Escala’s Wish is a fantasy novel with a strong romantic fantasy streak, but it also leans into adventure, court intrigue, and the old fairy-tale question of what love is actually worth. The book follows Escala Winter, a pixie from the Court of Dreams whose impulsive kiss of a mortal boy triggers death, exile, and a quest to “remove boulders” from the True Cycle. From there, the story opens outward into a larger struggle involving family secrets, betrayal inside the fey court, Victor Graves and Blackthorn Tower, and Escala’s growing bond with Roedyn as the fate of both the fey realm and Valla starts to come apart.

I was drawn to the author’s choice to make Escala both reckless and sincere. She is not a polished chosen-one type. She starts this mess because she is curious, vain, lonely, and hungry for something real, and that made her easier for me to care about. The book keeps circling questions of intent versus consequence, law versus love, and whether redemption means undoing harm or growing enough to carry it honestly. I think that is where the novel is strongest. It has the emotional logic of a fairy tale, but it also has the sprawl of a quest fantasy, with companions, monsters, royal blood, dragons, and a world-ending threat. There are a lot of characters, a lot of explanation, and a lot of movement. But even when it sprawls, I could feel the heart under it, and that goes a long way with me.

What I liked most is that the book really wants to tell a story. I know that sounds obvious, but as someone who loves fantasy novels, I felt that hunger on the page. The bard framing device gives the whole thing a fireside energy, and Wigfrith’s voice keeps the book lively even when the lore gets dense. Sometimes the novel is playful, sometimes raw, sometimes a little theatrical, but it rarely feels flat. I also liked that David James does not treat the fey as soft and harmless. This version of faerie life is beautiful, social, petty, strict, and often cruel, which gives the world some bite. The ideas around the True Cycle, the Wane, exile, and the different ways fey come into being give the setting a real identity.

I would recommend Escala’s Wish most to readers who enjoy fantasy that wears its feelings openly, especially readers who like romantic fantasy, fairy-court drama, and long quest stories where love and danger keep colliding. If you want something cool and distant, this may not be your book. If you like fantasy that is earnest, dramatic, lore-rich, and willing to be tender right next to brutal, you’ll love this novel. It feels like the kind of story written by someone who genuinely loves fantasy, and I think readers who love that same mix of wonder, heartbreak, and high-stakes magic will feel it too.

Pages: 662 | ASIN: B0G1XRP6DW