Nadine Brandes: Wishtress

 By Kelly Bridgewater

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. To break the curse she must travel to the Well before it claims her life—and before the king’s militairen find her. To survive the journey, Myrthe will have to 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 his job.

Their quest can end only one way: with 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.

 

My Thoughts:

Wishtress by Nadine Brandes is a magical tale with a battle between Talents and Banes that creates a massive rift in a kingdom. While it takes a while for the story to get moving, once it does, it becomes a delightful masterpiece of a tale. The plot features different characters all trying to visit the well where they can obtain their talents or figure out how to save the kingdom with their talents. Many journeys, trials, and perils await each individual character as they travel to the well. The plot reminded me a lot of The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. Each character on their own journey, and readers are introduced to their struggles either internally or externally. Whereas, each character is discovering themselves, Myrthe also has a little bit of struggle with learning to trust others and learning to discover what love is and how it will affect her future. Since this is a fantasy novel, the setting is different, but also, pretty familiar to readers of the Medieval time period. Story rings true with the setting and the actions that occur to the characters. Overall, Wishtress by Nadine Brandes is a talented book full of mystery and danger. The story ends in a cliffhanger, so I hope that means that their will be another books to join these characters on another journey.

I received a complimentary copy of Wishtress by Nadine Brandes from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Wishtress

Nadine Brandes: Romanov

By Kelly Bridgewater

From the author of Fawkes comes a magical take on the story of Anastasia Romanov.

The history books say I died.

They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them . . . and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of saving herself and her family are either to release the spell and deal with the consequences, or to enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya’s only dabbled in magic, but it doesn’t frighten her half as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her . . .

That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Nadine Brandes' Romanov is a masterfully crafted story of forgiveness mingled with history and magic. To be honest, I have never seen the Disney version of Anastasia, so I have nothing to compare this tale to. Brandes takes historical events and adds a little imagination to make a remarkable tale. With a fast moving plot, Brandes takes me for a magical journey from captivity to running from the enemy. The characters were crafted wonderfully and memorable. Brandes writing is top notch and really did an awesome job at describing the setting and using point of view well. Forgiveness is a theme running rampant through the pages of the plot. Nastya learns how important it is to forgive rather than seek revenge. Overall, Nadine Brandes' Romanov is a wonderful take on a historical family and sprinkled with an element of magic and forgiveness. Fans of Nadine Brandes' other works, Morgan Busse, Mary Weber, and Harry Potter might enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Romanov by Nadine Brandes, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

NADINE BRANDES once spent four days as a sea cook in the name of book research. She is the author of the award-winning Out of Time Series and Fawkes (July 2018) Her inner fangirl perks up at the mention of soul-talk, Quidditch, bookstagram, and Oreos. When she's not busy writing novels about bold living, she's adventuring through Middle Earth or taste-testing a new chai. She and her Auror husband plan to live in a Tiny House on wheels. Current mission: paint the world in shalom. (Taken from Amazon.)

Most Anticipated Books for Spring 2019

By Kelly Bridgewater

I enjoy when the publishing companies share their covers for the next publishing season. I really love seeing the covers and reading the synopsis' of the upcoming books. Then I add the books to my wish list, so I can buy them when they come out.

Here is the list of books that I can't wait to read from March until June 2019:  (All images come from Goodreads unless noted.)

Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin

 

The Highest of Hopes by Susan Anne Mason

 

The Governess of Penwythe Hall by Sarah E. Ladd

 

Romanov by Nadine Brandes

 

Pages of Her Life by James Rubart

 

Murder in the City of Liberty by Rachel McMillan

 

What about you? Are you looking forward to these books? Is there any book you would add to this?

My Favorite Books of 2018

By Kelly Bridgewater

Can you believe it is now 2019?

Wow! Where did 2018 go?

It seemed like I was writing this blog post during 2017 just a couple of weeks ago.

Last year at this time, a lot of things have changed and broke, allowing me to dip into a lot of finances. I pray this year nothing like that happens.

Anyways, I have decided to include my favorite books of 2018.

I love doing this every year. Plus, I love allowing the author to know that their book has touched me in some way that I still remember it months later.

Here they are in no particular order: (All images come from Amazon unless noted!)

Thirst of Steel by Ronie Kendig

 

Caught by Surprise by Jen Turano

 

Reckoning at Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright

 

The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin

 

Across the Blue by Carrie Turansky

 

Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

 

(I think Nadine Brandes' Fawkes is my favorite cover of the year!)

What about you? Do any of these books make your favorite lists? What other books would you add to this list?

Nadine Brandes: Fawkes

By Kelly Bridgewater

Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England.

Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th-century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death.

But what if death finds him first?

Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did it. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in.

The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.

The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.

No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I haven't read anything by Nadine Brandes, even though I have wanted to read her previous series. I just don't own them yet. But when I heard about Fawkes, I LOVED the cover, so I couldn't wait to jump into the story. I'm really glad that I did. Brandes captivated me, and I have already recommended that my sixteen year old read this novel too.

The writing was well-done. I loved how well Brandes dives into the character's personalities and thoughts. I loved being able to see what Thomas and Emma thought and felt. Since London is my dream place to visit, I loved seeing Brandes bring the seventeenth century to life for me. Even though it is a fantasy novel mixed with a historical element, I loved how Brandes mixed the historical with her imagination. It filled the story and made a wonderful story.

The plot kept moving quite well and quickly. There were many moments I kept glued to the story and couldn't wait to see what happened next. Brandes wrote a wonderful story. It is different than everything I have every read, and I loved it. I loved the idea of power color masks that use the elements according to the colors. The idea of the White power fascinated me, and I understood the metaphors, enjoying the story. I anxiously sped through the plot. I really couldn't wait to see how the story would unfold before my eyes.

The romance isn't really there. It is a teenager crush, developed during the trials and troubles claiming their personalities and talents. It isn't overly done, yet I know Brandes wrote this novel to capture they young adult crowd.

Overall, Fawkes by Nadine Brandes is a unique story with a mixture of historical and pure imagination. Brandes' story captured me and kept me spellbound as I flew through the story. I really loved this story and can't wait to tell everyone about it. Pick it up. It is wonderful!

I received a complimentary copy of Fawkes by Nadine Brandes from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars