Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Wishing Game

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

128 reviews

dkamada's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Really sweet story, seems like it’s targeted at a slightly younger audience, but I appreciate a feel good story where everyone gets their wish in the end

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kimveach's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was such a lovely book. I wish I could explain why I liked it so much, but it's really more of a feeling.

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demara_crim's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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nataliebootlah's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This read like a children’s book for adults. It was both whimsical and wholesome, but certainly not realistic. And perhaps that’s the point.

I loved that the story revolved around children who fell in love with books and, within those books, found a place to belong. I did get Willy Wonka vibes in that I couldn’t quite tell if I should like the beloved author of the famous Clock Island book series or be slightly creeped out by his need to save children. Yet the story was endearing. A young woman hopes to adopt a precious, traumatized boy. An elderly author hopes to save the now-adult children who long ago ran away to beloved Clock Island.

Although The Wishing Game is marketed as adult fiction, it felt more YA to me. This one’s for you if you’re looking for a quick, imaginative read with familial trauma, riddles and rhymes, found family, and unique characters.

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sangsmiles's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

From the start, I’ve had an apprehensive relationship with this book. It caught my eye when it dropped as a Book of the Month selection. I ultimately passed on it because I couldn’t determine if it would be something I would enjoy. I liked the premise but after seeing so many fantasy tags, I decided to put it on the back burner (and eventually bought the Kindle version). When a buddy read opportunity came up I figured I’d finally put my curiosity at rest.

In the style of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Jack Masterson holds a contest at his home, Clock Island, which is the backdrop of his famed children’s books. The prize is his newest book in the ‘Clock Island’ series — the only copy. Four contestants all have their reasons for wanting to win, however, the story focuses heavily on the contestant Lucy Hart. She hopes to win the book especially for her young student Christopher. Though she knows it’s merely wishful thinking, she hopes to adopt him.

I feel like a lot of good intentions went into this book… but they came out in all of the wrong ways. Lucy’s relationship with Christopher is unhealthy and, frankly, inappropriate. Not in an abusive sense, rather, she’s imposed herself into his life, taking on the role of mother when she is hardly in a position to take care of herself let alone a child. Very much on the surface, it’s a sweet bond, especially connecting through the ‘Clock Island’ books, but when you look at the situation, it’s unsettling, especially in today’s climate.

Another instance of this is with Jack admitting that he’d always wanted a child and was not in a time, place, or situation that would allow him. But it goes beyond that. This man received letters from children, many of them along with their wishes (as per the theme of his books). Sadly, many of these wishes centered around tragic home lives… to which Jack would reply with what many people would point out as a red flag in the real world. Despite that, we are left to assume his intentions were good-hearted. To go even further, we hear about an occurrence with one child who took up one of his offers to live with him on ‘Clock Island’.

Were there some scenes I got sucked into? Enjoyed? Definitely. Did they matter in the greater scheme of the book? Sadly, no, and I can only recall the details of one of them due to it being a buddy read discussion. The book lacked direction as a whole. At the beginning of the book I thought it was going to be multiple POVs, then the focus on Lucy took over, and then the other contestants seemed to be mostly forgotten as Hugo and Lucy’s friendship grew. (Some of that early stuff is likely on me as I was under the weather, but given how the book progressed, I stand by it.) On top of this, I found the characters superficial, albeit, not without potential. Unfortunately, those characters with the most promise have the major strikes against them that I’ve already mentioned.

Lastly, there is a strong YA voice presented in the writing, which is fine and complements the plot, however, it’s not being marketed as such. Even making Lucy say, 20, would explain the way she presents herself (to a certain degree). I’m also confused as to why this is being so heavily tagged as fantasy. I’d say there are whimsical elements at best but it is otherwise very much a piece of contemporary fiction.

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brebeingwell's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 ⭐

If you are looking for a heartfelt read, this should be at the top of your list. This follows Lucy, a woman who made the same poor decisions we all do in our young adulthood, who now wants to foster and adopt a child that she has bonded with, but is unable to due to financial instability. Through a contest held by her favorite childhood author, she attempts to win a prize that would be the key to all of her dreams.

For me, this felt like right book at the right time. As someone who has dealt with infertility and the struggled with the desire to be a mother, this book hit harder than it might for most people. The Wishing Game explores hard topics with a gentle hand. It created a safe space to explore the concepts and feelings regarding feeling like a failure, making mistakes in life, financial instability, infertility, grief, fostering children, abusive romantic and familial relationships, and so much more.

Although the story was powerful, I do think that there were a few things that kept it from being a full 5 ⭐ for me. The game portion felt a bit slow compared to the beginning of the book. I also thought the conclusion to the game, while complete and there were no plot holes, left me wishing for something more dynamic. That's not to say it was not enjoyable, I fully enjoyed almost every moment of my journey through The Wishing Game and can see myself suggesting it to many readers in the future.

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