Esme's Wish: A wondrous world awaits

By Elizabeth Foster

When fifteen-year-old Esme Silver objects at her father’s wedding, her protest is dismissed as the actions of a stubborn, selfish teenager. Everyone else has accepted the loss of Esme’s mother – 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 Ariane, the more she questions whether she really knew her at all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Odyssey Books
• Release date: Oct 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781925652253

Elizabeth Foster

Elizabeth Foster read avidly as a child, but only discovered the joys of writing some years ago, when reading to her own children reminded her how much she missed getting lost in other worlds. Once she started writing, she never looked back. Elizabeth lives in Sydney, Australia, where she is hard at work on the third and last novel in the Esme series. Much of her inspiration comes from nature, especially the ocean.

Book preview

Chapter 1

‘I f any of you can show just cause as to why these two should not be lawfully wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace.’

Fifteen-year-old Esme was seated in the front row, only a bouquet’s throw away from her father and his bride at the altar. The events of the last few months flashed before her, and the years before them. This was her last chance.

Her hand twisted high in the air. ‘I object.’

Somebody tittered behind her, but covered it quickly with a cough. Whispers and murmurs spread from pew to pew. The groom swung around toward his daughter, the colour draining from his face, before his bride steered him back to the altar. The vicar merely sighed, ignored Esme’s objection, and carried on with the ceremony.

Esme lowered her hand and shrank back in her seat, her cheeks burning as if she’d just been slapped. The rest of the service passed in a blur: the vicar inviting the bride and groom to exchange vows; his pronouncement of them as man and wife; the church organ, wheezing out a hymn as the newlyweds signed the wedding register.

All Esme heard was static.

‘I’m sorry, Mum,’ she whispered, as the organ breathed its final note.

Outside, confetti clouded the air, sticking to skin damp from the summer heat. Children, dizzy with joy at being released from the confines of the church, chased each other round and round in circles. Esme’s father, Aaron, and his bride, Penelope, lingered by the entrance of the church, greeting the slipstream of guests that issued from within.

Penelope, swathed in white, glittered and shone like the brightest star in a constellation. Aaron stood stiffly by her side, tugging awkwardly at the cuffs of his suit. He spotted Esme and started toward her, but a glacial stare from Penelope pulled him back to her side.

Desperate to avoid Penelope’s gaze, Esme glanced skyward, and was struck by an unusual sight. Perched on the bell tower above her, looking very out of place, was a sea eagle: its broad white wings peppered with countless black specks. It cocked its head and stared directly at her. She recognised it as one of the birds that hung around at home; she’d never seen it down here in the village. The wedding bells began to sound, and the majestic creature took off, winging its way toward the harbour.

Esme threaded her way through the crowded courtyard, heading to the one place she knew she would be left alone. The guests’ animated conversations stopped abruptly as she passed by, but every frozen smile and stifled sentence spoke volumes.

We’ve all moved on, they seemed to say. Why can’t you?

The peal of bells followed Esme to the far end of the church grounds, where lichen-licked tombstones leaned in toward the earth. A row of cenotaphs stood beneath a sprawling oak tree, commemorating those whose bodies had never been found. The leaves shivered in the breeze, casting a mosaic of shifting light over the stones below. Esme paused by the last tablet, dated seven years ago.

---

In Memory of

ARIANE MAY SILVER

Beloved Wife of Aaron and Mother to Esme

1950—1981

Lost at Sea

Tears pricked behind Esme’s eyes. The words blurred. Her mother had vanished, without trace, when she was eight. No one knew what had really happened to her—or so they said.

Esme didn’t believe that her mother had drowned—she couldn’t believe it. Ariane had always been a strong swimmer, careful and responsible around the ocean. But some nights, fear got the better of her. Some nights, Esme would wake with a scream, haunted by an image of her mother sinking beneath the waves.

She slid down to the ground, and leaned back against the oak, ignoring the bark digging into her back. Her heart felt bruised and battered, like someone had thrown it in the air and missed the catch. Each moment replayed over and over: the guests’ titters, her father’s bloodless face, the vicar’s condescension. Objecting had made no difference, in the end.

Why did I even bother?

Deep down, she knew why. Because sitting there and saying nothing had felt too much like betrayal, like she had given up on Ariane, just like everyone else.

The bark jabbed into her back like an accusatory finger.

So instead, you let them all down.

As she made her way into the reception hall, the rest of the guests eyed her like an unwanted wedding gift. Her paternal grandparents, who had never approved of her mother, beckoned her toward their table. Esme cringed inwardly before taking the empty seat beside them.

Aaron’s mother arched her finely pencilled eyebrows up toward the heights of her heavily coiffured hairdo, taking in Esme’s untidy hair and wrinkled dress with a scathing glance.

‘Aren’t you a bit old to be playing in the dirt?’

Esme bit back a retort.

As the reception wore on and wineglasses emptied, talk turned to Ariane. Despite their hushed tones, Esme could hear every word of the conversation her grandmother was having with a guest.

‘I told him he was making the wrong choice,’ her grandmother opined, ‘but of course, he wouldn’t listen.’ She popped a grape into her mouth. ‘Pick someone more—more—’

‘Normal?’ the guest suggested.

‘Exactly. Pick someone more normal, I said, or else things won’t end well. And just look what happened!’

Esme’s fists were clenched so hard that they were shaking. She desperately resisted the urge to empty the bowl of grapes over her grandmother’s head.

‘You don’t know anything about my mother,’ she said in a low voice. ‘You don’t know her like I do.’

Her grandmother tilted her chin up, exposing her ropey neck, and swallowed another grape. Then she leaned in close, delivering her next words with a side of wine fumes and minty lamb breath.

‘We know more about your mother than you ever will.’

As Esme opened her mouth to reply, the band struck up the bridal waltz.

The sight of Penelope leading her father to the dance floor was a painful one, but it also provided an opportunity for escape. She slipped away from the table. On her way out, she stopped by the wedding cake and cast a glance back at her father.

Her eyes flickered between the plastic miniatures of the bride and groom atop the cake, and the flesh and blood versions entwined on the dance floor. The cloying aroma of rose petals, scattered around the cake, clung to her as she passed through the doors. The future stretched out before her, and it smelled sickly sweet.

The strains of music faded as Esme climbed up through Picton Village, past shops and houses and the school she attended each day, now closed for the summer. At the sight of the dingy grey signboard, Esme couldn’t help but laugh. Her mood lifted for the first time that day. During the wedding reception, somebody had scratched out the ‘Z’ in ‘Penzance’:

PEN ANCE HIGH SCHOOL

She resumed her trudge up the hill. Rachel would have laughed at that too, she thought with a pang. Rachel, her only close friend from school, had left Picton Island a few months earlier. Now Esme was floating between groups, on the edge of things. Friendships had been few and far between since her mother’s disappearance, although it wasn’t for want of trying.

The villagers had never liked Ariane, and their antipathy extended to Esme, too. It was bad enough that her mother wasn’t Picton born and bred, but something else drove the islanders’ prejudice—something Esme could never quite put her finger on. ‘Stay away from that Silver girl,’ the villagers would warn their children. ‘There’s something wrong with the women in that family.’

Sometimes, in her lowest moments, she wondered if that was true.

At the crest of the village she stopped to catch her breath. Picton Island formed part of an archipelago, and hills rose up on every side of it. On approach from the water, it bore a faint resemblance to a permanently beached whale.

She cinched her long, ill-fitting dress up over her belt and began the long trek home. Her heart lifted at the sight of the lighthouse beam, sweeping across the northern end of the island. Her father had been employed as lighthouse keeper and ranger, here at Splinter Bay, for as long as she could remember. He and Esme lived in the lighthouse keeper’s cottage, mere steps from the tower.

The sun had set by the time she reached the whitewashed gate of the cottage. The gate was shabby and in need of repair. The garden, too, had been neglected in recent months. But home still smelled like home. The tang of the sea mingled with the heady rush of lavender—her mother’s favourite—coming from the bushes nearby.

A dark shadow swooped overhead. Esme ducked, feeling the wind brush over her. It was only the sea eagle from earlier that day, the largest of the birds that frequented these cliffs.

You again?

It flew off toward the tower, its proud bearing briefly illuminated in the roving lighthouse beam.

Esme was no stranger to the local wildlife. Her father’s duties often involved rescuing injured animals from precarious situations, and from time to time, he enlisted her help in delivering them to the vet. The veterinary hospital was the one place in the village she did feel welcome. She watched as the sea eagle circled the lighthouse, its wings dipping in and out of the beam.

What were you doing down at the church today?

Birds such as this one often used the blue dome of the tower to rest, settle their interminable squabbles, and spy out food in the ocean below. Her mother had been especially fond of this particular sea eagle, and had even included it in one of her paintings.

You miss her too, don’t you?

Inside the cottage, she stopped in the hallway, before a dramatic painting of Poseidon, holding his trident up in triumph over a boiling ocean. Her finger traced the initials in the corner: ‘A S’. Ariane’s art covered the walls, her signature in every room.

Something brushed against her leg, and Esme automatically bent to scoop up her ageing cat, Reuben. He purred as she cradled him in her arms, warm against her breast. His once pure black velvet coat was starting to grey, but his green eyes held the same knowing look they always did. He had turned up on their doorstep one stormy day, a sodden mess, bloody and mewling for help after a fight with the village strays, and had never left.

Up in her room, Esme deposited Reuben on the end of the bed, where he curled up on the covers. She slouched her way out of her borrowed dress and tossed it in the corner. The only thing she liked about it was the colour: aquamarine, the same as her eyes. The taffeta dress, two sizes too big, had been thrust at her at the last second, after Penelope found out that Esme had been planning to wear something more suited to a funeral.

After changing into khaki shorts and a worn t-shirt, she slumped down on the bed. Her room was in its usual chaos, crowded with her own things and a few of her mother’s. Ariane’s wooden easel stood unused in the corner, crusted with dried paint, draped with clothes Esme couldn’t be bothered putting away. Paints and pencils lay forlornly in the corner. She had brought them up here with the vague idea that she might use them herself, but had never been able to sketch more than a couple of lines without scrunching it up and throwing it away.

She picked up one of her mother’s books from the bedside table and flicked through it. It was full of richly illustrated legends: stories of Greek gods shifting their forms to trick humans, and chasing sailors across the waves. She grimaced at the sight of Orpheus’s sorrowful face as Eurydice was carried away from him, ensnared in dark tendrils from the Underworld.

‘Maybe I really am stuck in the past,’ she muttered to Reuben, who fixed her with his inscrutable stare, his eyes green pools of light.

On another page, she caught a glimpse of Narcissus, staring at his own reflection in a pool. Mired in her own pool of misery, Esme shut the book and noticed something poking out the back of it. She pulled out the dun-coloured envelope and stared at it glumly.

Her end of year report card. She must have forgotten to give it to her father, although she couldn’t remember whether she’d forgotten on purpose. Either way, he’d been too busy trailing around after Penelope to ask for it. As usual, she had scraped through in every subject, just enough to avoid having to repeat. Except in art and history. Even with minimal effort, she still came close to top of the class in those.

On her dressing table, sketches of creatures, both real and make-believe, dotted the mirror’s border—a summer project from long ago. Esme let her hair out of its elastic prison and it fell in tangled disarray over her shoulders. It needed another comb and a tidy-up; but then, it always did.

‘Found you on the beach one day. Washed up on shore,’ her mother used to say, as she coaxed endless knots out of Esme’s hair, hair as stringy as seagrass matting, and the same colour: a washed-out brown. Esme had seen dried-out kelp on the beach that was better behaved.

A snow globe at the back of the dresser glinted up at her. She tilted it, and watched white flakes drift over a miniature city of canals. Her mother had often held exhibitions elsewhere, on other islands—places where her art was more appreciated. From time to time, she would bring home gifts like this, as well as stories, both real and imagined.

She peered into the globe. It seemed, in the corner of her eye, that the city’s liquid streets were moving, too; but when she looked closer, saw they were nothing more than paint and glue.

The night her mother had given her this snow globe, Esme had pestered her with endless questions about the city contained within. She had beguiled Esme with stories of a place where waterways shone, boats moved of their own accord, and people made magic with music.

‘The boats really move on their own?’ Esme had asked. ‘With dragons on them? But don’t they burn the boats?’

‘No, silly,’ her mother had laughed.

An image of Ariane’s dark, glossy hair floated back—as did her laugh, low and gentle. Her heart-shaped face and dimpled chin, reflected in Esme’s own features, were easy to recall.

‘Every boat has a dragon on the prow, but it’s only a wooden one,’ she had said. ‘But there are real dragons, sea-dragons, high up in the sky. And there are people who can make the water move, the way it does in Splinter Bay.’

Beside the globe lay another of Ariane’s gifts: a bell with a brass fishtail wound around its handle. It, too, often whispered of enchantment, but for now it only reminded Esme of the peal of the church bells, ringing out the successful nuptials.

Her stomach growled, reminding her of how little she had eaten at the reception. She headed downstairs to fossick for food, Reuben swishing his tail beside her. After feeding him, she ate too, watching the pale moonlight stream into the kitchen. It glanced off the lighthouse key that hung on the rack by the door.

On impulse, she grabbed the key and left the cottage. Reuben was too fixated on the remains of his meal to follow.

Outside, the clouds had blown away, and the moon was at its zenith, cloaking everything in a soft, unearthly glow. The lighthouse stood twenty yards away, anchored on the edge of the cliff. On the leadlight panel set into the top of the door, a blue whale swam beneath the words: ‘Olim Periculum Nunc Salus’.

Once perilous, now safe.

She jiggled the key in the lock, and it gave way.

Moonlight bathed the steps, filtering in through narrow window slits cut into the thick stone walls. At the top, Esme flicked on the light to the service room.

Neglect hung in the air. A layer of dust covered the logbooks on the desk, and the clock was stuck on half past the hour. A large storage cupboard, behind the ladder to the lantern room, caught her eye. The door, usually locked, was ajar.

She opened the cupboard door wide and stepped back in shock. The past came rushing back. The air hummed with loss. The cupboard was full of her mother’s paintings, ones she hadn’t seen for years.

Esme pulled out the canvases and propped them up against the round walls of the service room, immersing herself in her mother’s world: oceans and lakes, beaches and caves, rivers and waterfalls; dolphins, whales, and ancient deities of the sea, with the power to call forth raging storms and split ships in two.

Ariane’s presence filled the space. Each painting shimmered with a life of its own. In one, a golden-scaled dragon emerged from the ocean, spraying drops of water high into the air. Another depicted an elusive finned creature, swimming by a rocky cave.

Footsteps on the stairs broke into her reverie.

‘Esme?’

Her father entered the room, still dressed in his wedding suit. Aaron’s face had furrowed in recent years, and his black hair was shot with grey. The pink rose in his lapel had browned around the edges. Esme’s eyebrows rose a fraction when she noticed that he had added a sprig of lavender beside it.

She braced herself for a blast. He must have walked all the way up here from the village, getting angrier and angrier with every step.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. ‘I’m glad you’re okay. I’ve been worried about you ever since the ceremony.’

Esme flushed. ‘Back at the church—I’m not sure what I was thinking. It’s just … it felt like the right thing to do at the time.’

He didn’t meet her eye-to-eye, something she was grateful for. He merely nodded, while taking in the art strewn around the room. ‘I see you’ve found your mother’s paintings. There wasn’t enough space at home, so I stored some of them up here.’

Esme joined him in front of a canvas depicting dolphins riding the waves—silver-grey streaks amongst the white.

‘It’s good to see them again,’ she said. ‘I helped her with this one … or at least, I tried. That swirl was mine. The brush slipped and made a mark right across it. Mum just laughed, said to leave it. She thought it made the painting more interesting.’

His face relaxed. ‘She was right.’

Aaron paced around the room, reminiscing about when and where each artwork had been painted. After a while, though, his manner began to irritate her. He sounded so distant, like a museum curator talking about a long-dead artist.

‘How come you can remember all this, when you don’t even think about her these days?’

Aaron flinched. ‘Of course I think about her.’

His face crumpled and he stepped away, opening the door to the balcony that ringed the lighthouse. The sounds of Splinter Bay flooded in. Esme followed him outside. The moon and the sweeping lighthouse beam lit up the ocean; the skies crowned the vista with stars. Her father was cradling the sprig of lavender in his hand, his face ashen.

The sight was heart-wrenching. Years back, she had sometimes found him like this, late at night, sitting alone at the kitchen table, walled over with grief. The strain of the past seven years was etched permanently on his face.

‘I was up here last night, looking at the paintings. I guess it was my way of saying goodbye.’ His voice was almost inaudible over the crash of the waves below. ‘I know how much you idolised her,’ he continued. ‘How much you still do. We both do. But we have to move on.’

He gripped the railing, and the purple sprig of lavender fell into the darkness.

Her shoulders slumped. Maybe it was too late. Maybe she had missed her chance. Maybe she should just accept the words on the cenotaph as the closest approximation of the truth. Her father patted her arm but she shook him off with an irritated shrug.

‘No,’ she said, more to herself than him.

I have to find out the truth for myself.

She turned to face him square on. ‘I haven’t had the chance to move on,’ she said firmly. ‘I haven’t been able to go look for her, the way you have.’

His face tightened. ‘I don’t want you going anywhere near Spindrift.’

‘Why not?’

He said nothing, then changed the topic—the way he always did. The way he had for years. ‘Penelope will be good for us,’ he said. ‘She’s got plenty of family and friends and she’s nothing like—’ He stopped, mid-sentence, with a slight shake of his head.

‘Nothing like what? Like who?’

Her words didn’t reach him. He had already disappeared back into the lighthouse. Esme remained outside, staring out to sea. For once, she found no solace in the sights and sounds of the night: the crash of waves against the cliffs below, the circling lighthouse beam, the stars of the night sky scattered carelessly across its inky face.

A rush of wings, close by, made her jump. The sea eagle had returned. It landed noiselessly on the railing, and inclined its beak toward her.

Esme blinked at the bird. Her

Reviews for Esme's Wish

[carolyndenman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fifteen-year-old Esme Silver is heartbroken when her dad remarries, seven years after her mother, Ariane, has gone missing. While the newly-weds are away on their honeymoon, Esme realises that this is her last opportunity to delve into the mystery of her mother’s disappearance before she is forced to ‘put it all behind her’ and move on. She quickly uncovers a series of clues that had been kept from her as a young child, which lead her to a journey to a parallel world.
The world she discovers has everything I ever wished for as a child: enchantments, new friends, mermaid-like creatures and dragons. To investigate the mystery of Ariane’s disappearance, Esme and her new friends must uncover the truth behind the city’s ancient myths, find a lost treasure, and stay ahead of the monsters and shadows that pursue them.
I believe adolescent readers like a protagonist who is everything they hope they themselves will be. Esme is smart, kind, persistent, and is mature enough to cope when she finds herself facing the world without her parents. After all, isn’t that the challenge of growing up? Esme’s Wish explores this theme in a way that allows for fast-paced adventure and engaging mystery, while still allowing the main character to feel safely anchored by the love of her parents. I wish this story had been around when my own children were the right age for it. I know they would have gobbled it up, and begged for more.
Many thanks to the author for her generous provision of an advance copy.

[cmbusick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. Although I feel like I would have liked more about Esme's dad. He had to be worried with her gone for so long. I guess I will have to read book two to find out more. I loved Esme's dedication to her mom even though she had been missing for so long. The adventures Esme and her friends had were intriguing.I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[archakr-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Esme's Wish is a great adventure story for middle schoolers / young adults. I found it to be a quick read and lacking depth, but I'm a little out of the target age group. It was still a captivating adventure through an unknown world on a quest for answers; about doing what you believe to be right in the face of opposition and learning the value of friendship along the way.

[landwaster_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A simple, well-written "child suddenly transported to alternate world" story. Not entirely to my taste, probably due to being outside the target audience. An old man can still enjoy young adult fiction, but I think this story was intended more for older children than young adults.Still, a perfectly nice book I'd have no problem recommending to younger relatives.

[zoeillustration · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A captivating YA fantasy. I really enjoyed this book, it had me hooked on each word. Once I started I couldn't put the book down. The world building was fantastic, you could really imagine Aeolia with the descriptions in Esme's wish. It was a story that still kept you guessing as you went, never quite sure what would happen next. All in all, it's a book I enjoyed and would definitely recommend. I can't wait for the next book!

[randyharper_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Esme's wish was a fun book to read. It did not require my remembering lots of characters of subplots. Her search was the main theme and the story stayed right with it up to the end. It left plenty of opportunity for a sequel and introduced her friends like Lillian and Daniel. The book is definitely for young readers, but enjoyed being a part of this alternate universe anyway. Sure do wish there had been more about her dad and stepmother, but maybe that is coming. Let's just hope there is much more Esme to come and we get to visit the land down under again!

[neverstopreading-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Full disclosure: this book was received for free as part of Library Thing's Early Reviewer program. The opinions are my own.Esme's Wish is the first novel by Australian author Elizabeth Foster, of the Foster's beer family (just kidding, as far as I know). It is a young adult fantasy that draws upon Greek mythologies.The beginning starts, to an adult, like a fairy tale, or to a teenager, like life. We meet Esme, a teenage girl whose mother disappeared when she was eight. She had never given up on finding her mother, but her father has moved on and remarried an unpleasant woman (wicked step-mother) whose wicked sister is intent on making life very unpleasant for poor Esme. Life is crap, for Esme, so like most teenagers long to do, she runs away (sort of), and in the process finds the place her mother told her stories about, the place her mother believed was real, and the place that others thought were an indication of her mental instability.Esme soon makes friends and adjusts quickly (a little to quickly) to a world founded by Greek gods and goddesses and full of dragons, magic, and peril. She goes on a quest to find and save her mother - and all of Aeolia as well!Esme's Wish is a quick, enjoyable, escapist read for both teens and adults. My criticisms are minor. Why does Esme adjust so easily? I always find character developments harder to believe than the idea of there actually being a magical realm. Why is the keeper's motto in Latin instead of ancient Greek? Overlook the minor details, and you can easily appreciate this book for the quality story it is.

[anacskie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I got a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review and I love it. This is a YA fantasy story of Esme and her adventures in finding out what happened to her mother who disappeared 7 years ago. It's all about friendship, family, dragons, and magical world. I love reading this book because it transported me to a magical world of my dreams. I can't wait to read the sequel.

[bluebutterfly99 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I recieved a free copy for a voluntary review.As many have said, this book was well written and very easy to read. I would have finished it long ago, but the holidays really took a toll on my reading time. This book is not really a typical " fantasy" novel, but has a great take on a whole new fantasy world, and yes there are dragons. I enjoyed this book, but i personally love a little romance, but even without thst it was quite good.

[khaddox-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Esme's Wish was provided to me free of charge. I am reviewing it voluntarily.Esme's Wish is a fun and exciting read. The world-building is done in such a way that it advances the storyline, rather than dragging it down. I would have liked more character development all around, but in this case, the lack of character complexity didn't take away from story. Though the characters are teenagers, the book reads more like a middle grade offering. There is no romance, innuendo, or profanity. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and would recommend Esme's Wish to any young reader who enjoys fantasy novels.

[clarerhoden · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A well-constructed tale of a young girl's journey and quest, as she seeks her absent mother in an elemental hidden world. Esme (Esm-eee, not Esm-ay) dares dangers and her own untrusting nature to venture via a strange underwater route to the amazing city of Esperance, where she finds friends, adventure, affirmation, and a perilous task which only she can perform.
Full of the power of love and the urgency of saving the complex world into which she fits so well, Esme is an engaging and fully-realised hero.
Dedicated fantasy readers like me will enjoy the fantastic beasts and magic rationale of this story, and newcomers will be delighted by the concepts and the wonderful sea-world images in this richly described action tale.
I hope there's a sequel because there are still some aspects I'd like to know more about!
Enjoy. Highly recommended.

[flusteredduck · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Group.Esme's mother was lost to the sea seven years ago and her father has just remarried but Esme is convinced that her mother is still alive. This is the story of Esme's search for her mother and what she uncovers is a whole new world of magic and mystery.This is a great fun read. The novel is well written and well executed. The story is intriguing and is told smoothly. It is always a pleasure to discover a fresh new world, especially one with as much depth and back story as this one. The characters are generally beautifully developed and mostly sympathetic with nicely villainous villains and complex heroes. It was also a pleasure to read a story without violence and where the love stories are those of parents and their children and the give and take of true friendship. I look forward to the next instalment in the series!

[karenleefield · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[megdendler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun story full of a portal to another world, magic, and gifts we all wish we could have. And a dragon or too for good measure. Looking forward to reading the second book.

[Mike · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For a genre that I don't normally read, I was surprised how I got whisked away by the first few chapters. Then I was hooked and had to follow Esme on her journey. It's impossible not to read this book and not be charmed by the likable main character who's smart and sensitive at the same time. Readers of YA Fantasy - and even those of other genres - would love this book.

[nframke · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Esme Silver only wishes for one thing in life, to find her mother who has been missing for nearly half of Esme's life. After her father remarries, Esme heads to her mother's painting cottage, on an island near her lighthouse home, in search of any clues that might lead to explain her mother's disappearance. The last thing Esme expects on this impromptu trip is to be sucked down a watery vortex into a magical world. Thinking her mother could be in this land with dragons, and where people can breathe underwater and have magical Gifts, she begins a quest to find out about her mother's past in this place. With the help of new friends, the clues she finds will lead her on the journey of a lifetime.

Esme's Wish by Elizabeth Foster is very much geared toward middle grade readers. The story line is fast paced and action oriented. However, it might be a bit too fast paced as the events very quickly jump from one point to the next without much connection or flow. The speed of storytelling detracts from getting to know the characters. There's not much depth to them, and there are many who are introduced just once who have no real impact or purpose to the story. This leaves many characters feeling flat with no dynamic changes to them.

While Foster's writing isn't bad and her world-building could be said to be decent, so many elements seem jumpy and disconnected to really follow the story through its proposed revelations. Sadly, the story ends up being rather boring through most of the book due to the lack of depth with both the characters and the plot. Younger readers may enjoy the story more, but for those looking for a story of magical intrigue and beguiling inhabitants, it might be better to look elsewhere.

[jobass_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Esme's father is getting married. Her mother has been missing for several years. Esme is angry and upset with him for re-marrying. Nor does she like her step-mother or step-mother's sister. In defiance of her father's instructions, she goes to her grandmother's cottage where she follows a bird into a strange pool. This passage leads to a new and different world. Fantasy readers will find themselves in familiar territory up until this point. Elizabeth Foster does a wonderful job of world-building, along with a suspenseful story recounting Esme's search for her mother. The ending leaves several questions still to be answered, creating excellent set-up for Book 2.

[ellajames-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fifteen year old Esme Silver’s mother has been missing for several years. Everyone around Esme, including her father, say that her mother, Ariane, was lost at sea. But Esme begs to differ. She knows how careful her mother was and what a strong swimmer she was also. Something doesn’t add up. Esme protests her father’s remarriage and she is perceived as being a spoiled, rebellious teenager. But for Esme, it’s because she can’t accept or believe her mother is dead. She knows that there is more to it.While her father is on his honeymoon Esme sets out to look for her mother. That is when her grand adventure begins. Esme is transported to a beautiful enchanting city where the blue water sparkles and the orange dragons lurk. Esme makes a couple of good friends along the way and together they are determined to find Esme’s mother. Esme’s love for her mother compels her and keeps her determined to be strong and forge ahead to find her.Esme’s Wish is a true gem. It is an enchanting fantasy story full of adventure, excitement and danger. Author Elizabeth Foster has constructed a beautiful tale for young readers as well as adults. I was caught up from the very beginning and read continuously to the satisfying and conclusive end.Esme’s Wish is likened unto J.R.R. Tolkien with a dash of Harry Potter. It is written extremely well and the creativity that went into this story is fabulous. The world that Elizabeth Foster has created is a wondrous, captivating and mysterious place filled with magic, creatures and boundless beauty.In Esme’s Wish, there are countless descriptions that excite and delight the imaginary senses. The theme of familial love flows throughout the storyline. You won’t find any sappy romance in this story, which was a breath of fresh air to me. Only good friends working, surviving and enjoying an enchanted land in search for Esme’s beloved mother.I have read many fantasy stories but Esme’s Wish is one of the best. The characters are likable and realistic. They are multi layered and well developed. They evolve and are woven within the storyline with creative care. There is plenty of feeling to keep the reader emotionally engaged and plenty of adventure to keep the reader exhilarated and enthralled.Esme’s Wish is a tender and mesmerizing fantasy that readers of all ages will love. I couldn’t put the book down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read it again. That’s how good it is. Esme’s Wish is Elizabeth Foster’s first novel. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series by this excellent writer.

[elizabeth_foster-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Here's some excerpts from a five star review of Esme's Wish from Readers' Favorite.Esme’s Wish is a captivating, excellently-written novel. Author Elizabeth Foster did a great job of keeping me reading as I followed Esme’s journey to investigate the disappearance of her mother, a brilliant painter. This colorful, well-constructed tale is as much detective story as fantasy and deftly blends both elements into a page-turning plot that hooks the reader in. I was fascinated by the creative water world of Aeolia, described in Elizabeth Foster’s limpid, seductive prose. As Esme learns, “The history of Aeolia is writ in water,” and I liked the elaborate, detailed spin the story took on this idea.

[mervilyn-4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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When I was reading this book I constantly remind myself that I AM NOT TOO OLD TO READ THIS. It has lots of interesting fantasy stuff and it’s full of surprises. Chapter four and up are the most interesting ones. It started with slow, world-building chapters into chapters you just won’t get enough of.

I would like to admit that I was so hesitant to read the book because of the cover. I know the whole ‘I shouldn’t judge the book by its cover’ and all but I can’t help it! The cover made the book seem like a light read for a seven-year-old when it’s not. That’s also a pretty weird composure but okay… let’s move on. I checked goodreads and it says it’s for 10-14 year olds. Well, I’m way above the range but I liked it! A lot!

The book started with a pretty dull approach. I read the first four chapters in four nights, like one chapter a day. The setting and Esme’s rants about her mom was just consuming my patience. If she’s going to stay like that for the whole book, I would gladly DNF this. To my surprise, she didn’t. In fact, she became a curious adventurer!

Esme with a strong character. Her mother died but she refused to accept that at all. Her father remarried and she refused to accept that wholeheartedly. Instead of trying to move on, Esme decided to find the reason behind her mom’s death. Her mom left some traces thru artworks –she was also an artist. Esme got so curious and eventually ended up in another world, Esperance.

She met two friends from the other world called Daniel and Lillian. They call Esme the otherworlder. I will be talking about the world now so if you’re going to take this as spoiler, feel free to skip the next two paragraphs! Esperance has dragons. And boats that navigates you without you having to row it. And birds that deliver messages. And bags that will not reveal its items unless a code is said out loud. And people who could see your beating heart with a normal pair of eyes. And there’s this wonderful water usage which I won’t be revealing. And each person may or may not possess a natural gift like being fire-proof. And many, many more! I swear, I loved all these ideas! Remind me again why we’re on earth?

But this magical world was becoming a mess. Someone was trying to control it, was damaging it. Earthquakes were becoming a routine and the gifts of people were not working the way it should. Esme found herself diving into this mess while trying to know her mom’s history at the place. Esme’s journey made her realize what her wish truly is. End of spoiler!

I think Esme is a clever one. She adapts so easily into the new world she discovered and dragged me along with it. Sometimes I find myself daydreaming about some scenes from this book a few days after I’ve read it.

[montzaleew · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Esme's Wish (Esme Series #1) by Elizabeth Foster is a book I requested and the review is voluntary. This is a delightful and beautifully fanciful with magic and love. A young girl looks for her mother and is whisked into a alternative world with stores that have the craziest and most amazing things. It is a heart warming story of love between a mother and daughter. It's perfect for middle grade kids up to teens.

[alyssia-88 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Esme is a fifteen year old teenager whose father remarries. Her mother disappeared at sea and was never found. She is accidentally swept in the magical city of Aeolia and there, with her new friends Daniel and Lillian, she retraces her mother in the canal city Esperance.The book was nice, but not more than that. The city reminded me of the city in Cassandra Clares books. The characters were a bit dull for my taste.Disclaimer: I got this book in the Librarything Early Reviewers.

[catkin026 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.This one did surprise me, as I thought that I would be reading a book for younger kids than what it turned out to be. I think that this might be due to the cover, as I got the impression of one for 8 year-olds, though after a few pages I quickly ascertained that this would be better for 10 year olds up. This actually brings me to one of the slightly jarring parts of the story, in the fact that the main character (Esme) is supposed to be about sixteen. It didn't align with the words and the characterization of the people featured in the book, and while it didn't seem to feature at all. Esme was sixteen, but didn't appear to act like it, or have the issues that a sixteen year old would be facing. I'd maybe put it more as a fiction book written for teenagers back in the 50's and 60's, where everything was much more innocent. I'd think that it might work better if Esme was twelve or thirteen, rather than be so much older.Once I disregarded the age of the main character, I easily fell into enjoying it. I adored the world that is created, especially in how it is accessible for anyone from ours. I enjoyed the Atlantean feal of it, with the water being so important and fundemental to the world that Esme visits and also the magic surrounding it. The author went out of their way to have layers in explaining this world, with its' own myths and past that we learned right alongside Esme. It also never felt like information dumping, as it was easily weaved into the story.And this also follows through with the actual adventure Esme goes through. It was completely different then what I expected. Despite my age, and I'm over thirty, I didn't have the issue of guessing long before it happened certain events; what would occur next and every twist and turn felt original. The characters that surrounded Esme had a purpose. They weren't just there to dump background that all of a sudden needed to be known, or just to flit in and out to move the story forward. They had a purpose, and didn't detract at all. What's an unfortunate side-effect of many children's stories is that the adults are either just to be barriers to the main character moving forward, or else just -wise women/men- who appear only to pass on information, but that doesn't happen here.The main character Esme, and her two friends (Daniel and Lillian) are rounded enough that when one of their magic or skills are needed, it doesn't suddenly come out of nowhere. The author is extremely clever in laying down the hints and paths to this being needed long before the actual action sequence, and this shows through in all the characters. I'm not within the reading demographic of this story, but I enjoyed it. I would highly recommend it to any customers who are looking for a good book for a girl, as unfortunately I don't think that this will transcend into a book that can be read by girls and boys. It's a sad issue, as I believe that boys would be highly invested in it, especially with how likeable and interesting Daniel is. So, this book is being given three stars out of five. I wouldn't have it on my shelf, but I am glad that I did read it.

[abookishroad · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At the heart of this book, it’s a story surrounding a daughters love and determination to find her mother when everyone else has ‘moved’ on…. a story about the beginnings of new friendships and in a land where dragons and powers are the norm. This story follows Esme’s journey to the world of Aeolia in search for her missing mother. There she meets Daniel and Lillian who help her navigate thru the city of Esperance with its mythical creatures and intrigue. Elizabeth writing flows quickly. I could easily visualize the world building in this book. Besides the fantasy aspect to this story, I enjoyed reading about Esme’s friendship with Lillian and Daniel and how relatable their camaraderie felt given their fantastical adventures.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read even if you are not a big fan of fantasy. I am looking forward to reading the next installment of Esme’s journey.

[anphan-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Esme’s wish is a mystery book, that we all know that she didn’t agree with her dad getting married or why her mom is disappeared. It’s not seem like that much mystery, and i think it was a children book by the cover. But it’s not, it’s had mystery, fantasy, about a girl who just simply want to know the truth, an advanture with “Unknown” things in front of her. While i read this book, i imagine blue ocean with a girl, a tale , frienship, and all kind of things that amazing.

[karenbayly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A charming tale for younger (and older!) folk with mixture of this world, other worlds, magic, gifts, nasty beasties, dragons, baddies, and goodies, tied together by the journey of Esme who is determined to find her missing mother. I'm not a huge fan of YA or MA, but this had plenty to keep a jaded old fogey like me thoroughly entertained. It clearly has been written as the first part of a much longer adventure, and I'm looking forward to the sequel, Esme's Gift.