Wishtress, By Nadine Brandes

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 claims 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 ONLY END ONE WAY: 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.

“...your past matters. It's the ink of your story. But it doesn't write your future.”

-“We all have murder in our pasts--whether by action or by heart. But all of us have the chance of life in our futures. You can't use your mistake to define who you are. That will destroy who you could be.”

-“It knew my story from the beginning. But it knew my end. And that brought a comfort that nothing was without purpose.”

-“You can always tell me. To share your story is a choice. Don’t underestimate the healing that can come from daring not to suffer alone.”

“Your life was given to you." Oma's grey eyes sparked with orange fire. "A gift. And just because it's yours doesn't give you the right to end it.”

This books plot be one of the most unique ideas I've heard. The story feels very original, with the addition of spiritual and Biblical perspectives you can find and also the used concept of light and dark. And it's in winter! I haven't read (or seen) many books taking place in that season, and it was a great change. Going back to what I said--Biblical--yes, if you know Nadine Brandes you know she is a great Christian who puts God at the center of all her stories. And It's beautiful. This one's based on the fact of free will and I guess also freedom. It shows how you can choose to give in to the temptation of evil or surrender to the Light (God). It shows that you were given freewill and a choice, while also pointing how God is bigger then the curses, no matter how heavy the burden. God is the Well, Satan is the Nightwell. You can figure that out on your own, but this will set you to find the messages placed inside :)

The main character: Myrthe. She is stubborn, she is conflicted. She is burdened, she is cursed. And she feels she has to carry it all on her own, so some of her actions might give someone the idea that shes selfish. She can be, but she has good reasoning. Some of her choices can push a button, but context is everything. From the first chapter you recieve the message that she is trapped. Her development of independance, self-discovery, and freedom are well written and I feel she is a great model of struggling people. 

The main man: Bastiaan. He is awesome. He is imperfect. He also gets great character development, and it is well percieved. He makes some wrong assumptions, gets angry, but that makes him all the better. He gets taught and he has good lessons. He is also very gentle, kind, forgiving, and chill. 

I know, I've done like ... four Nadine Brandes reviews including this one, but I'm just going through all her books. And I don't have any regrets! Even the cover of this book is very pretty, and it gets people curious. Throughout this book we follow Myrthe's perspective then a 3rd person for Bastiaan's chapter (for some reason). Their realationship I felt could've used more time, but I will allow it, it doesn't bug me that much. The beginning felt a bit like Cinderella. Myrthe is being used, treated as a servant, and feels trapped. Some people said the beginning was slow---I personally didn't feel that, but I understand why they would. It's just a simple town, one secret, rumors, and small traveling. I hate Sven. I hate him. Towards the end it feels rushed, but it's still a good ending. The main bad guy could have more room for development, but his goals were said clearly and had good execution. One character showed up then left the next chapter and felt a little unnessacery, but since its there, I think it was a very emotional moment that I read very intrigued. Others have told me that the Trials in this book was similar to the Hunger Games, but I haven't read it. The Trials are four seasons set at full force that are hard and are a bridge to get to the Well. I like Runt. Runts awesome. Overall I'd say this book is very good!

I'd rate it a 9/10 and 12-Forever. 

Romance: Very few mildly described kisses. One attempted kiss. Safe and clean. Violence: Mid. Wounds. Burned skin. Frost bite. Blood. Curses. Broken bones. Language: Safe. Just offending. 

Here's the link for Amazon!

Happy reading :D