The Agapéd Bearer: Wishing Stars

M Westlund

Heartwarming and heartbreaking

"I was initially hesitant to even purchase this book because I feel children's fantasy has been pervaded by the same hackneyed stories with not much heart or depth to speak of. But after looking into the author's Instagram page, going through the beautiful artwork and learning more about the story, I was too intrigued not to buy it. I am so glad I did. While the basic structure of the story is cliché (young teen gains newfound magical abilities and is Chosen to fight evil) the details and the passion set this book apart. THE CHARACTERS I absolutely LOVED the characters. They're memorable and interesting, with simple yet unique names, clear physical descriptions, and no one feels flat or unecessary to the story. The main character, Lisa, is clearly written with a lot of heart, and is very sweet and relatable. Her excitement and awe makes her utterly endearing, and her determination through fear make her a truly admirable character. I found myself rooting for her successes and victories in her training with Gaius (HELP DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON GAIUS) and crying with her in her failures and losses. Overall she was just a pleasantly relatable and humble girl to read. You really feel she was the right one to be chosen, and you want her to win. Now, Gaius... oh my stars. I'm so mad he's fictional. He's a warrior in a garden both figurately and literally. A (handsome) battle-scarred man with no children and an affinity for crafting weapons. He makes for SUCH an incredible mentor/father figure to Lisa, and reading their dynamic is WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK AMAZING. I was literally kicking my sheets and squealing while reading some parts of the book because UGH, HE IS JUST THE BEST. I cannot overstate my love for this man, nor my disappointment in his nonexistence. This book somehow raised my standards for men even higher than before. If for nothing else, read this book for Lisa and Gaius. They are so heartwarming and heartwrenching, I adore them. THE PLOT The overarching storyline is very easy to follow, which is great for me since I've never been into plot-heavy books, but it's still unpredictable in the right places, and there are a couple of twists that ripped my heart out. I had to set the book down at one point because I was sobbing so hard I couldn't even read the words any more. This book made me tear up in several places, and twice it made me straight up ugly cry. Definitely get some tissues ready if you buy it. While I was unable to sit down and read this book cover to cover in a day, and instead had to spread it out over a couple of weeks, I felt the pacing was done well. There weren't really any chapters or sections I wanted to skip through, and I never felt something important was being rushed through. The characters all develop well, leading to a very satisfying ending that both made me feel content, and yet longing for the next part of Lisa's story. THE WORLDBUILDING This has to be one of my favourite aspects of the book. It's such a fascinating blend of fantasy and science fiction, a delightful cocktail of magic, technology, and outer space. The author picks and chooses the most captivating elements from multiple genres and combines them to craft a singularly spellbinding universe. One thing I really appreciate is that while the setting is indeed fantasy-heavy, the reader is not bombarded with information about a hundred different alien races, instead setting up the world so that the human race has been scattered across galaxies, and the human spirit flourishes in many different environments in space. It's something I haven't seen in other science-fiction fantasy, but I really appreciate it. The inventive imagery for these settings is utterly captivating, and the author does an excellent job of conveying both vast, collosal, and awe-striking environments, along with cozy, personal, "ordinary" environments. The reader somehow gets a sense for the breathtaking, the innovative, and the nostalgic simultaneously. It is whimsical and wonderous, and yet also tangible and almost practical. There are magical creatures both good and bad, fantastical plants with strange appearances and stranger properties. Intricate magical trinkets, like orbkits, and weapons made of otherworldly materials. But at the same time there are trains, various forms of transportation including "evanescing," which is basically a kind of portal, electricity, government infrastructures, "digital" currency, and even a neat ID system. The descriptions for these locations is daydream-worthy, and I found myself craving an animated movie for this book. The level of care and detail poured into every facet of this world makes it feel rich and real, fantastical and idyllic. I want these places to exist, they are so stunning. I will definitely be rereading the book to immerse myself again in this celestial world. THE WRITING The book is written from Lisa's first person point of view, and so everything is translated through her eyes, giving the narration a personal and engaging flair, but the descriptions remain vivid, and I did not feel as though the in-depth illustrations felt out-of-place, but meshed quite well with the overall writing style. There were many moments I highlighted either for the beauty of a well-turned phrase, a moment that made me laugh or cry, or something else I found particularly striking. The dialogue is well-crafted and reads natural, each character maintaining a distinct voice and tone so that mixing them up is impossible. The writing level is rich enough for me to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the craft of it, but simple enough for me to read with ease. It was altogether an enchanting story and I turned each page with excitement. THEMES Throughout this book I saw themes both big and small, which gave the story much of its emotional depth. There are of course the major themes of Good versus Evil, and the conflict that comes with trying to live a "normal" life while carrying the secret of something far greater. But beyond that there are powerful themes of perseverance, acceptance of responsibility, grappling with doing what is easy versus what is right, the strength of friendship, dealing with grief and loss, and Love ultimately conquering all. If you love found family stories, stunning worlds, rich magic systems, heartwarming character relationships, and strong moral themes, this book is for you. I'm so excited for the coming books in the series, and look forward to following Lisa on this celestial journey. ["

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October 5, 2023 Verified Purchase

Julia

A magical adventure that fills up the soul

"The Agapéd Bearer: Wishing Stars is an epic urban fantasy with a phenomenal magic system and world-building. It takes the reader on a magical journey through universes of different planets, strange creatures, and a battle between Light and Dark. Some books you read and enjoy. Others, you wish to end. But then there are books like The Agapéd Bearer that suck you in from the first sentence and capture your attention until the very last page. If you love epic fantasy and battles of magic, adorable creatures and beasts of evil, lovable and relatable characters, found family, thrilling adventures, and emotional rollercoasters, you will adore this book. I didn’t think I could love reading more than I did until after this book. Not only that, as someone who loves fantasy, this brought so much joy into my life! The symbolism and profound concepts, along with the lack of secularism, provided a worry-free reading adventure I hoped would never end. We love clean fantasy that brings endless thrill. The characters in this book are some of my all-time favorites. I literally TEAR UP thinking about how precious they are. The father-daughter duo is beyond heartwarming and so special. I decided to read TAB because of the author’s beautiful art posted on Instagram, and she did not disappoint. Though the pace of book 1 is somewhat slow in the beginning as Lisa transitions from an “Earthian” to possessing powerful magic, there is so much to see and learn, and the world-building completely transports you until you don’t even realize you’re reading. I found my heart pounding in one chapter and tears pouring down my face in others. I’ve read many books I couldn’t put down, and I’m so glad this is one of them. I look forward to continuing with this series and can’t wait to see what other twists the author has in store!! Trigger Warnings Death, gore, emotional turmoil, self-hatred, anxiety, fear, grief ["

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August 8, 2024 Verified Purchase

Elyssa

Am I crazy or are there KH vibes?

"I genuinely really loved this story. But I do have notes. Sentence flow could be awkward and redundantly wordy. But for a debut it's okay. Writing is an endless process of learning what works and doesn't. A little editing could have tightened it up. The pace picks up in part 2. Lisa, our main character, has the adorable innocence of a studio ghibli character. Oh my god the cover art is absolutely beautiful. I'm in love with the style. ["

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November 10, 2024 Verified Purchase

Glitterandcoffee

Wonderful Adventure

"This story is a coming of age immersive, character driven story about a 13 year old girl who is chosen by a wishing star to bear an immense power to defeat darkness itself. The ART for this story drew me in but the story itself kept me hooked. (Seriously, go search for this authors website and look at her illustrations- THEY ARE GORGEOUS.) The Agaped Bearer as a story is character driven but the world building was an absolute delight because *Lisa* was filled with absolute wonder and delight as she discovered her new environment. I found this extremely refreshing as a reader because so many high fantasy stories start from a place of such despair and desolation and keep that darkness throughout the entire story. You sometimes feel like you have to go eat your weight in potato chips just to cope. That is not how this story starts. It gave off really cozy anime vibes from the start. Think.... Howls' Moving Castle. However, in this story there is darkness and there is heartbreak but the way this author resolves this heartbreak had me crying from all the feels. She is so good at infusing hope and grace into her narrative. I definitely loved it as an adult and would have loved this as a middle schooler. I also really appreciated how Lisa actually felt like a naive, optimistic 13 year old girl. In so many YA stories, the 13 year old girl acts more like a 23 year old. You often wonder why in the world the author didn't just go ahead and age up the character. That's not so for Lisa. The things she cares about feel realistic for a thirteen year old girl. She wants friends. She loves her mother. She has a strong desire to always do the right next thing. She's introspective. She's figuring things out. She is simply just coming of age and it was such a refreshing read. Read this one. Seriously. Go do it! ["

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November 13, 2024 Verified Purchase