A Wish in the Dark

By: Christina Soontornvat

Narrated by: Greta Jung

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

Excellent story

Thoroughly enjoyed this unique story! It was excellent in every way! Just didn’t like the voice of the character, Somkit.

bung if that is how you spell his n

I didn't like how the best characters die so quickly like I get that they die but I wish they were in it for a little bit longer

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!

the whole thing

I loved the voices I don't know what els to say it was so good I should read it again

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

My daughter likes this story

Good book and the story is interesting
My daughter can’t stop listening ! She bags for more and more before she goes to bed

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.