I gave this book to a young reader. ( )

Name: Esme's Wish
Author: Elizabeth Foster
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Adventure, Teen
Age: 8
Review:
The story is set in an archipelago, the protagonist, Esme is a 15 year old girl who disapproves her father's second marriage. Even after seven years, Esme is unable to let go of her mother, who disappeared in the sea. Living in Picton Island, Esme has always been an odd one, the inhabitants of the island has always treated her and her mother as a weird one. Unable to cope up with the changes that has been taking place in her life after her father's second marriage, Esme swears to find out the mystery behind her mother's disappearance.
It is a good read overall with amazing writing style and typical magical story. I really like the cover of this book, which attracted my attention to this book in the first place. ( )

This is an in-between book. It's not really a children's book, but isn't fully a young adult book.

I liked the world the author created. It is fresh and different -- the words clean and bright seem to come to mind, instead of dark and gloomy. And I found that refreshing.

I also liked the characters. Esme came across as confused and uncertain, but given her circumstances that was spot on. Her friends fell in beside her well, they both had their own strengths and weaknesses, and I could see that the three would work together.

The author did a good job of transporting me into her world, and that is a big thing to accomplish.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail. I enjoyed the book and will be looking for the next one soon. Recommended. ( )

{First of 3: Esme trilogy. Fantasy, children's} (2017)

I’m going on to Esme’s Wish, which the publisher kindly included when I won the second book Esme's Gift through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Both LibraryThing and the author's website say it is/ will be a trilogy but only these two books are listed so far. Esme's Wish was published in 2017 but set in 1988. Although it is fantasy, it starts off with a perfectly normal (well, almost) wedding in a church. The premise (one chapter in) is reminiscent of Sarah Zettel’s A Sorceror’s Treason; a daughter of a lighthouse keeper, a mysterious mother lost to the water.

Fifteen year old Esme misses Ariane, her mother, who went missing, presumed lost at sea, seven years ago. She used to tell her daughter stories about a city called Esperance which existed in another world called Aeolia where magic and dragons existed. But other people thought she was strange and Esme feels that they’re hiding something about her disappearance.

When her dad remarries and it looks like her new step-mother is planning on sweeping away her old life, Esme feels that this is her last chance to find out what really happened to her mum. Then she discovers that Esperance is real when she accidentally travels there but instead of finding her mum, the mystery only deepens.

I really enjoyed this story and found the YA mystery and adventures compelling. Esperance (formerly called Ephyra) is a delightful place with a summery, Mediterranean feel to it: or rather Venetian, given the canals and gondolas. It is a pre-industrialisation culture that is otherwise similar to our world (of 1988), in that they wear T-shirts and dresses (amongst other items) and go to school for example, but as it has magic (and dragons) it doesn't suffer from lack of things like electricity. The magic is casually woven into everyday life and Esme easily adapts to using it.

Esme hunted through the kitchen cupboards for a jigger. On a high shelf, she found a whole school of them, perched upright on their splayed tails. She tore a sheet off the pad beside them, and penned a note to the professor.

After rolling up the letter, she slid it into the message bottle and hurried out to the stone steps that led down from the courtyard to the canal. She leaned down and lowered the jigger toward the water, not sure what to do next. It flipped out of her hand of its own accord, dove into the canal, and sped off along the waterway.

I would love to visit Esperance; apparently there are a few portals between our worlds so it would be rather easier to get there than to find the second star to the right, especially as I don't have a ready supply of pixie dust.

In our world Esme has had difficulty making friends since her mother disappeared but soon after her arrival in Esperance she bumps into Daniel (literally) and then meets Lilian, who knew her mother; they are both a similar age to Esme and since they are on school holidays they help guide her around Esperance in her quest to find more clues as to what happened to her mother. Esme surprises herself when she realises that she has made friends that she can trust.

Two quibbles; a map of the outer islands of Aeolia too would have been helpful and, on a personal note, the past tenses of 'sing' and 'sink' are 'sang' and 'sank' respectively. I suspect I'll be accused of being pedantic but those words kept snagging my concentration.

I thought the portals at sea that save days of sailing (a good thing, from my point of view) were a clever idea. If you can have portals in space and time, why can't you have them at sea as well? I've always wondered what those flat patches amongst the waves were caused by. Beam me - um - across Scotty!

The resolution was just a bit rushed/ confusing - I may have to read that bit again. There were a couple of spots were it jumped and it could have done with a bit more detail as to how those events connected.

I’d like to know what happened with her father when Esme got back to our world - or maybe that’s in book two which, fortunately, I already have.

'Don't touch that,' Sage called out to Lillian, who was investigating a plant on the other side of the room. 'That flower looks innocent enough, but it can balloon out to twice its size in an instant, and it rather likes ... how shall we say ... finger food.'

'Why is it even in here then?' Lillian exclaimed, snatching her hand away.

'Because it's rather excellent at warding off uninvited guests. And keeping them from coming back. As you can imagine, some of these artefacts are priceless.'

The flower burped.

4-4.5 stars ( )

This book shares a message of trust and relying on other people. ( 'Fame’s overrated,’ she said to the others. ‘Friendship’s not.' ) Esme herself is used to being left out and has resigned herself to being friendless, and Lillian and Daniel are instrumental in bringing her out of that.
The worldbuilding contained some interesting elements, and the quest itself was also intriguing. Dragons also function as an integral part of the story.
But the book has supernatural elements, including 'the gods' who rule Aeolia, ghosts, spells, spell masters, enchanters, sirens, spirits, wraiths, etc. It's steeped in myth and legend, and I do strongly recommend evaluating whether this would be something you would be comfortable allowing your child to read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. A positive review was not required.