Reviews tagging 'Incest'

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

18 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A friend recently asked for a recommendation for a feel-good book. Told her to read this one. Definitely a warm and fuzzy, and everything gets tied in a nice bow, though there are a few story strands that probably weren’t necessary. I really liked the lawyer character, even though she really only had a small supporting role.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

yarnarh's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It’s a wonderful cozy book. Things I have issues with

- The way Lucy was so obsessed with Christopher. It doesn’t scream I love you, more like I’m obsessed and I can’t live without you.
- The age gap between Lucy and Hugo. 8 years age gap is quite a lot. I mean it make sense that Hugo have to be 21 to make his own decision and live on an island with an old man. But 13 and 21 feels like a huge gap. 
- luring kids to his clock island. He is an adult. He should know how gullible and naive little kids are. And if a Hogwarts letter come to my house as a kid I would have do whatever I can to get there.

Other than that, I love the book. Heartwarming, and magical

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mdavis26's review

Go to review page

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

alastaire's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tcameron85's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Jack gives a bit of a Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) impression but with the best of intentions for his "kids."

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sheryl's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

gholdreith's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

laurenabeth's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

I don’t have words for how much I enjoyed this book, but I will try. It feels like Willy Wonka and Nothing to See Here and The House in the Cerulean Sea had an eccentric lovechild. 

Spellbound. I am spellbound. Giddy. Gleeful. Childlike. I don’t believe I have ever been childlike, but this book is that kind of transformative. It put fuel in my tank; it brightened my darkness; it lifted me from my misery. This is the most magical book that doesn’t include magic, the most whimsical book that I don’t think ever used the word “whimsy,” and the most gratifyingly crafted prose I’ve read in years. 

I can barely contain my joy to review this, except to say it was un-put-downable. I timed my reading session, and I blew through this in 5.28 hours. This is the most valuable 5.28 hours I’ve spent in ages. 

Teacher’s aid Lucy is selected with a few other strangers to play a game at the remote home of a reclusive children’s author and his despondent illustrator. Questions and riddles and mysteries follow, but there are bigger prizes at stake…

You love Lucy. You love Jack. You’re praying that Christopher gets what he deserves, and you hope that Hugo gets that too. This is a story about the power of wishes and the fact that wishes aren’t granted, they’re chased. They are breathed into life by the mind and then hunted down and made manifest by sheer force of will and determination. And even then, you don’t get what you wish for, you get what you deserve. 

This is a book about books, about love and hope, about found  family and the power of fantasy. It’s a story within a story maybe within another story, and each ending feels like the warm sun on your face after a winter of gloom. 

Trigger warning for various forms of child abuse, neglect, illness, bigotry. But for the love of all things holy and unholy, read this. I burst into tears around page 245, and haven’t stopped crying since. It’ll be the fastest thing you’ll read, and the thing you put at the top of your re-read list. I never re-read anything, but I already can’t wait to read this again. 

It’s not too heavy, not too light, and is as near to perfectly charming as a book can be. A million stars, a million likes, a million thanks. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...