Esme’s Wish-Review, Blog Tour, Interview, and More!

Title: Esme’s Wish                                          Author: Elizabeth Foster                        Publisher: Odyssey Books
Publication date: 30 October 2017
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

“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

Esme’s Wish was totally a surprise for me! Didn’t know what to expect when I signed up for the tour, but I totally got a fun new fantasy! I would like to say, It’s labelled as YA but I think it’s a little more MG. I could totally see preteen Brooke loving it. That’s not to say I didn’t find it good, I did! Just I see it being a bigger hit with a little bit of a younger crowd then they are pitching for. You get what I’m saying? Lets just move on, haha.

Lets focus a little on the world building, a huge part of this story. I love different worlds, it’s part of the reason I love fantasy. However, info dumping or confusing tales can easily muddle what could be a wonderful story. I never felt that with Esme’s Wish. Everything we learn we learn with and through Esme, the main character, and I found that an easy way to filter the information. Esme becomes the reader’s senses and it really comes across as though you’re learning about the world first hand. This was definitely one of the highlights of the book for me. Plus it helped we had a super unique world to learn about!

And when I say character focused plot, I don’t mean it was boring. It definitely kept me interested! It was fun to dive into the different characters and storylines. But I could see the slower, lifelike plot being a problem for readers who really enjoy an intense plot. I, personally, like both and try to balance it out when I read so I don’t get bored of the same thing. I thought the character based plot was refreshing since I had just finished some intense books/tv shows. Definetly consider what you’re in the mood for before picking this one up.

The super concise and clean writing Elizabeth Foster uses is definitely a heavy contributor to both of the things I discussed above. The style made for a relatable protagonist, a beautiful world, and a slow build up of a plot. The one area I think it lacked in was uniqueness. I love when writers of any kind let their personality shine through, and I struggled to connect with the author as I was reading. Afterwards, I did a lovely mini interview with the author that might help you connect with her as you read this lovely little novel!

Rating :★★★★✩

Author Interview

Hi! This is your debut novel, what has it been like to get to this point? I’m sure it must be exciting it be getting published.

I would love to say it has been easy but it has been much harder work than I thought it would be. My book sort of slips between categories so finding a publisher was really difficult. The day Odyssey Books accepted my book for publication was one I’ll never forget! I was in New York for the first time ever and already on a high after having been to Times Square to see a musical. I saw the email from Odyssey at around midnight. It took a while for it to sink in and then I was over the moon for weeks!

If you could tell any aspiring authors one thing what would it be?

People say that authors are ‘living the dream’ and in a way we are. We are getting to do what we love. At the same time it requires determination and dedication to write a whole novel from scratch. My advice is to read the best books you can find, both fiction books and books about writing, and try out a few short courses too. And write as much as you can, any spare moment you get. It can seem incredibly overwhelming once you realise how much work it takes to get a book to publishable standard, but when you get there the rewards are immeasurable – a sense of achievement money can’t buy.

Esme and I share one similarity right off the bat, we’re both fifteen! What would you tell your fifteen year old self?

When it comes to your future, listen more to your intuition than to the voices of those around you. Adults can sometimes be wise but often their advice is filtered by their dreams or aspirations for you rather than a desire to help you discover where your true passion lies. Don’t be afraid to try different things – and don’t be afraid to fail.

Lastly, are you a HP fan? If so, what house?

Yes, and I aspire to be a Ravenclaw. I have a picture of Rowena Ravenclaw (It is one of the cards from the giant chocolate frogs!) on my noticeboard so this renowned witch watches over me when I write. Ravenclaws fly under the radar a bit in the books and I always have, too, in a way. They’re celebrated for intelligence and wit – probably of the sarcastic kind, like mine. I also like the Ravenclaw crest the best: I love the colour blue, and birds, too. And then there is its reputation for having somewhat quirky members who are less concerned about society’s expectations than satisfying their intellectual curiosity. After all, who wouldn’t want to be in the same house as Luna Lovegood!

There you have it! Use the link below to enter an awesome giveaway for goodies and check out when you can read other posts from this fun tour! 

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/950d261620/

Tour Schedule
18 February (Sunday)
Esme’s Wish blog tour launch (from That Bookshelf Bitch)
Review from Not Just Fiction -itsnotjustfiction.wordpress.com
Review from The Nerdy Elite – nerdyelite.wordpress.com
19 February (Monday)
Review from Crimson Blogs – crimson613.wordpress.com
Review from Descendant of Poseidon Reads -descendantofposeidonreads.wordpress.com
20 February (Tuesday)
Review from The Infinity Words – theinfinitywords.blogspot.com
Review from Wanders Between Pages – rosebooksblog.wordpress.com
21 February (Wednesday)
Review from Belle’s Archive – bellesarchive.wordpress.com
Review from The Brookeworm – thebrookeworm.wordpress.com                                            22 February (Thursday)
Review from floralcars — http://www.floralcars.com
Review from Samantha House — samanthahouseblog.wordpress.com
Review from Stuffed Shelves — stuffedshelvesite.wordpress.com                                            23 February (Friday)
Review from That Bookshelf Bitch — thatbookshelfbitch.wordpress.com
Review from The Little Miss Bookworm — thelittlemissbookworm.wordpress.com

What did you think of this review? Should I do some more often? Totally encourage you to check out this book! Find it on goodreads!