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swirlnswing's review against another edition
4.0
A little creepy, a lot quirky, and compulsively readable. I enjoyed this story, and Van's character development. What a fun middle grade novel!
#QuarantineReads
#QuarantineReads
jenwestpfahl's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Always hard to rate middle grade books but this was enjoyable and my 6th grader loved it. We will read the sequel together.
roshnara's review against another edition
4.0
The book opens with a spider scuttling away with the birthday wish of an eight year old tucked safely in a bit of webbing. From here we're swept into the world of the wish collectors - people whose responsibility it is to, well, collect the wishes made by people in order to maintain order in the world. Our protagonist Van inadvertently enters their world and learns a thing or two about wishes, wish eaters (that grant the wishes they eat) and the battle between the people who store the wishes and those who grant them.
This is a well thought out book that does not talk down to the children it is aimed at - it is clever and insightful, and handles disability beautifully (Van is hearing impaired). It was a fun book to read, and even though I am well above the age limit of the intended audience, I will be on the lookout for the second part of the book once it releases.
This is a well thought out book that does not talk down to the children it is aimed at - it is clever and insightful, and handles disability beautifully (Van is hearing impaired). It was a fun book to read, and even though I am well above the age limit of the intended audience, I will be on the lookout for the second part of the book once it releases.
nicole_dust's review against another edition
4.0
Jacqueline West is probably one of the best MG authors out there, and I think this book, plus her Books of Elsewhere series, prove it.
For instance. We have:
-A boy protagonist who is hard of hearing (honestly I love Van so much. I never got tired of reading in his POV)
-Lovely prose
-Mysterious societies that seem to be morally grey but really aren't as much as you think
-ADORABLE CREATURES WHO GRANT WISHES and then turn into giant psycho monsters but it's fine XD
-have I mentioned that Van can talk to animals? well, he can talk to animals
-Wish granting gone horribly wrong
-Some excellent side character plots that were way more developed than most MG subplots
<3 <3 <3 I cannot wait for book 2!
For instance. We have:
-A boy protagonist who is hard of hearing (honestly I love Van so much. I never got tired of reading in his POV)
-Lovely prose
-Mysterious societies that seem to be morally grey but really aren't as much as you think
-ADORABLE CREATURES WHO GRANT WISHES and then turn into giant psycho monsters but it's fine XD
-have I mentioned that Van can talk to animals? well, he can talk to animals
-Wish granting gone horribly wrong
-Some excellent side character plots that were way more developed than most MG subplots
<3 <3 <3 I cannot wait for book 2!
always_reading_a_novel's review against another edition
5.0
Great book!
This book was great! I loved the story and I’m looking forward to reading the next book, as well as any others published by this author!
This book was great! I loved the story and I’m looking forward to reading the next book, as well as any others published by this author!
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
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'
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'
cailybaily20's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book. Read it in only a few days. Had a very fun Neil Gaiman vibe.
penwiper's review against another edition
3.0
2.5-3. For a book I considered dnf’ing this turned out more fun than I had anticipated. Younger readers would probably enjoy this.
My problem is with the MC’s basic wishy-washy reaction to things (characters: do this thing for us! van: I’m not sure I can/should! Characters: it’s ok you’re totally special and unique! Van: You’re right! I can be SuperVan, let me at it![this happens between at least two opposing groups of people]) and the last page’s unreasonable musings about his friend bring things down for me.
Also he treats his Mom like garbage and only thinks of himself for most of the book. If I was his Mom I’d have him on a leash. At least he’s not an orphan and his Mom actually cares about him??
I don’t think I will read more despite the final ending which perked things up a bit.
My problem is with the MC’s basic wishy-washy reaction to things (characters: do this thing for us! van: I’m not sure I can/should! Characters: it’s ok you’re totally special and unique! Van: You’re right! I can be SuperVan, let me at it![this happens between at least two opposing groups of people]) and the last page’s unreasonable musings about his friend bring things down for me.
Also he treats his Mom like garbage and only thinks of himself for most of the book. If I was his Mom I’d have him on a leash. At least he’s not an orphan and his Mom actually cares about him??
I don’t think I will read more despite the final ending which perked things up a bit.
somethewiser's review against another edition
4.0
The Collectors is a wonderfully imagined book! It's well written with characters you can root for. It would make a great family read-aloud, but is definitely a thrilling page turner even for young readers on their own.
Full review on my blog
Full review on my blog