A review by manwithanagenda
The Collectors by Jacqueline West

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

FIrst of all, the good.
 
The squirrel was funny, and I liked the fact that our protagonist was a boy who's hard of hearing.
 
That's about it. The premise here is that there is a hidden world just below our own, in some cases literally. WIshes - true wishes are made under certain circumstances such as on a coin thrown into a fountain or in the breath blowing out a birthday candle - can come true with the help of a species of magical creature. These wishes can, obviously, be dangerous and have serious consequences, so there is a group of people, known as collectors, who collect these wishes and make sure they don't come true.
 
West makes a good attempt at covering the moral grey areas from a child's point of view, but the story never came together for me. It came off as a little slap-dashed, and I'm not looking forward to a sequel.
 
The Collectors
 
Next: 'Volume 2'