A review by emmasbookdiary
Wishtress by Nadine Brandes

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.
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