This book blew me away! From strong world building to lovable characters, this book had everything that makes up a wonderfully engaging YA stand-alone.
The world building started strong right from the beginning with characters that jump right into their given roles within the world. This was a bit jarring at first, but after just a few pages, the flow really started to fall into place and allowed for the world to grow around the characters naturally. This book did a brilliant job with the concept of “showing, rather than telling” providing a way for world building to happen without the info dumps that would bog down a stand-alone.
After the world building, the most fascinating part of the book was the magic system. It was detailed, fascinating, but more interestingly, it was unique. The magic flows from one of two magical wells, one that gives out Talents, and one that gives out Banes. Only one person is born with a Talent, the Wishtress, who can grant wishes with her tears. Watching the Wishtress, Myrthe, go through seemingly insurmountable challenges was inspiring.
Myrthe had been put down and used all of her life and it is only after being cursed that she can find the strength to use her ability in the way that it was truly intended. Having both Banes and Talents provided ways to showcase both strengths and weaknesses, giving the characters a well-rounded feel.
There are so many characters that really bring the book to life that it would be hard, and probably spoilery (thats a word, right?) to explain them all. So, I’ll just say that I was sad when the book ended because it meant not seeing more of my favorite characters.
I would absolutely recommend this book for anyone looking to get lost in another world for a while.
Don’t forget to check for trigger warnings, as this book does deal with some heavier topics.
4.5/5 stars
Thank you to netgalley and Thomas Nelson–Fiction for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
The Novel Llama 