Kindle Edition Amazon Category:  Fantasy Pages: 500 Copyright: 6 November 2021 Women's fiction meets fantasy in this retelling of a lesser-known Grimm fairytale A Naiad makes an impossible wish, sending a ripple of effect through the land and binding to her magic the people from the nearby mill, and the village beyond. Unexpected twists of fate tie Naiya to Hilda, the miller's unhappy wife and, Amina, the baker's youngest daughter. Amina is flung into a daring adventure when Naiya's wish ensnares the love of Amina's life. Can she find a way to save Phillip from the watery depths? And what will she have to sacrifice to do so? Embark on a magical adventure of determination, heartbreak, and transformation. Be enchanted by this retelling of the Grimm Brothers' lesser-known tale, The Nixie of the Mill-pond.

Clean, imaginative retelling of a rare fairytale Nix of the Millpond from many POVs
I love Astrid V.J.’s books and Naiya’s Wish is no exception, especially with Amina’s adventures added towards the end (that part wasn’t in the Enchanted Kingdoms set where this book first appeared). This is a melancholy but hopeful clean retelling of a lesser known fairy-tale Nix of the Millpond from the POVs of the naiad, the miller’s wife and Amina, the love interest of the boy who was bargained away. Naiad’s loneliness makes her wish for her own child at any cost. When she overhears the miller’s wife has had 3 and is having a 4th, she wonders what have the humans done with the previous 3. When the destitute miller comes calling, the naiad offers to help at a price worthy of Rumplestiltskin. When the water spirit realises her mistake, the bargain cannot be unmade. I liked the angsty regretful beginning and the coming-of-age part where Amina finds her worth, her hope and her man. I loved the way the story developed and how different points of view were presented to the reader. This is a HEA story, even for the nix with a surprise twist in the end. Recommended for lovers of transformation stories, coming-of-age rare fairytales and slow burn clean romance (this is more of a side-thought).

A beautiful fairytale retelling
I had personally never even heard of The Nixie of the Mill-pond when I started reading this book. Normally, I prefer reading the original first, because I'm quite fond of comparative literature study. I chose not to do so in this case and let myself discover the story through Astrid V.J.'s writing. The story is not at all predictable, so I spent most of my time not knowing what was coming. After finishing the novel, I did read the original, and I have to say, I like the twist she gave to it!

Next to making these fairytale characters come to life by giving them names and full personalities, I also really appreciated the effect of the changes in narration. I was surprised by each switch and they really helped to weave together the tale. It cannot be straightforward to extend such a brief story in a full novel. But it never felt forced or stretched-out because you always got to know a new voice and a new perspective on the events. Kudos.

I also quite liked that, by also getting a part of the story told from Naiya's point of view, the author stepped away from the traditional the-other-as-monster motif from many fairytales.

Furthermore, I had not expected the topic of gender neutral pronouns to pop up. Naiads and some other magical beings are described as without gender and are referred to as "they". I don't think I've ever encountered this in a retelling, I like it!

I also quite appreciated one of the main characters, Amina. She's very real in her hopes and fears, and she's really determined to save the love of her live. Her growth throughout the years make the book feel like a Bildungsroman at some points, which I found quite interesting in combination with the quest novel elements and the fairytale elements.