Wishtress

By: Nadine Brandes

Narrated by: Kim May, Max Himmelreich

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Her tears grant wishes. Her next tear will end her life.

She didn’t ask to be the Wishtress.

Myrthe was born with the ability to turn her tears into wishes. But when a granted wish goes wrong, she is cursed: the next tear she sheds will kill her. She must travel to the Well to break the curse before it can claim her life—and before the king’s militairen find her. To survive the journey, Myrthe 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 the Wishtress and deliver her to the schloss. But Bastiaan needs a wish of his own. He gains Myrthe’s trust by promising to take her to the Well, but once he gets what he needs, he’ll turn her in. As long as his growing feelings for the girl with a stone heart don’t compromise him.

Their quest can end only 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 betray her for it. No one knows that to grant even one wish, Myrthe would pay with her life. And if she tells them about the curse . . . they’ll just kill her anyway.

“A beautiful tale about self-worth, second chances, and mysterious enchantment.”—Kathryn Purdie, #1 New York Times bestselling author

• Exciting and clean YA fantasy
• Stand-alone novel
• Book length: approximately 125,000 words
• Also by author: Romanov, Fawkes, and the Out of Time series

©2022 Nadine Brandes (P)2022 Thomas Nelson

All magic comes with a price

As much as I enjoyed Romanov, this one, Wishtress, oh my. I love everything in it. 😍
And the voice actors (listened in #audiblebooks ), was superb!
Runt is definitely a favorite character.
The story about the Well, talents and banes, choices, the human heart, and lots more!
I'm a bit afraid to share because of spoilers. 😅
But I did have lots of 😱 moments there. And the ending!
I will re-read this one once my book arrives.

Really lovely!

Loved it!! I think the symbolism was really nice and subtle, it leaned more towards MG than YA but over all it was really enjoyable! I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Pretty Good

I liked this. It ends sort of open ended, but I wouldn’t say it’s a cliffhanger. All the questions were answered and there was closure, but it also seems set up for a sequel. With or without one, it’s a satisfying ended. Not sure if I’d read a sequel though.

I like this book but it wasn’t anything that will stick with me. I realized I’m not it’s intended audience. Definitely better for younger readers. Like high schoolers and middle schoolers. It’s clean and wholesome and inspiring. Would definitely recommend for them.

The narrators were good. Great choices for the characters ages, had decent range. But I wouldn’t seek them out again.

All in all, great book, but nothing spectacular. I don’t think anyone would be disappointed to read it. But it’s definitely for younger audiences.

Masterfully Crafted. Beautifully Voiced.

I’ve wanted to read one of Nadine’s books for a long time. I’m so glad I started with this one.

I felt so many things. Myrthe’s story grabbed my heart from the first line. Nadine crafts a gorgeous world, but her real strength, from what I can tell with this first book, lies in crafting amazing, page-leaping characters. They are so well fleshed out, with real depth and internal struggles that I felt and emoted with.

I found Myrthe refreshing. I love a strong female protagonist, but with tenderness. With heart and courage that’s uniquely feminine. My heart wrenched with hers at every betrayal and leapt at key moments of discovery and new hope.

Often with multiple POV books, I connect with one more than the other(s), but in this case, they all had my full attention. I’ll offer credit to the narrators. They did a phenomenal job bringing these characters to life. But it all stemmed from the writing.

Bastiaan’s story was equally as compelling as Myrthe’s. His struggle to find peace after the choices he’d made (and their subsequent consequences) made him a hero worth rooting for. His heroism and courage were admirable, but it was the vulnerability that got me.

Runt was endearing and clever. All the supporting and antagonists were expertly written.

The last line forced a grin and burst of joy from me. What a perfect ending!

Highly recommend!!

Great book

Really enjoyed the story and narration! It was appropriate for kids. I liked the symbolism woven into it.

Fantastic

This book was full of surprising twists and turns plus wisdom that we all need to be reminded of. Excellent.

Amazing!

Best read of 2024 so far! Read this book! I couldn’t put it down. What a captivating book. Loved everything about it

Amazing!!

I felt this was a bit slow at times, but it was well worth the wait. The character development was fantastic! The story line always caught me pleasantly by surprise. I hope there is a sequel in the works!

Like a Narnian fairytale.

Absolutely beautiful. I cried tears when the Wishtress could not. The talents were unique and shaped the story in unexpected ways. Wonderful writing, loveable characters, emotional resonance.

Loved most of it

My overall love of the book went in and out as I was reading it. The beginning was a bit awkward and confusing, and then about 10% through I almost put it down because the characters were making such ridiculous decisions… But not long after I became captivated by the story, hanging on every word - such a wonderful story, so unique, the characters were vivid and real, their story stirring, what would happen?? My love started to waiver again the last quarter of the book. I still enjoyed it and didn’t consider putting it down, but I became disappointed in a couple of aspects.

I didn’t feel like the relationships were developed enough for the sudden strong feelings that appeared, and things within the story just started to happen rather than being built up to and woven like they were before.

I DID enjoy the book and would have given it a solid and bursting 5 stars for most of the way through it. Looking at it as a whole, however, I have to go with a 4.

The language is clean. There is some kissing, but not heated or inappropriate. There is mention of child sexual abuse for one character, but it is off screen. There’s a weave of light vs darkness and faith throughout, but the book is not truly Christian.

It ended like it was setting up for a sequel, but still satisfying enough for a standalone book.