me to enjoy it much.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION for gifting me an eArc in exchange for a honest review.

The cover was the first thing that pulled me, then the summary. And by then I was in love.

Wishtress by Nadine Brandes is YA fantasy novel following the tumultuous life of Myrthe, and her ability to tears into wishes. But not everything is great and dandy for Myrthe, as a wish goes wrong and she is cursed to die upon shedding her next tear. Enter Bastiaan and his ability to control the flow of time. He's been tasked with tracking down Myrthe for a wish of his own. Though falling in love with her might put a damper on their relationship. One way or another, Myrthe is destined to die. Whether from her own tears or by the blade of those who wish her dead.

At times I found the language to be a clunky and complicated. But it had a pretty good plot, that did become a little hard to follow at times. I did love the dynamic between Myrthe and Bastiaan. And the magic! The magic is so unique and gorgeous! I will forever be jealous of not having such magic.

“You can always return to the right path. It will never turn you away.”  
  
It was so soul-soothing to sit down and read Wishtress by Nadine Brandes. It’s a story about second chances, magic wells, freedom, faith, and grace. If you love YA fantasy mixed with Christian allegory akin to the writings of C.S. Lewis, then this book is definitely for you.  
  
✨Expected publication: September 2022✨

The moment that I read this blurb on Amazon, I knew immediately that I needed to read this and I actually squealed in delight when I got approved for it! What a beautiful story, from plot to character development to the creative world building. I really enjoyed it :)

I received an ARC of Wishtress from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I sit down to write this review and think, "Where do I even begin?" I suppose with the characters, as they were truly the heart of this story.

Myrthe, Bastiaan, and the rest were excellent. Wonderful. Fantastic. Relatable. And that last part is almost more important than the rest of the words put together. They were flawed. They had real struggles. Made mistakes. They grew. Learned. Changed. Where they ended was not even close to where they began. And that's the heart of the story, isn't it? For your characters to struggle and learn and change. Nadine Brandes did a fantastic job with these characters. When they were happy, I was. When they cried, I cried. I was so invested in their emotions that it was hard to pull back and feel my own. Yes, the story and plot were also important, but the character's decisions drove the story, and I really enjoyed that about Wishtress. I felt that most of the characters' decisions aligned with who they were then.

The story itself? Intriguing. This book's premise initially drew me to it and did not disappoint. I was mostly curious about the world of magic Ms. Brandes had created because magic is part of what draws me to read fantasy. The structure was interesting. Every magical person received their "talent" or "bane" from the water of a specific well. "Talents" were considered the "good magic," and "banes" were obviously the opposite. While I felt that the wells and magical abilities were explained well, I think there could have been much more done with them. And I really wanted to know more about the Wishtress talent which, unfortunately, we did not get much information on. Overall, I felt that the magic system was well thought out and entirely original, which is getting hard to do nowadays.

My only gripe, I suppose, was that there wasn't much exposition to the story itself. We see the opening scene with a young Myrthe and her parents and then skip five years. It seemed like quite a bit happened during those five years, but it was just glossed over to move the story along. We revisit it in passing comments and short paragraphs, but Myrthe's young life--and Bastiaan's, for that matter--aren't really dug into. That would have added a lot more depth to the story and information about the world and backstory on the magic. Of course, because the story is fantastical, we must suspend our disbelief in the first place, but I would have liked a little more information about what was going on and how this system came into being in the first place. Bastiaan had done a lot of research on "Talents," and I feel that his knowledge could have been used more, especially in that aspect.

Though the story's beginning was a little rough for me, I could not put it down once I got into it. The story and the characters grabbed ahold of me and wouldn't let me go until the ending. And boy, what an end. It definitely wasn't what I expected to happen, but I can't say that I'm mad about it. I thought it was the perfect fit for the story.

Essentially, the characters were great, the story was great, that ending was excellent, and I highly recommend Wishtress to anyone looking for a good fantasy read.

Intriguing with misunderstood magics and a forged path that is anything but tame. This is rife with raw emotion. Betrayal, bitter disappointments, family drama, a country is ruin and a girl who only ever wanted to wish for love.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
Wishtress is a great book with its characters and the plot. What I liked the most was the main character, Myrthe. I loved that she still remained kind despite the fact that she was wanted just because her wishes. She really deserved the love she found. Sure she did some bad things, but regretted it and wanted to learn more about her power to help people. Bastiaan was clever and I liked him and Myrthe together. I also adored Runt and his devotion to Bastiaan. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy adventure with magic and romance!

This book while beautifully written with incredible character depth and a breathtaking magic system, surprisingly wasn't my favorite. The pacing of the first half felt a bit slow for me while the rest took me less than a day to finish. I can't pinpoint exactly what made me not love this more but I did enjoy it. I might have given this another star if it hadn't fallen victim to the 'powerful female main character after learning to accept herself and her power is now powerless' trope along with 'the kid we knew all along was secretly the royal heir.' These just aren't my favorite tropes but I hope other people can love this. Myrthe deserved to keep her magic after all the years of denying it and hating herself because of it.

Let me start by mentioning how much I love Nadine Brandes’ books! I loved all five of them, the depth, the characters, the spiritual lessons and themes included. However, I ended up merely liking this book, which means I think it was OK, just not mind blowing. And that makes me a bit sad, when my expectations were so high! I’m gonna explain why I liked it less, and why you should still read it.

The story opens with Myrthe, whose tears can grant wishes. She lives with her grandmother, who takes advantage of her, and has a friend named Anouk who pushes her to seek freedom. After Myrthe gets cursed and will die the next time she cries a tear, she finally leaves in search of the Well to see if she can get the curse lifted. Meanwhile Bastiaan, a man with a Talent that can stop time, is searching for the Well as well, just as many other, including Myrthe’s ex boyfriend, who only wants her because of her gift. There is also a lot of policital intrigue going on, with the new king who pushes Banes unto people, the opposite of Talents, influenced by Coraline who seeks revenge for her boys.

I really like Bastiaan, he’s made some choices in the past that had grave consequences, and has to learn to live with those. Runt, his sort of adopted brother, is someone you’ll definitely root for. He’s been abandoned a lot, and even Bastiaan doesn’t hold unto his promises all the time which hurt him but he accepts it with grace. Myrthe grew on me, she starts out as a bit of an unlikable character without back bone, but she grows into someone who makes confident choices and sees people for who they really are, especially when they’re using Myrthe for their own profit.

This story is mainly a character driven story. The world building isn’t very elaborate, I have the feeling it is a very small world, as all characters meet each other quite regularly. There are mostly Dutch and some German words thrown in, which took me out of the story (especially as some words were wrong), I had a déjà vu to Six of Crows where this happens too. Being Dutch myself it was a bit weird and I constantly had to switch languages in my head. It might add to the Medieval feeling for English readers though.

I absolutely love character driven stories, so this should’ve been my thing, but for me a lot of the characters fell a bit flat. I didn’t realize it’s a Christian analogy/fairy tale, and that means the characters are evil or good, there is hardly an in between. That was the entire idea behind this story, the two Wells, the Talents and Banes, and while I did like the theme of good and evil, I feel that there could’ve been a little more nuance to the characters themselves. Myrthe and Bastiaan have their moral greyness at times (though in the end I feel it’s going a bit too much toward self sacrifice only), but the others are simply very evil (I do love to hate Sven) or very good hearted.

I loved the idea of the Wells and the trials, but the story itself felt a little disjointed, also because some things and rules would change in the story, and towards the end the wonderful subtlety of the Christian themes were unfortunately not so subtle anymore. However, it still read very fast and it was hard to put down.

I did love a lot in this story, especially the struggles of the main characters, the friendship between Bastiaan en Myrthe, the allegory of the Well and while the end fell a bit rushed and I was at times confused about what was actually happening, the actual ending I loved. I would definitely read a sequel if there was one.

This is a story about choices, who the tiniest one can have big consequences. How you can choose love over hate time and time again.

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

I really enjoyed this book, Nadine created a beautiful story that read like a fairytale or fable you would know but with a very unique spin to it. Myrthe goes through such an emotional and challenging journey, and you can't help but be drawn in to this story. It has romance, adventure, a villain, and magic. What more could you want? I really loved this story and every single character was written so well. I would highly recommend this story! Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC!
This is my very first Nadine Brandes novel and I am absolutely blown away. The intricacies, the magic, the plot and setting were beyond my expectations. I felt completely immersed in the fantastical and shimmery world of Myrthe and Bastiaan. The writing, the prose, the imagery and allegory, everything was just amazing and I am so glad I got a chance to read the book! It was phenomenal and easily the best YA fantasy I've read this year!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Amazingstory about Myrthe and how she became the women she has to be. Bastian an amazing men who know the true and his values. Someone who will fight for wht he thinks is the best.

Together they will travel and they will experience amazing things. They will find the truth.

Magic, loyalty and romance its what you will find in this book.

Enjoyed it!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for approving my request for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Here's my review, I do not like it. I might not be the target audience for this book, but I could not make it through 17% of the book and I decided that I could use my time better. It's not unreadable, but I do not think the characters have any interesting qualities to keep me going. Myrthe is one of the main characters that is obviously in the wrong but thinks the world is out to get her, while Bastian's only personality trait is to brood.

The world building is also very loose. In an attempt to make it more "medieval" or "mythical", the author decided to include German words like "schloss" or "markt", which should be fine, I guess, but it just gives me a glimpse of how Eastern European Grishaverse fans read Shadow & Bone and suffer through it.

Again, I believe this would be enjoyable for younger audience, which is why please just take my review for a grain of salt, but it is a disappointment since I rather enjoyed Romanov by Nadine Brandes.

I decided to request this book for two reasons, the cover and because it seemed to be a Christian fantasy and I can’t pass those up. Anytime I see a Christian author attempting to delve into fantasy is makes me so excited because so few do it and succeed. But this author succeeds and can I say, what a stunner of a book she wrote.

I would call this book a character journey above all else. It’s more character-focused than it is plot, world-building or even romance. All of those play an important role to the characters’ individual journeys but in the end their stories are what take the forefront. Watching the three different POVs of Myrthe, Bastiaan and Coralythe converge and diverge as they each explored their own course through the book was great storytelling. Of the three Bastiaan was by far my favorite and I think the best developed. Although Myrthe is meant to be the lead as the Wishtress I felt that her story lacked some depth at points and she was floundering to find herself amidst her curse, which was understandable but made it hard to connect with her. Bastiaan’s intensity and surety of purpose made him easier to connect to and follow as even though he stumbled and make mistakes he moved through the book with intention, less letting things happen to him and taking charge of his faults and trying to find the best way forward. Coralythe I wasn’t always sure what to do with, she became a gray area that even unto the end stayed gray. I felt she needed a better resolution in the end but at the same time imperfect resolution can fit with a morally gray character who’s choices you don’t always agree with but on some level can understand.

The magic in this book is easy enough to follow but just out of your grasp in a way that keeps it interesting. There is of course more I would like to know but it’s always that way with fantasy. The same goes for the world-building. This author’s writing is stunning and the how she weaves settings and places makes you feel as if you were there even if all the details aren’t wholly filled in. While I could feel immersed in an individual place, I would have appreciated the world as a whole being described more, the power system, the town structure and some of the word meanings. The pacing of the book was pretty even throughout until right at the end where things were happening pretty fast one after the other. I liked the steady pace since I enjoy books centered around characters and their growth but if you’re looking for big action, it doesn’t really happen until the last 30% or so, the pay off is well worth it I would say though.

I liked how the author explored love in the book. The difference between what we think is love and what really is. Her contrasting Myrthe’s feelings and actions towards Sven vs. Bastiaan. The relationship with Bastiaan started out as such a perfect slow-burn and my only complaint is I wish it would’ve evolved in that slow manner. The two characters spent a good deal of the book apart so by the time they were finally together near the end and their romance truly introduced, it ended up feeling insta-love. I still enjoyed their moments together though, how Myrthe and Bastiaan truly worked as a team and brought out the best in each other, how they showed one another such grace and understanding. I just would’ve liked seeing them with each other sooner than the ending, with those feelings being known and explored earlier.

The side characters were great additions to the main, honestly I wouldn’t have minded having more of their stories included. Runt and his father/son/brotherly relationship with Bastiaan was so sweet. I appreciated that their dynamic allowed us to see a different side to Bastiaan’s character. Same with his mother, her guidance and softness towards Bastiaan give us an idea of who he is from a perspective outside his own. Anouk, Myrthe’s cousin, does the same for her. I appreciated the inclusion of her story as an extra plot and how everything resolved with it, even if I could see the likely conclusion. And although he can’t necessarily be called a “good” character, Sven was written well as showing the evolution of a man given over to his greed and lust for power. I appreciated the author showing the consequences of a person’s choices and how they can have opportunities for change but will still refuse in the face of obvious defeat.

Other reviewers have commented on the excellent use of allegory in this book and I will echo their sentiments. An author who is a believer doesn’t always have to put their faith in their books but I’m impressed when they manage to in a way that works with the overall narrative and makes sense. It definitely did in this case. The way the author used The Well, The Nightwell, Talents and Banes as different representations and brought the stories of her characters into an interweaving tapestry of growth, faith, repentance and renewal was wonderful. Although near the end the allegory became less covert and more overt, I still loved the way the author wove faith into her story and made everything understandable and beautiful because that’s what it is.

I only really have one critique for this book and it’s why does it have to be a standalone? There is so much I feel can be explored from this story, this world and these characters. I will admit the ending was not particularly to my taste. Not because it was bad or sad but because it felt unfinished. To me there were still loose ends that needed to be tied up that weren’t. After so much buildup on different fronts I left the last page wanting more resolution.

Overall though, this book was a delight. From the first page to the last I loved these characters, I cried for them, empathized with their struggles and joyed in their triumphs, my only wish is that there were more.