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novaturient_bibliophile's review
4.75
This book truly blew me away with how amazing it was. It was full of so many weirdly incredible twists and turns that I was constantly kept on my toes. Not to mention how much subtle genius is contained within the threading of the plot and the mythology. Honestly, this book checked so many boxes for me: found family, queer characters and relationships, breathtakingly eerie magic, and complex storytelling. My only complaint is that it took me a bit of time to get into the book; at first, I found it difficult to keep all of the characters and perspectives straight, and the writing style was definitely an acquired taste for me (although it was very distinctive). While this book did confuse me at some parts, at the end everything came together beautifully. My favorite aspect, though, would have to be all of the quirks given to characters, even the minor ones; it really made them feel more relatable and fleshed-out.
This book very much reminded me of the All Our Hidden Gifts trilogy by Caroline O’Donoghue.
This book very much reminded me of the All Our Hidden Gifts trilogy by Caroline O’Donoghue.
brianne_k's review against another edition
3.0
*3/5*
I read this in one day, so it was compulsively readable.. And I liked how everything tied together in the end.
I wish the 3 different POV's were more distinct.. there were all FPP.. And sometimes I had to double check whose perspective I was reading from because they were so similar.
I loved the magical realism, and the spell.
good representation.. a WOC, a girl with a hearing aid, 2 of the girls are bi and another girl who I believe is a lesbian, but it wasn't strictly stated. none of these were used for shock factors, which was nice.
I read this in one day, so it was compulsively readable.. And I liked how everything tied together in the end.
I wish the 3 different POV's were more distinct.. there were all FPP.. And sometimes I had to double check whose perspective I was reading from because they were so similar.
I loved the magical realism, and the spell.
good representation.. a WOC, a girl with a hearing aid, 2 of the girls are bi and another girl who I believe is a lesbian, but it wasn't strictly stated. none of these were used for shock factors, which was nice.
edkohen's review
3.0
It started out well. It got clumsy about 3/4 through and the wind up was preachy.
caseyflemingo's review
2.0
I wish I liked this more, the cast of characters is pretty diverse, and there’s so many elements I really like in a book, but it just wasn’t for me. The story is too convoluted, there might be too many perspectives and characters for me to really connect to any of them, and it’s got this spooky vibe the entire time that just doesn’t mix well with me, the biggest baby in the world hahaha.
I picked this book up on title alone because I thought it’d be a really fun and cute witchy tale and it wasn’t quite that.
I picked this book up on title alone because I thought it’d be a really fun and cute witchy tale and it wasn’t quite that.
halesnbooks's review
3.0
lost: bookmark (ripped corner of ulta magazine)
found: a new interest in cryptic crosswords
3.5⭐️
i really enjoyed this! i loved the characters and everything was so spooky and confusing and strange. it didn’t make much sense.
it did drag at times but i really liked the ending and who laurel, ash and holly turned out to be (: i thought it was cute!
found: a new interest in cryptic crosswords
3.5⭐️
i really enjoyed this! i loved the characters and everything was so spooky and confusing and strange. it didn’t make much sense.
it did drag at times but i really liked the ending and who laurel, ash and holly turned out to be (: i thought it was cute!
skconaghan's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
a_mae13's review
2.5
“Be careful what you wish for; not all lost things should be found.”
I definitely have mixed feelings about this book. It was a very slow burn with way too many characters and split POVs. The last quarter of the book more or less made up for the the drag. We have the POVs of three girls, Olive, Hazel, and Laurel. I don't care about Laurel's stories whatsoever; the entire premise of her POV is that someone stole her diary and classmates read it out loud during the school day. While this is a YA book, that specific plot felt extremely juvenile. Laurel and her best friends, Ash and Holly, find The Spellbook of the Lost and Found and decide to cast the spell to get back their diaries. In the process, they meet Jude, a boy who seemingly lives in the forest.
The majority of the book focuses on Olive and Hazel, which was much more enjoyable than Laurel and her friends. Olive and her best friend Rose go to a party where everyone is horribly wasted. After the party, they both seem to be "losing" things that are important to them. Everyone at the party lost something, and this plotline continues throughout the book. Olive begins to notice her mother saying strange things to her, like "stay away from that boy, he's lost more than you realize." She shrugs these things off until the duo meet Hazel.
Hazel lives in an abandoned housing plan with her twin brother Rowan and her best friend Ivy (even more characters). The trio is under the guardianship of Mags Maguire, who is a friend of Ivy's family. When Olive and Rose meet Hazel, Rowan, and Ivy, the group discovers that they are all missing things, and suddenly diary pages start to appear in place of their lost things. The diary pages are from Laurel, her lost diary. They believe that the three girls cast the spell on the night of the party, which is why the town keeps losing things.It's revealed that Rose was raped by a boy named Cathal Murdock at the party where things started to go missing . The group believes that if they cast the spell again, they can get back the things they've lost. Hazel and Rowan come from a broken home, with an abusive father and timid mother. Ivy never knew her father. Rose is missing who she was before the party, and Olive just plays along.
Naturally, after the spell is cast, all chaos breaks lose. Cathal Murdock is now missing. Olive's sister Emily and her best friend (again more characters) are both missing. The group is experiencing very strange encounters, including meeting Ash, Laurel's friend.As the plot ramps up, we discover that the diary pages from Laurel were actually from 20+ years ago. Laurel is Olive's mother. Ash is the mother of Hazel and Rowan. And Holly is Ivy's mother. I didn't love this plot twist because it felt rushed being thrown in at the end. We learn that Ash married Jude, the alleged lost soul living in the forest, and that he's also the father to Ivy. Ivy and Rowan had a fling, unknowingly committing incest. Mags Maguire finds Emily and Chloe and returns them home. Ash is found alive and well in rehab. Everything sort of just, ends.
I didn't think I would like this book, but after reading it, I'm torn. The magic system is random and confusing. The plot twists are there but rushed. And we have several characters that we learn very little about. Is Jude really a lost soul? Who is Mags? Did Jude father Olive, too? Did everything just go back to normal after re-casting the spell? I was more intrigued by the end of the novel than the majority of the content, but I finished it and thought it was a fun, strange read.
I definitely have mixed feelings about this book. It was a very slow burn with way too many characters and split POVs. The last quarter of the book more or less made up for the the drag. We have the POVs of three girls, Olive, Hazel, and Laurel. I don't care about Laurel's stories whatsoever; the entire premise of her POV is that someone stole her diary and classmates read it out loud during the school day. While this is a YA book, that specific plot felt extremely juvenile. Laurel and her best friends, Ash and Holly, find The Spellbook of the Lost and Found and decide to cast the spell to get back their diaries. In the process, they meet Jude, a boy who seemingly lives in the forest.
The majority of the book focuses on Olive and Hazel, which was much more enjoyable than Laurel and her friends. Olive and her best friend Rose go to a party where everyone is horribly wasted. After the party, they both seem to be "losing" things that are important to them. Everyone at the party lost something, and this plotline continues throughout the book. Olive begins to notice her mother saying strange things to her, like "stay away from that boy, he's lost more than you realize." She shrugs these things off until the duo meet Hazel.
Hazel lives in an abandoned housing plan with her twin brother Rowan and her best friend Ivy (even more characters). The trio is under the guardianship of Mags Maguire, who is a friend of Ivy's family. When Olive and Rose meet Hazel, Rowan, and Ivy, the group discovers that they are all missing things, and suddenly diary pages start to appear in place of their lost things. The diary pages are from Laurel, her lost diary. They believe that the three girls cast the spell on the night of the party, which is why the town keeps losing things.
Naturally, after the spell is cast, all chaos breaks lose. Cathal Murdock is now missing. Olive's sister Emily and her best friend (again more characters) are both missing. The group is experiencing very strange encounters, including meeting Ash, Laurel's friend.
I didn't think I would like this book, but after reading it, I'm torn. The magic system is random and confusing. The plot twists are there but rushed. And we have several characters that we learn very little about. Is Jude really a lost soul? Who is Mags? Did Jude father Olive, too? Did everything just go back to normal after re-casting the spell? I was more intrigued by the end of the novel than the majority of the content, but I finished it and thought it was a fun, strange read.