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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
3.0
“The stories write us, you see. We read something that moves us, touches us, speaks to us and it…it changes us.”
➽ The Wishing Game sounded so whimsical and magical, but in the end, I expected a bit more from it. I really liked the premise as we follow a young woman called Lucy, who participates in a game hosted by her favorite author. Jack Masterson wrote the famous Clock Island books but stopped writing for years. Now he's back with a new book and the four contestants have a chance of winning the only copy. I love books about books, so I loved getting to see the impact the Clock Island books had. For many kids they were like a safe haven, Lucy included, who grew up in a neglectful household.
➽ My favorite part of the book was the riddles and visiting Jack Masterson's home, an island reminiscent of the book series' main setting. I wish the game had started earlier, as it takes about 40-50% of the story to get to that point. I feel like the competition could have been a bigger focus, as it initially caught my interest. The first riddle was intriguing, but afterwards, we were simply told that they'd competed in the other games without seeing any of them. The final game was honestly a letdown, as it had nothing to do with cleverness or skill.It's literally 5 minutes to call someone and have them read you the words on a specific Clock Island book page. How is that a riddle or test of skill? In the end, no one gets it right because the time runs out, which feels like such a joke to me.
➽ For the most part I liked Lucy, a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher's aide who hopes to adopt a little boy called Christopher. She's trying to give him a loving home but has trouble saving up the money and getting a proper apartment/car for them. I understood why the social worker was sceptical, since Lucy's still living with college-aged people and doesn't have her own apartment. However, I could also understand Lucy's frustration that the system penalized anyone who is too poor. I liked how Lucy and Christopher connected to each other via the Clock Island books, but I felt like she was too intense about him at times. I know she cares about him, but she's calling herself his mother when by this time, she's still his teacher!
➽ I wasn't a fan of how Lucy's sister was handled. She was a sick, immuno-compromised kid and therefore got more attention while Lucy was neglected. However, Lucy still blames Angie for her childhood trauma, even though it was her parents who mistreated them. She doesn't even consider Angie's perspective and only finds out how she felt much later. Sure Angie said something hurtful in the past, but it didn't justify Lucy's years-long resentment, especially as she knew how sick her sister was. Parts of this felt so ableist and it annoyed me how Lucy made everything about herself. The ending also rubbed me the wrong way.Just when the sisters have reconciled, Angie falls ill again and only has a couple of months left to live. Lucy finally forgives her and includes her in her life again. I don't know why the author thought it would be a good idea to essentially use her disabled character to further the protagonist's character development only for them to die in the end.
➽ My favorite part of the book was the riddles and visiting Jack Masterson's home, an island reminiscent of the book series' main setting. I wish the game had started earlier, as it takes about 40-50% of the story to get to that point. I feel like the competition could have been a bigger focus, as it initially caught my interest. The first riddle was intriguing, but afterwards, we were simply told that they'd competed in the other games without seeing any of them. The final game was honestly a letdown, as it had nothing to do with cleverness or skill.
➽ For the most part I liked Lucy, a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher's aide who hopes to adopt a little boy called Christopher. She's trying to give him a loving home but has trouble saving up the money and getting a proper apartment/car for them. I understood why the social worker was sceptical, since Lucy's still living with college-aged people and doesn't have her own apartment. However, I could also understand Lucy's frustration that the system penalized anyone who is too poor. I liked how Lucy and Christopher connected to each other via the Clock Island books, but I felt like she was too intense about him at times. I know she cares about him, but she's calling herself his mother when by this time, she's still his teacher!
➽ I wasn't a fan of how Lucy's sister was handled. She was a sick, immuno-compromised kid and therefore got more attention while Lucy was neglected. However, Lucy still blames Angie for her childhood trauma, even though it was her parents who mistreated them. She doesn't even consider Angie's perspective and only finds out how she felt much later. Sure Angie said something hurtful in the past, but it didn't justify Lucy's years-long resentment, especially as she knew how sick her sister was. Parts of this felt so ableist and it annoyed me how Lucy made everything about herself. The ending also rubbed me the wrong way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Grief
fkshg8465's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol
knightylight's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia and Pedophilia
This book feels like a coming of age movie- but if coming of age happened when you were 26+- mixed with the feeling of watching a Hallmark Christmas Movie. There's a lot of heavy themes here, but there's also a lot of heart and fun moments too. A lot of these characters have been through a lot of terrible things- sadly not anything unusual in our day and age. But despite all of it, it's definitely a story about hope, and "finding your village" as the story puts it. This book is a good contemporary fiction for those wanting to be reminded of the importance of community and making wild wisheskarapillar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Eating disorder
caseylovett's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Abandonment
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