Thank you Elizabeth Foster for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

A fresh new fantasy of an enchanting world.” – Wendy Orr, author of Nim’s Island and Dragonfly Song. When fifteen-year-old Esme Silver objects at her father’s wedding, her protest is dismissed as the action of a stubborn, selfish teenager. Everyone else has accepted the loss of Esme’s mother, Ariane – so why can’t she? But Esme is suspicious. She is sure that others are covering up the real reason for her mother’s disappearance – that ‘lost at sea’ is code for something more terrible, something she has a right to know. After Esme is accidentally swept into the enchanted world of Aeolia, the truth begins to unfold. With her newfound friends, Daniel and Lillian, Esme retraces her mother’s steps in the glittering canal city of Esperance, untangling the threads of Ariane’s double life. But the more Esme discovers about her mother, the more she questions whether she really knew her at all. This fresh, inventive tale is an ideal read for younger teens.

Review:

One word that would get any fantasy lover to read the book: Dragon. As soon as this beautiful book arrived in the mail and I spotted the dragons on the cover, I knew that this was going to be a good book. I mean who can resist Dragons? Yep… that’s what I thought.

Esme’s Wish is based around a 15-year-old girl, Esme Silver, whose mother went missing 7 years ago and her father has moved on getting married to another woman. Esme believes her mother is still alive and not lost at sea like everyone seems to think and while her father and his new bride leave for their honeymoon, Esme can only think of her mother who she adored more than anything.

After finding a doctor’s note regarding her mother, Esme begins to wonder why her mother was experiencing headaches, delusions and would talk of other worlds. With the doubt of her mother being ill in the back of her mind, Esme sets of to find her mother and starts at the very last place her mother was seen, only to discover a hidden new world.

Esme finds herself in a mystical city called Esperance a fantasy would were she becomes friends with Daniel and Lillian the they help her follow her mother’s last steps, but will she find her mother or is she really dead?

Though this is Elizabeth Foster first novel, don’t let that fool you. The world building is fantastic for a fantasy novel, creative but not over bearing with the details to allow you to use your imagination. To create a small little sneak peak of this beautiful city, imagine dragons flying over hear and creatures living in the tunnels beneath the city.

Foster’s writing is just beautiful, the words flowed together nicely and the characters were loveable. Esme is empowering for young readers, with her fierce and determine personality, and her empathy towards those round her was moving.

I loved this book, the magic and the mystery and the breathtaking and spectacular world that Foster build. Cannot wait to see where this journey goes.

You can find this fantastic Australia writer on Instagram @elizabethfoster_ or on her website elizabethfoster.com.au

Rating: 4/5

ISBN: 9781925652246