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remqii's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed reading this book. It felt rushed to me at the end though. I didnt like how long it was because I think it could've been shorter but I really enjoyed it. I liked around the end the most and showing christian beliefs. I wasnt to pleased with the ending because it felt me wanting more but it was good overall
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Trafficking and Pregnancy
gartimar's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Child abuse
soph22's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Meh. I loved the rest of the book, but the ending kind of infuriated me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Violence, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Death of parent
chloelj27's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, Torture, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pregnancy
ashleysills's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a beautiful story! This was my first Nadine Brandes book and I’m excited to read more of her work. I was also pleasantly surprised that my local library had it!
This story is about Myrthe, a teenage girl who has the power to grant a wish with every tear she cries. After making a grave mistake with a wish and being cursed to die by her next tear, Myrthe must journey to the Well of Talents to try and fix everything.
Even though the pacing in the first half of the book was slow, I was constantly compelled to keep reading and flew through the second half. I loved that I got to know the characters really well and that it made me self-reflect.
What I loved:
💜 Very well-developed characters; heroes you get attached to and villains you love to hate
💜 Relatable internal conflict
💜 A little bit of sweet romance
💜 Themes of sacrifice, self-worth, redemption/forgiveness, and true love vs. fake love
💜 The writing was beautiful and I felt like I was there with the characters
💜 The plot twists had me on edge!
💜 Chronic pain/illness rep
What I didn’t love:
🤷🏻♀️ The first part of the book was pretty slow-paced
🤷🏻♀️ I liked the Christian themes/metaphors but I felt like they could have been woven more seamlessly into the story
🤷🏻♀️ Chapter 63? I felt like it was unnecessary (but maybe it’s just me? 😂)
🤷🏻♀️ There were a few minor plot holes
🤷🏻♀️ The very end was a little infuriating (but if you like cliffhangers, you’ll be good 😉)
Overall I’d definitely recommend this one! Brandes is a great writer and I fell in love with her characters/this story. I’m seriously hoping there will be a sequel… 👀
This story is about Myrthe, a teenage girl who has the power to grant a wish with every tear she cries. After making a grave mistake with a wish and being cursed to die by her next tear, Myrthe must journey to the Well of Talents to try and fix everything.
Even though the pacing in the first half of the book was slow, I was constantly compelled to keep reading and flew through the second half. I loved that I got to know the characters really well and that it made me self-reflect.
What I loved:
💜 Very well-developed characters; heroes you get attached to and villains you love to hate
💜 Relatable internal conflict
💜 A little bit of sweet romance
💜 Themes of sacrifice, self-worth, redemption/forgiveness, and true love vs. fake love
💜 The writing was beautiful and I felt like I was there with the characters
💜 The plot twists had me on edge!
💜 Chronic pain/illness rep
What I didn’t love:
🤷🏻♀️ The first part of the book was pretty slow-paced
🤷🏻♀️ I liked the Christian themes/metaphors but I felt like they could have been woven more seamlessly into the story
🤷🏻♀️ Chapter 63? I felt like it was unnecessary (but maybe it’s just me? 😂)
🤷🏻♀️ There were a few minor plot holes
🤷🏻♀️ The very end was a little infuriating (but if you like cliffhangers, you’ll be good 😉)
Overall I’d definitely recommend this one! Brandes is a great writer and I fell in love with her characters/this story. I’m seriously hoping there will be a sequel… 👀
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death
🌶️ just kissesjohnboscoreads's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Would have been 4 stars but went randomly Aslan-y and shoved in some weird Evangelical-ese into the climax.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Minor: Blood, Death, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Classism, Misogyny, Body shaming, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Grief, Chronic illness, and Violence
xandra_lyn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Pros: This was such an exciting book! I could not put it down. The characters were well developed, but the plot still moved quickly.
Pro: the Christian allegories we're subtle. It was about half way through when I realized it. It was exciting to see how she built the world around it but didn't make it overt (at first).
Con: BUT once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it. Especially at the end, I had a hard time figuring out if what was happening was actually a good fit for the world she'd built, or if she was trying to force the allegory into her story.
Cons: the first two-ish chapters were pretty confusing as the author did some world-building. Part of the solution (about 10 chapters before the end) was a bit too deus ex machina for my taste. And it did end on a bit of a cliff-hanger. It was full of hope, and I was satisfied, but there is room for more.
Pro: the Christian allegories we're subtle. It was about half way through when I realized it. It was exciting to see how she built the world around it but didn't make it overt (at first).
Con: BUT once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it. Especially at the end, I had a hard time figuring out if what was happening was actually a good fit for the world she'd built, or if she was trying to force the allegory into her story.
Cons: the first two-ish chapters were pretty confusing as the author did some world-building. Part of the solution (about 10 chapters before the end) was a bit too deus ex machina for my taste. And it did end on a bit of a cliff-hanger. It was full of hope, and I was satisfied, but there is room for more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Death, and Torture
Minor: Trafficking
Blood death and violence: typical fantasy violence with swords, etc. Torture: people are in the dungeon, and they allude to being beaten. It's not graphic, but she describes their pain and fear so it is sad. Trafficking: I only mention this because someone else did, and I want to address it. A character says her father sold her to men for money when she was younger. It is not graphic, and she has already begun her healing process by the time she shares this.emmasbookdiary's review
medium-paced
4.0
This book intrigued me from the moment I saw the synopsis. A girl who has a Talent where she can grant wishes from her tears and a boy who has a Talent where he can stop time? That just sounded so cool. And it was!
In the beginning, it took me a while to understand what was going on. But once I understood, I got invested. These characters lives were basically turned upside down from the moment this book started. A happy ending seemed nearly impossible. I was really interested in how this story would end. Well, it was a long journey and I was surprised at every turn! There were plenty of plot twists and plenty of action to keep me turning pages.
Both of the main characters were interesting, flawed, and complex characters. I loved Bastiaan! He was just so kind and understanding towards Myrthe even when he didn’t completely understand her. And I love his desire to do right. He was such a great character!
I liked Myrthe too. I did struggle a little bit with liking her when her personality was ever-changing as she went back and forth between hardening herself towards people and then softening again. But it was understandable since she had a good reason for it— if she let herself feel emotions, she risked crying… and if she cried, she died. Also the fact that she had been used by her aunt for most of her life made her attitude understandable. In the end, I did like her.
Runt was really cute and Anouk was interesting.
The romance was really sweet! It felt a little insta-love on Bastiaan’s part but it didn’t bug me like it does in other books.
This story was very well-written! Nadine Brandes is an amazing writer and storyteller! Her writing style kept me intrigued. Also, the way she ends each chapter with a bit of a cliffhanger is genius!
I liked that the magic concept was clear about which was the good magic and which was the bad. I really like good vs. evil stories and this one did it well! I also really liked the themes of healing and surrendering. There’s a good message in here and I think I must reread it at some point to get the full impact of it.
To be honest, some parts of this story confused me. It was probably because I was reading through it too quickly or distracted but some things didn’t make total sense to me, like what was going on in the allegory. I often get confused in fantasy books so it was probably just me!
On another note, I thought the setting/world was really neat! The wintery setting would make this a good winter, fantasy read!
Also, the trials were super interesting and intense!
As for content, this book does have some violence. Nothing too gruesome or overly-detailed though. The romance is clean, only a few kisses. No language.
Overall, I thought this was story was super neat! While a few parts were a little slow for me, I did enjoy it. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy a clean, YA fantasy book with a unique plot!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Trafficking
lastblossom's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
tl;dr
A very traditional good vs. evil tale with distinct and interesting characters. Plot is a little contrived in places.
About
Myrthe's tears can grant wishes, a power that has served others more than her for most of her life. When an attempt to use it for herself goes terribly wrong, she finds herself cursed to die the next time she cries. But with the king suddenly dead and a struggle for power on the horizon, everyone wants one of Myrthe's wishes - even if it costs her life.
What I Liked
A well-paced book about the responsibility and consequences of power. The writing is clean and easy to read, with each of the character voices and POVs distinct. Despite a magic system rooted pretty clearly in good vs. evil, the characters themselves were allowed a little more moral complexity, with heroes making mistakes, and several antagonists having sympathetic motives. Character development is slow, but steady, and I was impressed by how much the two leads grew over the course of the book. The ending will probably be pretty divisive, but I appreciated how open it was, and I think it was a better place to finish than pretend that the day is saved and everything is good now.
What Wasn't For Me
The plot came together in a lot of very convenient ways that take a bit of suspension to really accept. Anouk's story in particular felt like it had to be reworked to fit everyone else's storylines. It also hits my personal peeve of people keeping vague secrets so the plot can be more dramatic and go longer.
tl;dr
A very traditional good vs. evil tale with distinct and interesting characters. Plot is a little contrived in places.
About
Myrthe's tears can grant wishes, a power that has served others more than her for most of her life. When an attempt to use it for herself goes terribly wrong, she finds herself cursed to die the next time she cries. But with the king suddenly dead and a struggle for power on the horizon, everyone wants one of Myrthe's wishes - even if it costs her life.
What I Liked
A well-paced book about the responsibility and consequences of power. The writing is clean and easy to read, with each of the character voices and POVs distinct. Despite a magic system rooted pretty clearly in good vs. evil, the characters themselves were allowed a little more moral complexity, with heroes making mistakes, and several antagonists having sympathetic motives. Character development is slow, but steady, and I was impressed by how much the two leads grew over the course of the book. The ending will probably be pretty divisive, but I appreciated how open it was, and I think it was a better place to finish than pretend that the day is saved and everything is good now.
What Wasn't For Me
The plot came together in a lot of very convenient ways that take a bit of suspension to really accept. Anouk's story in particular felt like it had to be reworked to fit everyone else's storylines. It also hits my personal peeve of people keeping vague secrets so the plot can be more dramatic and go longer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture
Minor: Grief, Trafficking, and Rape
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