A Wish in the Dark

By: Christina Soontornvat

Narrated by: Greta Jung

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

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 Misérables 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.

©2020 Christina Soontornvat, original book published by Candlewick Press. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Korean-American narrator Greta Jung vividly brings to life the rich dystopian Thai setting of this fantasy twist on Les Miserables.… Jung pays close attention to the intonation of long and difficult-to-pronounce names in the tonal Thai language. Distinct voices for each character give even more resonance to the emotional pull of their relationships." —AudioFile Magazine

Wish in the dark rating Mac Hays

It was the best OBOB book I have read so far. It is just interesting and intense and suprising and kinda sad. Best Book Ever!

Amazing book!

This book is great I loved listening while in the car on road trips! ( or any place )

PLEASE MAKE MORE !!

The speed of the reader

I did not like how extremely long it was and some of characters in the book

Great story, terrible narration

I agree fully with the previous reviewer. The way that Somkit is voiced doesn’t make sense for how the character is written at all. That, and nearly every time she reads the main characters name, it is said with such unnecessary force that it distracts from the context of the story.

Good story, but bad narrator

The story is fine, but the chosen narrator is difficult to listen to because of her cadence and some of the tones she adopts for the characters.

Horrible narration.

Voices were simply okay and then Somkit spoke and I learned that an absolute horrible voice can make it into narration. I've disliked narration voices before but then got use to them, but this one was absolutely horrid and my ears were offended every time.

5th grade

Better suited for 5th grade. subject matter more mature, not appropriate for lower than 6th. grade.

Good Book - Pretty Awful Narrator

I am reading a paperback copy of A Wish In the Dark to help my kids study for a statewide team book competition. My son a 3rd grader is listening to the audible. At times I listen with him, or listen on my own while I’m cleaning/multi-tasking. The book is great, but the narrator leaves a whole lot to be desired, besides what I’m assuming is a proper pronunciation of names, villages, etc. the narrator has the oddest cadence. When speaking for Nok, or Pong she voices them at a normal if not somewhat easy to follow pace. The other characters, and general narration is painfully slow. The narrator is atrocious at voices, especially male. In addition to the general slow cadence, there is a lack of feeling and emotion, and just all together bored tone. I recommend reading a physical copy of the book, and skipping this audible. It’s a beautiful story.i
If you are going to listen I found the speed at 1.30x to be just right.

Good book

Very good story line and lots of description words 10 out of 10 5 stars

Amazing story brought down by narration

I hate to leave a bad review but I feel in this case it’s warranted. This is an amazing story that we read as a family. Unfortunately, the narrator does a terrible job voicing one of the main characters, Somkit. He comes across as whiny and petulant for the entire story and reading the text, I don’t feel that was the author’s intention at all. Quite frankly it was grating on our ears, but having paid for it, we stayed the course. My recommendation is to do this as a read aloud or just read the book.