Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Fall is in the air and all the autumn decor has magically appeared. I don’t know if I’m ready for summer to be over but another part of me wants room say bring on the fall colours and leaves.
Anyway, this week’s TTT is all about the books that are so dearly loved that you just have to own your own copy. I typically borrow books from the library first so I only buy a book I’ve read if it’s absolutely a solid read I’d recommend and lend to others, as well as reread.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
One of Us duology by Karen M. McManus
If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Myrthe was born with the ability to turn her tears into wishes. It’s a big secret to keep. When a granted wish goes wrong, a curse is placed on her: the next tear she sheds will kill her. She needs to journey to the Well and break the curse before it claims her life–and before the king’s militairen track her down. But in order to survive the journey, she 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 and capture the Wishtress and deliver her to the schloss. But Bastiaan needs a wish of his own. When he locates Myrthe, he agrees to take her to the Well in exchange for a wish. Once she’s fulfilled her end of the deal, he’ll turn her in. As long as his growing feelings for the girl with a stone heart don’t compromise his job.
They are on a journey that can only end 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 even betray her for it. No one knows that to grant even one of them, Myrthe would have to die. And if she tells them about her curse . . . they’ll just kill her anyway.
**Wishtress comes out September 13, 2022**
Thank you Edelweiss and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
An interesting premise with lots of potential, Wishtress presents itself as a wonderful allegory in the battle between the light and the darkness in each of us, but ultimately didn’t develop the idea beyond its basic principles.
I will have to first say that I really like Nadine Brandes as a person. I love what she stands for and the grace she exhibits in everything she says or does. However, this isn’t a review about her but about her work, and sometimes there really is a distinction present.
If I had to sum up this book with one word, it’d be slow. Everything took its time. Myrthe is the Wishtress but due to a curse, her next tear will kill her. We all know that from the synopsis, but it takes a decent number of chapters to get to her cursing and the information prior really wasn’t all that interesting or altogether necessary.
The quest for the Well of Talents to help Myrthe with her curse (and also for the whole kingdom) was supposedly going to be interesting. There are Trials that judge an individual’s worth to reach the Well and thus be granted a Talent, some sort of powerful ability. Given that all maps to the Well itself were destroyed long ago, even finding the Trials wouldn’t be easy. However, it felt like the journey was hardly an issue and the Trials itself seemed inconsequential as Myrthe looked for loopholes rather than being truly tested. Everything I thought would make this book great was just mediocre.
From a character perspective, Myrthe and her love interest, Bastiaan, should have been interesting considering the amount of time given to each. This story is most definitely a character-driven one instead of plot. However, I couldn’t fathom their love for one another with their limited interactions. Does she like him because her family members barely treated her like a person instead of an object to dole out wishes for profit? Does he like her because she was once kind to him for no reason? Either way, it never made sense to me how their attraction grew. I felt no chemistry, and the rhythm of their relationship was too instant. Don’t tell me you love each other, show me.
Their individual growth arc and personal battle between choosing what’s good or right (the Talent Well water) and what’s self-serving and power-hungry (the Nightwell water that gives powers called Banes) was okay. I can’t think of a better word. I can see where Nadine is going with the idea and I appreciate the sentiment, but overall I don’t think it was executed the best. Many stories feature this trope, the fight between good and evil and the choice one can make between the two, but it was too simple here. Even when a character was tempted and chose wrong, the realness of the struggle was made too…easy? Like they could’ve easily switched back over to the better choice and it was almost like they never chose wrong in the first place.
I wanted to really love this one but it took me forever to finish and probably placed me in the reading slump I was in for the last month. The ending was actually the only piece I really enjoyed. It surprised me, the only thing that didn’t feel predictable or too easy. I loved that it was kept open-ended – really open-ended – but it felt like it was fitting. I don’t believe this is anything beyond a standalone so I applaud that bold choice for ending it there. It’s an ending filled with hope and a sense of continuation which works for a book that otherwise didn’t make me feel much of anything.
Overall Recommendation:
Wishtress had the potential to be an epic adventure for the powerful Well of Talents that squandered the plot for a character-driven story about the battle between good and evil. That’s not a bad idea to focus on, but its execution was a little too clean and perfect without the grittiness of real struggles people go through. While this may not be a fast-paced read for YA, perhaps its simplistic view of good versus evil would provide a better reading source for younger audiences. Its ending may be a little surprising to some, but personally I found it offered a hopeful note that made the story overall better.
Prompts: How do you keep track of the books you want to read? Do you have a lot of books on your TBR? Is there any order/organization within all the books you want to read? Does your TBR ever feel overwhelming?
Welcome back to another week of LTB here at DTRH everyone! Happy September to you all. First topic of this month is about TBRs which I think we know is always a relevant topic. I know my methods of dealing with my TBR are ever-growing and ever-changing. Can’t wait to hear what the rest of you do too!
I feel like this is one of those things where you either have a set method, or you don’t and go back and forth on multiple things. I’m sure one of the most common methods is to have some sort of online list, whether it be on goodreads or your own personal document(s). I think I have a combination of things going on, falling into that second category. Scatterings of recommendations and other online equivalents of scrap pieces of paper lying around. Perhaps it’s me not being organized, but on the other hand, even if I have a TBR, I really don’t follow it that strictly.
If I wanted to, I could have a list and start sorting by priority, but I think for me at least, reading is always about the mood. I could have a list and sort it today, and want to change it tomorrow. I feel similarly with my list of to-do tasks per day too. I will usually have them written out, and I do a mini prioritization of their importance vs. urgency, but in the end I will just usually do what I feel like doing and just be happy with that. I think the same comes with books. Library books that are due soon will usually get some priority, but if I don’t want to read it at the time…I could always borrow it again some other time. Does anyone else also do this, and flex your TBR as it suits your fancy?
I think most of us in this community will have large TBRs, which isn’t surprising at all. With all the information we get through ads, but also many suggestions through all our bookish friends, it’s not surprising that we only have an ever-growing list of TBRs! As responsibilities pile up (i.e. reading speed slows down), this only exacerbates the problem. I will always have something To Be Read, but like I said before, that can be anywhere in the future. I think it’s probably more important to know what you want to read, here and now, and to just always keep reading!
Honestly, TBRs are a little bit overwhelming. It almost reads (ha) as a to do list, rather than a wish list. I definitely urge everyone who might be feeling a bit pressured by the looming list to remember it is really more of a tracker of books you are excited to read (excited!), and not a list of things you must do by a deadline. While there is an urgency factor in it, it’s important to keep in mind why you have the TBR! If it’s really overwhelming, just remember, many books can stay on your TBR list almost indefinitely, I’m sure you’ll all get around to it when you feel like it, so don’t sweat it. Happy reading everyone!
How do you all feel about your TBRs, and how do you manage them? Let me know in the comments below!
Down the Rabbit Hole 