Esme's Wish (Esme Series Book 1) by Elizabeth Foster

Esme's Wish is a middle grade fantasy book that was sent to me by the author. 15-year-old Esme refuses to move on from her mother's death and accept her new stepmother, with a deep suspicion that something terrible happened to her. Esme, harboring her magical gift to look into the past, travels to the world of Esperance to find her mother. Little does she know that her gift may be the key to saving Esperance and finding the pearl that keeps their world at peace.

I enjoyed the deep thematic connections to John Steinbeck's The Pearl. Greed is one of the foundations that draw people to evil actions, and love and friendship is a major foundation and power for light and virtuous actions. The world-building was skilled and full of creative imagery that was wonderful and easy to picture. It is obvious that Foster spent a long time being thorough with all the details of the setting. The magical elements of the town were wonderful. Esme's Wish is certainly a fun, relaxing read! The hint of Greek mythology was interesting to say the least, and I liked the involvement of dragons!

Esme is a sweet, lovely protagonist who is determined to find her mother and will not let anything get in her way. As a character, what makes her unique is her devotion and love to her mother, no matter the danger. Esme's emotions are powerful, however she always manages to think clearly despite them. I will say that I wished the description of going through the portals to and from Esperance were more vivid, and with higher intensity of emotion. In addition, I wish the climax with the pearl's power at the end was more powerful.

I recommend you read this book!

I look forward to reading the second book in this series, Esme's Gift.

Title: Esme's Wish (Esme Series Book 1)
Author: Elizabeth Foster
Publisher: Odyssey Books
Pages: 252
Series: Yes, Book 1 of 2
Rating: 4 StarsGoodreads