A review by amothersmusings1
The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams by Victoria Williamson

5.0

I sooo wish I’d had “The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams” to read when I was younger. I’d have relished this story with gusto and would have ensured my reading buddy’s knew all about it! I greedily devoured this now as an adult, reliving a past youth of fanciful tales of folklore and weird and wonderful fairytales.  Aimed at an audience of 8 - 12 years olds (and young minded adults) - I would caution on too young a reader, as there are some tense and uncomfortable moments (as the story requires) but for me this all added to the brilliance of the story, by incorporating such anxious childish horror with an entertaining and emotional fun story. 

I loved the characters especially the ‘sack boy’ Burble, who I related in my mind as a cross between Gollum, a Toy Story character and a cuddly teddy bear.  The unique establishment of the ‘Daydream Delicatessen’ was a remarkable place, giving off vibes of ‘Hansel and Gretel’. The ‘StorkHouse Services’ were like child catchers, reclaiming children from families who could no longer pay rent for them. 

The charcoal illustrations by James Brown throughout, were a perfect accompaniment to the story, which requires a vivid imagination in order to conjure the fantastical images and these really helped to clarify, exactly what the author intended for the reader to visualise. 

It’s a very long time since I enjoyed such escapism, the author Victoria Williamson truly took me on a wild rollercoaster of an adventure in the village of ‘Witchetty Hollow’ and if you have kids suitable for the age of this book, I’d definitely recommend “The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams”, it’s a delightfully gothic and hugely atmospheric read, that for me isn’t anything else other than 5 stars! 

#ThePawnshopOfStolenDreams - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️