Book: Wishtress
Author: Nadine Brandes
Rating: 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
Recommended for: Those who like seeing characters fight through difficulties
Published: 13th September, 2022
Wishtress is a book that has a lot to say. That's expected, isn't it, considering it has 464 pages. The theme it tackles is the classic Good vs Evil, which might be considered cliché but remains relevant no matter how many times it's explored. In Myrthe's world, it's possible to gain a magic power, but whether it's a Talent or a Bane is up to you. When it comes to the plot, there's again lots going on. Everyone wants something, but above all, everyone wants a wish. To get it? Well, you need the Wishtress. Right off the bat, the book starts off pretty tragically, with Myrthe's Wishtress power causing chaos in her life because she's young and doesn't know how to control it yet. This is fine, but it unfortunately set the tone for rest of the story, giving her no chance at all to breathe or have any joy at all. It's my personal pet peeve, though, and some may find the fact that everyone wants Myrthe for something yet not being able to give it a character-building experience for her. For me, all the bad things she has to go through overshadow the things I like about the book, turning it into an agonising read. With the detailed way the book was written, it's clear to see that the author has spent a lot of time crafting the world and thinking about how things work. That's always lovely to have, especially when there is a magic system unique to it. The author takes time to walk you through what Talents are and how they came to be. The overall concept is immediately interesting and was what first prompted me to request the book. Tears that grant wishes! A curse that promises to kill! However, I have to say that all of it falls quite flat for me. It feels like, because of how overpowered such a Talent is, the author had to take it out of the picture as soon as possible after showing its potency (and its perils). It's great to see what someone does when you take away their strengths, but Myrthe was never allowed to use her powers, so it doesn't matter at all that she doesn't have it once she's cursed. I love that the battle of good and evil is so directly left in the hands of individual people. Everyone can choose the way they live their lives and use their powers. Good or evil, Talent or Bane, it's all very black and white. And therein lies the problem. There is no nuance anywhere, no shades of grey. The characters themselves also embody this fight by being good or evil. But there is no exploration of why someone is good or evil. They just are, and they have to choose one. And if you choose a Bane, which is more powerful and tempting and corrupting, you're evil. End of story. Speaking of an ending, I just want to say that I like open endings. For someone who doesn't like bad ones, it gives me the leeway to pretend everything's fine. If there's just the smallest sliver of hope, I'll hold onto it. But this book makes everything too easy, too convenient, without any rhyme or reason. Everything works towards fulfilling the plot and it slogged there. In the very same way I slogged through reading the book. All in all, it just seems like there were many other ways to go about handling this story. Of course, that wasn't the story the author wanted to tell, and that's fine. It's just that this one isn't for me.
Disclaimer: e-ARC obtained from NetGalley, photo found on Google