Author: Nadine Brandes
Recommended Age: 15+
Date Published: 2022
Genre: Fantasy
Summary: Myrthe was born as the Wishtress, every tear producing a wish. But when she is cursed, Myrthe’s next tear will end her life. Bastiaan holds the power to stop time, but what happened in the Stillness will haunt him forever. Only by reaching the Well of Talents can they both possibly reverse the curse and save the kingdom of Winterune before the Murder Prince gains complete control of the people.
Notes from The Radical Reader:
- Noble Characters: For years, Myrthe’s skill as a Wishtress has been harnessed and stolen by her grandmother. But when Myrthe dares to use a wish for herself, her Talent becomes known throughout the kingdom and she is hunted for her tears.
- Captivating Plots: Though not explicitly allegorical, the themes the story presents ask powerful questions about the human heart and emotions. When Myrthe joins with another Talented, she is forced to reevaluate the friendships she once knew. Betrayal by friends. Allies with enemies. Wishtress will leave readers captivated in this heart-wrenching story and eye-opening tale where one girl’s tears hold power over hundreds.
- Elaborate Worlds: In a kingdom where Talents are respected as being noble and Banes are feared as being wicked, will the truth ever be uncovered as one Wishtress cursed to die searches for the answer herself?
Noteworthy Elements:
- Violence: Two boys get trapped underneath the ice of a frozen river and drown. A boy in the dungeon is threatened with having his fingers and toes cut off if he doesn’t reveal the location of his friend. A man’s finger is cut off to remove his Talent and his hand is described once the finger is removed. A man threatens to remove Myrthe’s eyes if another person doesn’t bow to his commands. These concerns aren’t grotesquely descriptive, but they are mentioned.
- Sexual Tension: Myrthe and Sven kiss a handful of times and Myrthe describes the moment as “thrilled intoxication”. When Myrthe and Bastiaan are attacked by wasps and poisonous vines, they throw a blanket over themselves as protection. Bastiaan sarcastically jokes that the moment is romantic and Myrthe responds, “It’s certainly not how I pictured my first foray beneath a blanket with a man”. Nothing explicit is said and there is no other suggestive language. A woman recalls her childhood when she was forced to turn to prostitution to pay off her family’s debts. Though not descriptive, she reveals that she gave birth to a child and eventually rediscovered who the father was. An orphaned boy in the story describes his parents as “pa got the wrong woman pregnant”. No other explicit details are given.
- Profanity: The word “damning” is used in a literal context once. When a friend who betrayed Myrthe requests something of her, her response is, “I would have liked to tell Sven where he could stick his request”.







