Early Reader Review: A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

Source: From Librarything Early Reviewers and Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date:  March 24, 2020

 

Format: Paperback ARC

Rating:






Goodreads Synopsis: 

A boy on the run. A girl determined to find him. A compelling fantasy looks at issues of privilege, protest, and justice.
All light in Chattana is created by one man -- the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to bring peace and order to the city. For Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, the magical lights represent freedom, and he dreams of the day he will be able to walk among them. But when Pong escapes from prison, he realizes that the world outside is no fairer than the one behind bars. The wealthy dine and dance under bright orb light, while the poor toil away in darkness. Worst of all, Pong's prison tattoo marks him as a fugitive who can never be truly free.
Nok, the prison warden's perfect daughter, is bent on tracking Pong down and restoring her family's good name. But as Nok hunts Pong through the alleys and canals of Chattana, she uncovers secrets that make her question the truths she has always held dear. Set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world, Christina Soontornvat's twist on Victor Hugo's Les Miserables is a dazzling, fast-paced adventure that explores the difference between law and justice -- and asks whether one child can shine a light in the dark. 

Review: 
Apparently everybody loved this book and I just was fighting to get through it, which always makes me sad. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of book, but it fell a little short for me.

Overall, I liked this book but it was a little slow moving. The characters are very well developed and the the environment was very richly detailed. The setting was magical and I loved the world building but the way that it was written the climactic scenes were not as climactic as I would’ve liked them to be. 


Some things that I really enjoyed: 

• The world-building, it was beautiful, but I think that there was a lot of time spent there and not on the more important scenes. 
• The magical elements were really really well done. I liked the play on light as the magic and the play of light and darkness throughout the story. 
• The main character was brave, from beginning to end and while there was other growth as well, the bravery continuing as a plot theme was very consistent.

Some things that were eh:

• The plot seemed slow. There was a lot of world description and it was beautiful, but it slowed down the plot for me as a reader and I wanted more hype and movement
• SO many characters, it was hard to keep them straight, and it might have been because the names were Thai names and I am not that familiar with them.

Overall I really liked this take, the magic and world were wonderful, and the story was a very nice one, but I found it heard to stay engaged.