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A review by actual_hobbit
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book!
I recommend The Wishing Game as a relaxing beach read for any book-lover needing a nostalgic escape.
As a child who spent every waking minute glued to a chapter book, I got pulled so easily into the nostalgia and whimsy of The Wishing Game. Imagine getting to relive your favorite series as an adult! Clock Island’s hidden treasures and mysterious locations felt real to me, and I love how the author captured the sense of childlike wonder with this special setting.
Though I didn’t feel strong ties to the characters themselves, I enjoyed watching Lucy, Hugo, and Jack grow each in their own way. Though painfully naive in the beginning, Lucy learns that hope sometimes means accepting help from others and swallowing a bit of pride. Polar opposites Hugo and Jack learn to balance dreaming and reality.
This book deals with some emotional topics - the foster system, death, and parental neglect to name a few - but it’s not a mood-killer at all. As the reader, you come away a little bit lighter with a hopeful feeling at the end.
Maybe it’s because I got so nostalgic, or maybe it’s just my taste as a reader, but I felt that some portions of this book were underdeveloped. The contest itself feels too quick, and there’s a good bit of pages spent developing a romance that honestly didn’t feel needed. There were times when I felt things were rushed, or maybe edited back from the original copy. I was disappointed by that, but the concept kept me reading until the end.
Listen to my discussion of The Wishing Game on Books Are Magical Podcast. https://linktr.ee/booksaremagical
I recommend The Wishing Game as a relaxing beach read for any book-lover needing a nostalgic escape.
As a child who spent every waking minute glued to a chapter book, I got pulled so easily into the nostalgia and whimsy of The Wishing Game. Imagine getting to relive your favorite series as an adult! Clock Island’s hidden treasures and mysterious locations felt real to me, and I love how the author captured the sense of childlike wonder with this special setting.
Though I didn’t feel strong ties to the characters themselves, I enjoyed watching Lucy, Hugo, and Jack grow each in their own way. Though painfully naive in the beginning, Lucy learns that hope sometimes means accepting help from others and swallowing a bit of pride. Polar opposites Hugo and Jack learn to balance dreaming and reality.
This book deals with some emotional topics - the foster system, death, and parental neglect to name a few - but it’s not a mood-killer at all. As the reader, you come away a little bit lighter with a hopeful feeling at the end.
Maybe it’s because I got so nostalgic, or maybe it’s just my taste as a reader, but I felt that some portions of this book were underdeveloped. The contest itself feels too quick, and there’s a good bit of pages spent developing a romance that honestly didn’t feel needed. There were times when I felt things were rushed, or maybe edited back from the original copy. I was disappointed by that, but the concept kept me reading until the end.
Listen to my discussion of The Wishing Game on Books Are Magical Podcast. https://linktr.ee/booksaremagical
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Chronic illness, and Homophobia