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The Dragonfly Wish
River Amour has never known freedom, only the cold walls of the orphanage and the weight of watching over her siblings she chose with her heart. Though she’s old enough to leave, she stays behind, unwilling to abandon those still trapped beneath the cruelty of the elders.
But when River encounters a mysterious creature deep in the forest, she’s offered a complete a challenge and her deepest wish will be granted. The task seems simple, deliver an ancient item to the creature. Yet the path leads her directly into the shadow of a king who hasn’t been seen in eighteen years… a ruler cloaked in secrets and silence.
As River steps into a world of hidden magic, dangerous bargains, and unraveling truths, she must decide how far she’s willing to go, and who she’s willing to trust, to give her siblings the freedom they deserve.
But when River encounters a mysterious creature deep in the forest, she’s offered a complete a challenge and her deepest wish will be granted. The task seems simple, deliver an ancient item to the creature. Yet the path leads her directly into the shadow of a king who hasn’t been seen in eighteen years… a ruler cloaked in secrets and silence.
As River steps into a world of hidden magic, dangerous bargains, and unraveling truths, she must decide how far she’s willing to go, and who she’s willing to trust, to give her siblings the freedom they deserve.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 14, 2025
9 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 18, 2026
First off, wow — what a beautiful debut from a new author! 🖤✨ This was such a cute romantasy, and I genuinely loved the heart of this story.
The plot was strong, magical, and emotionally engaging. You can really see the potential and talent in the writing, especially for a first book — which makes it even more impressive. I loved the dual POV and getting inside both characters’ heads.
That being said, there were a few moments that felt a little confusing for me. During some of the dialogue scenes, it wasn’t always clear who was speaking, so I had to double back a few times to make sure I knew who was responding. Also, some chapters didn’t clearly identify whose POV we were in, which made me pause and try to piece it together.
But overall? I truly enjoyed the plot, the world, and the writing style. For a debut romantasy, this was such a strong start and I’m excited to see what this author does next.
The plot was strong, magical, and emotionally engaging. You can really see the potential and talent in the writing, especially for a first book — which makes it even more impressive. I loved the dual POV and getting inside both characters’ heads.
That being said, there were a few moments that felt a little confusing for me. During some of the dialogue scenes, it wasn’t always clear who was speaking, so I had to double back a few times to make sure I knew who was responding. Also, some chapters didn’t clearly identify whose POV we were in, which made me pause and try to piece it together.
But overall? I truly enjoyed the plot, the world, and the writing style. For a debut romantasy, this was such a strong start and I’m excited to see what this author does next.
January 31, 2026
This is my honest review and at no point meant to discourage any continuation of this story.
This is the first book in the Wishes and Gifts Duology, but also Leanna’s first book she has written. While I did enjoy the majority of the story there were some inconsistencies, awkward time jumps that were not mentioned, and some repetition at times. Even with all of that in mind I do feel this has the makings of a good story and a good lead in for this duology.
I am also unsure if this was just an issue on my own Kindle app, but some capitalization was missing, awkward spaces added before a comma, and inconsistencies of chapters starting in the middle of the page. These issues did not play into my rating but I do want to point it out in case others have the same issues.
River is our 18 year old orphan heroine who just wants to help her chosen family live a better life and get them out of the orphanage. She ends up fighting with the orphanage owner, Mrs. Eda, so she can go into the Mossy Grove Forest where a dragon saves her from a creature that was going to kill her. She makes a deal with the dragon to go steal the king's magical orb in exchange for freeing her siblings from the orphanage. Upon sneaking into the castle she is found by the king, Nokoa, and is told the orb has already been stolen. Nakoa makes the same deal as the dragon and this puts them on a mission to find the orb.
Some inconsistencies I noticed was how her father is initially called a demon but later just called a half human half creature, his behavior is also inconsistent with him wanting her dead but with no real reason lets her live the next time he sees her then he wants to come back into her life. I am all for redemption but there is little shown of him to warrant any changes in his behavior. This also happens with River wanting to do everything to get her siblings out of the orphanage but then still leaving them there even after Nakoa said they could stay in the castle. Later on we learn that there is a law about any child under 18 having to stay in the orphanage but as the king, he should have been able to override that law or at least take them and protect them from punishment. Lemiria is also a victim of this flip flop behavior where she has so much hatred for River after Maylyns death but once River returns with the dragon it is as if she forgot all about that hatred and loves her again. There was also no real group discussion after River, Nakoa, and Maylyn got kidnapped? They went back to the castle as if nothing ever happened, and then Maylyn was kidnapped again with Lemiria.
Some time jumps do get noted at the start of the chapters but there is also a lot not mentioned. River starts to stay at the castle and with it only seeming like a few days pass, it actually longer as her and Wren start a Sunday routine? This also seems to happen with the wedding night but then 3 days later she is having morning sickness which wouldn’t happen within the same week of becoming pregnant. Nakoa is mentioned as the king who hides but also mentions how they have no money, yet as River becomes queen she wants to give away money that they shouldn’t have. I was also confused with the time period this would happen in with the mention of modern day things like cars, airplanes, and microwaves, yet they used a fireplace to heat chilli instead of a stove.
Some things also seemed like they were added in to help raise Rivers' anger and push her to keep going forward, but I did not understand why her father, who would only ever love her mother, had a child with a queen from a different kingdom. There is also no real information on these other kingdoms until she is crowned queen and they want them to give up their throne.
This is the first book in the Wishes and Gifts Duology, but also Leanna’s first book she has written. While I did enjoy the majority of the story there were some inconsistencies, awkward time jumps that were not mentioned, and some repetition at times. Even with all of that in mind I do feel this has the makings of a good story and a good lead in for this duology.
I am also unsure if this was just an issue on my own Kindle app, but some capitalization was missing, awkward spaces added before a comma, and inconsistencies of chapters starting in the middle of the page. These issues did not play into my rating but I do want to point it out in case others have the same issues.
River is our 18 year old orphan heroine who just wants to help her chosen family live a better life and get them out of the orphanage. She ends up fighting with the orphanage owner, Mrs. Eda, so she can go into the Mossy Grove Forest where a dragon saves her from a creature that was going to kill her. She makes a deal with the dragon to go steal the king's magical orb in exchange for freeing her siblings from the orphanage. Upon sneaking into the castle she is found by the king, Nokoa, and is told the orb has already been stolen. Nakoa makes the same deal as the dragon and this puts them on a mission to find the orb.
Some inconsistencies I noticed was how her father is initially called a demon but later just called a half human half creature, his behavior is also inconsistent with him wanting her dead but with no real reason lets her live the next time he sees her then he wants to come back into her life. I am all for redemption but there is little shown of him to warrant any changes in his behavior. This also happens with River wanting to do everything to get her siblings out of the orphanage but then still leaving them there even after Nakoa said they could stay in the castle. Later on we learn that there is a law about any child under 18 having to stay in the orphanage but as the king, he should have been able to override that law or at least take them and protect them from punishment. Lemiria is also a victim of this flip flop behavior where she has so much hatred for River after Maylyns death but once River returns with the dragon it is as if she forgot all about that hatred and loves her again. There was also no real group discussion after River, Nakoa, and Maylyn got kidnapped? They went back to the castle as if nothing ever happened, and then Maylyn was kidnapped again with Lemiria.
Some time jumps do get noted at the start of the chapters but there is also a lot not mentioned. River starts to stay at the castle and with it only seeming like a few days pass, it actually longer as her and Wren start a Sunday routine? This also seems to happen with the wedding night but then 3 days later she is having morning sickness which wouldn’t happen within the same week of becoming pregnant. Nakoa is mentioned as the king who hides but also mentions how they have no money, yet as River becomes queen she wants to give away money that they shouldn’t have. I was also confused with the time period this would happen in with the mention of modern day things like cars, airplanes, and microwaves, yet they used a fireplace to heat chilli instead of a stove.
Some things also seemed like they were added in to help raise Rivers' anger and push her to keep going forward, but I did not understand why her father, who would only ever love her mother, had a child with a queen from a different kingdom. There is also no real information on these other kingdoms until she is crowned queen and they want them to give up their throne.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2026
The Dragonfly Wish, by Leanna Amador, starts off like a very typical coming-of-age fantasy with a likable, headstrong young woman, River, living in an orphanage with her adopted siblings, Asher, Maylyn, and Lemiria. I don't know if I missed early signs, but I assumed at the start that it was a medieval setting, but later scenes introduced more modern technology, so maybe I just need to pay better attention.
The author is young and it shows. Fortunately, River is also young, so the point of view is a good fit.
Some of the writing needed a little clean-up. There are more adverbs than I prefer, and there were a lot of "she exclaimed" and "he muttered" attributions that drew my attention away from the story. It's okay just to say "she said" and "he said" once in a while, I promise.
Along with the modern technology, I was also surprised by the violent turn the story took about the halfway point. I was not expecting that, and it upset me. I cared about the characters and wasn't prepared for the turn. I am not against violence that's earned, but this felt like it came out of nowhere and it wasn't welcome. For a YA book, it is more than I am comfortable with. I'm a grown adult, and it was too much for me. Maybe kids are more resilient than I am. It wouldn't surprise me.
This is a good start to a series and has some fascinating worldbuilding. I am impressed by what this young author has accomplished, and I truly hope she keeps going. I wish I had been as talented as she is at her age. She's very gifted. Let's just stop bumping off the characters I like, though, okay?
4 Wanting-More-Light-Less-Violence Stars
The author is young and it shows. Fortunately, River is also young, so the point of view is a good fit.
Some of the writing needed a little clean-up. There are more adverbs than I prefer, and there were a lot of "she exclaimed" and "he muttered" attributions that drew my attention away from the story. It's okay just to say "she said" and "he said" once in a while, I promise.
Along with the modern technology, I was also surprised by the violent turn the story took about the halfway point. I was not expecting that, and it upset me. I cared about the characters and wasn't prepared for the turn. I am not against violence that's earned, but this felt like it came out of nowhere and it wasn't welcome. For a YA book, it is more than I am comfortable with. I'm a grown adult, and it was too much for me. Maybe kids are more resilient than I am. It wouldn't surprise me.
This is a good start to a series and has some fascinating worldbuilding. I am impressed by what this young author has accomplished, and I truly hope she keeps going. I wish I had been as talented as she is at her age. She's very gifted. Let's just stop bumping off the characters I like, though, okay?
4 Wanting-More-Light-Less-Violence Stars
January 23, 2026
I loved this book, the story line was amazing! The time period setting got a little confusing sometimes during the second half and some thoughts were repeated more than necessary but overall I thought it was great, tho it does get pretty sad at times.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews