Reviews with content warning for Incest - The Wishing Game

This is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory if JK Rowling were Willy Wonka and wrote more like Lemony Snicket and the prize was the only edition of a final book in the series.

Overall it was really enjoyable, I really liked Jack and Hugo but the main character, Lucy, grated on my nerves. She was too prideful and unforgiving to ask for help, at the expense of the boy she was trying to adopt. The pain of her past impeded her from moving forward with her life. And she was too wishful and unrealistic to think up a workable plan for fostering. I was very sympathetic to the annoyingly upbeat social worker I guess. Oh and I did love her friend Teresa.

I will say this was an odd mix of being a whimsical cozy read and having some jarring adult content. On the one hand it has all the bookish requirements: atmospheric and fantastical setting, thin and eccentric old man, cats and knitting, warm fuzzy feelings about novels. On the other hand, there is a reference to child rape which I thought was out of place and didn’t truly advance the plot and some drug and alcohol abuse references.

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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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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.

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yarnarh's review against another edition

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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

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