A review by jesssalexander
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

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

4.0

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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