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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
This is the second most confusing book I've ever read, the first being The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert. To be honest, both these began so amazingly, I considered, in both their cases, would go to my favorite books file in Goodreads. But in both cases, I decided to read until the end to make any firm decision. And boy, I was glad I waited. Because both these books confused me so much with their third acts, I couldn't wait to finish the books, so I could get out of the story.
Spellbook began with very interesting way. The story is described by three narrators, Olive, Hazel and Laurel. Though Olive and Hazel later cross paths, Laurel never meets them. But what connects them is the titular spellbook. It all starts at one summer party, the town's traditional summer bonfire party, where things begin to go lost. Small trinkets and junks at first, soon the lost things begin to impact the characters. The first to use the spellbook for their lost diary pages are Laurel and her best friends, Ash and Holly. Soon, the spell cast begins to affect the rest of the characters; Olive and her best friend, Rose; Hazel and her twin brother, Rowan and their best friend, Ivy. Soon, the town is fogged by the cast spell and people begin to go lost too. Olive and Hazel, once their paths crossed, decide to find the things they lost at the summer party and afterwards. And trying find the lost things, they begin to lose much more from their lives.
I won't spill spoilers here but let's just say, this book soon turns into a lesser confusing (but still confusing nonetheless) version of The Hazel Wood. The forest and the lake setting alongside the hallucinations and illusions cause confusions in both the characters and the readers. Like The Hazel Wood, many plot threads remain loose at the end, tied loosely by guesstimating. Though The Hazel Wood has a sequel now, this book doesn't.
But one boost point I'll give this book is its portrayal of diverse characters. Rose, Hazel and Olive are bisexual (Hazel may be pansexual, I'm not sure), while Olive is partially deaf and plus sized. Meanwhile Rose is mixed race. The book also shows a healthy portrayal of caring and present parents and also a stark and poignantly painful portrayal of neglecting, abusive parents. Which is why I give this book two more stars, making it three stars instead of one.
In the end, though the characters were well developed and diverse, and the book gave a delectable atmospheric feel, I still couldn't give it more than three stars, thus writing this short review. If you cannot stomach vague and confusing stories, this is not your book.
Spellbook began with very interesting way. The story is described by three narrators, Olive, Hazel and Laurel. Though Olive and Hazel later cross paths, Laurel never meets them. But what connects them is the titular spellbook. It all starts at one summer party, the town's traditional summer bonfire party, where things begin to go lost. Small trinkets and junks at first, soon the lost things begin to impact the characters. The first to use the spellbook for their lost diary pages are Laurel and her best friends, Ash and Holly. Soon, the spell cast begins to affect the rest of the characters; Olive and her best friend, Rose; Hazel and her twin brother, Rowan and their best friend, Ivy. Soon, the town is fogged by the cast spell and people begin to go lost too. Olive and Hazel, once their paths crossed, decide to find the things they lost at the summer party and afterwards. And trying find the lost things, they begin to lose much more from their lives.
I won't spill spoilers here but let's just say, this book soon turns into a lesser confusing (but still confusing nonetheless) version of The Hazel Wood. The forest and the lake setting alongside the hallucinations and illusions cause confusions in both the characters and the readers. Like The Hazel Wood, many plot threads remain loose at the end, tied loosely by guesstimating. Though The Hazel Wood has a sequel now, this book doesn't.
But one boost point I'll give this book is its portrayal of diverse characters. Rose, Hazel and Olive are bisexual (Hazel may be pansexual, I'm not sure), while Olive is partially deaf and plus sized. Meanwhile Rose is mixed race. The book also shows a healthy portrayal of caring and present parents and also a stark and poignantly painful portrayal of neglecting, abusive parents. Which is why I give this book two more stars, making it three stars instead of one.
In the end, though the characters were well developed and diverse, and the book gave a delectable atmospheric feel, I still couldn't give it more than three stars, thus writing this short review. If you cannot stomach vague and confusing stories, this is not your book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book - it was strange, mysterious, captivating at times and kept me reading from page one, kept on making me guessing, trying to put all of the pieces of a puzzle together. I liked this mysterious atmosphere in rainy Ireland, the characters were all interesting, even if I would have liked to know Rose a little bit more. I liked the natural diversity of this book as well. Overall, a refreshing, fun and mysterious read I would recommend for fans of magical realism :)
Full review will be coming soon :)
Full review will be coming soon :)
dark
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Originally read this in 2018 and didn't enjoy it that much. I'm so glad I gave it another chance. Magical realism isn't a genre I usually enjoy, but this book's take on it is fantastic. The characters were interesting and fun, and the story was mysterious and exciting. Plus, the romance between Rose and Hazel was so unexpected but I LOVED it. Ugh, and that ending-
Even though I slowly recalled the ending as I read the book, it was still so good. It's an exciting story, with a forest setting that is spooky but fascinating, and with an ending that has a surprisingly impactful ending.
Even though I slowly recalled the ending as I read the book, it was still so good. It's an exciting story, with a forest setting that is spooky but fascinating, and with an ending that has a surprisingly impactful ending.
I've never read a book that left me with this many mixed feelings. I liked it. The plot twist was nice and made the book worth the read because I was really contemplating giving it a 1 star review up until about 4/5th of the way.
The significant twist made the horribly slow pacing worth it but I feel like another 40ish pages of ending is necessary. The author left me with so many questions that I felt were unanswered. Here's a list:
Was Rowan actually romantically involved with Ivy (who we find out in like the last 4 pages is his half-sister)?
What is Mags and did she have a hand in this like it was eluded to?
Wtf happened to the blonde boy who went missing in the 90s?
Wtf happened to Rose's assailant?
Why did the boy who went missing in the 90s appear to Olive in the beginning?
Did Rowans and Hazels mom get better?
Is their dad dead?
Why did Olives mom say to burn the book if it just disappears?
Wtf was Jude? Was he just a random boy who blew into town or ... a spirit or something?
Was Olive hallucinating her mother and others speaking about the book/diary or not?
Why was her mom looking for her diary all of a sudden?
Another complaint that I have is the pacing of the romance in this book. Rose and Hazel's relationship seemed to be decently paced and there was a build up to it. Rowan and Olive however... I saw the chemistry but it just sort of happened and his previous relationship with Ivy is never explained or given closure.
Overall this book wasn't a complete waste of time and I really enjoyed the concept behind it as a whole but the ending left me unsatisfied and with many, many questions. A simple epilog would have been enough to tie up some of those loose ends or maybe an additional 100 pages or so.
The significant twist made the horribly slow pacing worth it but I feel like another 40ish pages of ending is necessary. The author left me with so many questions that I felt were unanswered. Here's a list:
Was Rowan actually romantically involved with Ivy (who we find out in like the last 4 pages is his half-sister)?
What is Mags and did she have a hand in this like it was eluded to?
Wtf happened to the blonde boy who went missing in the 90s?
Wtf happened to Rose's assailant?
Why did the boy who went missing in the 90s appear to Olive in the beginning?
Did Rowans and Hazels mom get better?
Is their dad dead?
Why did Olives mom say to burn the book if it just disappears?
Wtf was Jude? Was he just a random boy who blew into town or ... a spirit or something?
Was Olive hallucinating her mother and others speaking about the book/diary or not?
Why was her mom looking for her diary all of a sudden?
Another complaint that I have is the pacing of the romance in this book. Rose and Hazel's relationship seemed to be decently paced and there was a build up to it. Rowan and Olive however... I saw the chemistry but it just sort of happened and his previous relationship with Ivy is never explained or given closure.
Overall this book wasn't a complete waste of time and I really enjoyed the concept behind it as a whole but the ending left me unsatisfied and with many, many questions. A simple epilog would have been enough to tie up some of those loose ends or maybe an additional 100 pages or so.
Spellbook of the Lost and Found tells the story of a small Irish town where people’s belongings mysteriously go missing after an annual bonfire party. Best friends Olive and Rose are inexplicably drawn to a group of teen squatters living nearby, and it becomes apparent that something larger and not-of-this-world might just be at play here.
This was ethereal, magical, whimsical, and beautiful. Spellbook of the Lost and Found consistently blurs the line between magic and magical realism; you never can tell when reading this book just what is and isn’t real. And when you surrender yourself to believing in the unreal, you then begin to question whether what’s happening is happening in our world. Moira Fowley-Doyle’s writing is so beautiful and elegant, and made me want to escape to this atmospheric magical little town.
The representation is also fucking fantastic, with on-page bisexuality, POC, queer sex, displacement/homelessness, physical disability, and discussion of consent, abuse, and toxic relationships. It never reads as tokenistic and everything feels like an authentic lived experience; it doesn’t ever feel as if the author is trying to be diverse for the sake of it.
I did guess two of the major twists long before they happened, but the way in which Fowley-Doyle connected all the dots was unexpected and interesting to watch. I do feel that the resolution was rushed and convenient; I would’ve liked a little more time spent connecting the dots in a more elegant way, rather than characters providing explanations via sudden word vomit. Additionally, I did feel the characters lacked their own distinct voices, and I found myself constantly referring to the chapter headers to remind myself whose perspective I was reading from.
Overall: While it suffers from pacing and info-dump issues in the final act, Spellbook of the Lost and Found is simply spellbinding (pun wholly intended). The story constantly blurs the line between real/unreal and magic/magical realism, with a diverse cast of characters who feel nothing short of authentic. This was whimsical, ethereal, elegant, and beautiful, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
This was ethereal, magical, whimsical, and beautiful. Spellbook of the Lost and Found consistently blurs the line between magic and magical realism; you never can tell when reading this book just what is and isn’t real. And when you surrender yourself to believing in the unreal, you then begin to question whether what’s happening is happening in our world. Moira Fowley-Doyle’s writing is so beautiful and elegant, and made me want to escape to this atmospheric magical little town.
The representation is also fucking fantastic, with on-page bisexuality, POC, queer sex, displacement/homelessness, physical disability, and discussion of consent, abuse, and toxic relationships. It never reads as tokenistic and everything feels like an authentic lived experience; it doesn’t ever feel as if the author is trying to be diverse for the sake of it.
I did guess two of the major twists long before they happened, but the way in which Fowley-Doyle connected all the dots was unexpected and interesting to watch. I do feel that the resolution was rushed and convenient; I would’ve liked a little more time spent connecting the dots in a more elegant way, rather than characters providing explanations via sudden word vomit. Additionally, I did feel the characters lacked their own distinct voices, and I found myself constantly referring to the chapter headers to remind myself whose perspective I was reading from.
Overall: While it suffers from pacing and info-dump issues in the final act, Spellbook of the Lost and Found is simply spellbinding (pun wholly intended). The story constantly blurs the line between real/unreal and magic/magical realism, with a diverse cast of characters who feel nothing short of authentic. This was whimsical, ethereal, elegant, and beautiful, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault