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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I’ve spent the last couple days trying to find the words to describe this book. I’ve decided that there aren’t any. Five stars could never be enough. This book is poetry, it’s art, it’s magic, and it’s without a doubt a new favourite. Spellbook of the Lost and Found is one that I’m sure will stay with me for a long time; I could feel it lodge itself into my heart and soul from the very first sentence. I listened to the audiobook, and when I first hit play I actually had to start it over and listen to the first couple sentences a few times just to be able to take in how beautiful they were. I truly can’t find the words to describe the beauty of this book, you’ll just have to read it yourself!
This is a book that I’d recommend going into knowing little to nothing about it! Don’t read spoilers, reviews, or even the blurb first. Just dive right in and get sucked into the magic
This is a book that I’d recommend going into knowing little to nothing about it! Don’t read spoilers, reviews, or even the blurb first. Just dive right in and get sucked into the magic
emotional
mysterious
reflective
Be careful what you bargain with:
Every lost thing requires a sacrifice –
A new loss for every called thing found.
What will you let go of?
What can you not afford to lose?
Consider carefully before you cast the calling:
It may not be for you to choose.
Be careful what you wish for:
Not all lost things should be found.
Loved the atmospheric writing. It was spooky and mysterious. But there were too many ”main” characters, all underdeveloped by the end. Also wasn’t a fan of the multiple POV, it confused me a lot.
I enjoyed this. It had a lot of good characters and friendships that evolved. The audiobook could be a little confusing because keeping track of who the characters were was a bit difficult, but the Irish accents made up for it. I liked the feel of this book more than the actual plot. It felt a bit like a subtle fairy tale, with some of its weird pacing and summarizing, and every time I was reminded they had phones or whatever, it was a little startling.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Suicide
Minor: Racism
This book was weird. I'm still deciding if it's good weird or bad weird.
It's magical realism and that always takes a while for me to digest...
It's magical realism and that always takes a while for me to digest...
This was kind of lackluster compared to the first book by this author. It had all of the quirky, creepy, magical elements that I loved from The Accident Season, but this one was far more confusing and generally hard to follow. I almost DNFed this at 28% but I pushed through a little longer and I finally felt comfortable enough with the characters to start to differentiate between them all. I struggled between giving it a two star or three star and I decided to settle with a three because the plot twist was pretty good and I do overall like the weird atmospheric quality this author has.
Provocative and Haunting | Review of ‘Spellbook of the Lost and Found’ (Review originally posted on Cyn's Workshop)
There is something just so hauntingly beautiful about this novel. What’s so beautiful is the idea that people can become intermingled through the things that they have lost in life. That’s such a brilliant idea, and the novel itself works within that beauty to create a captivating story. There is a range of characters in the novel that are all trying to figure out a mystery of all the things they lost and all the things they’ve found. All these small things they glance at but they impact the reader because they tie these characters together. But there’s a mystery going on here as well. And with a narrative that swaps perspective, it’s important that the focus, the mystery of the story doesn’t get lost in the middle of exploring who these characters and how they grow from what they’ve lost and what they have found not just in themselves, but in others as well.
Everyone lost something, and the way the opening showed that, was short and provocatively written. It can’t be more than a page long and still; it’s haunting. With such a strong opening that haunts the reader, there’s no surprise why it grips the reader, like a spellbook itself. And let me say this, sometimes, it feels like spellbook with its lyrical writing and fluidity. This is just such an effortless read, making it almost impossible to put down.
There’s also a ton of inclusion in the novel. One of the main characters is bisexual, and another is a lesbian. The novel doesn’t trap them into clichés or tropes but rather explores who they are inside and out of those distinctions. This makes them vibrant characters adding depth to the novel and the characters. They are who they are without shame, and that’s how it should be. But there’s more. I don’t want to go into for fear of spoiling the novel and the enjoyment but the book also tackles disabilities, racism, and rape culture, and together, they all make the story even more of a powerful beast.
This is certainly one fantastic novel that leaves such a mark on the reader. It’s beautiful, lyrical and a delight to read and get lost in. (★★★★☆ | A)
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Google+ | LinkedIn
There is something just so hauntingly beautiful about this novel. What’s so beautiful is the idea that people can become intermingled through the things that they have lost in life. That’s such a brilliant idea, and the novel itself works within that beauty to create a captivating story. There is a range of characters in the novel that are all trying to figure out a mystery of all the things they lost and all the things they’ve found. All these small things they glance at but they impact the reader because they tie these characters together. But there’s a mystery going on here as well. And with a narrative that swaps perspective, it’s important that the focus, the mystery of the story doesn’t get lost in the middle of exploring who these characters and how they grow from what they’ve lost and what they have found not just in themselves, but in others as well.
Everyone lost something, and the way the opening showed that, was short and provocatively written. It can’t be more than a page long and still; it’s haunting. With such a strong opening that haunts the reader, there’s no surprise why it grips the reader, like a spellbook itself. And let me say this, sometimes, it feels like spellbook with its lyrical writing and fluidity. This is just such an effortless read, making it almost impossible to put down.
There’s also a ton of inclusion in the novel. One of the main characters is bisexual, and another is a lesbian. The novel doesn’t trap them into clichés or tropes but rather explores who they are inside and out of those distinctions. This makes them vibrant characters adding depth to the novel and the characters. They are who they are without shame, and that’s how it should be. But there’s more. I don’t want to go into for fear of spoiling the novel and the enjoyment but the book also tackles disabilities, racism, and rape culture, and together, they all make the story even more of a powerful beast.
This is certainly one fantastic novel that leaves such a mark on the reader. It’s beautiful, lyrical and a delight to read and get lost in. (★★★★☆ | A)
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Google+ | LinkedIn
I've been reading a lot of heavier fiction and non-fiction recently and so wanted to pick up some Young Adult as a palette cleanser and having seen a Goodreads friend rave about the diversity present in this book, I thought I'd give it a go.
To be clear, I wouldn't say that this book is diverse in terms of the ethnicity of characters but mostly in the sexuality represented. Not only is there a lesbian couple but sex itself was shown in a surprisingly open way and the author didn't flinch away from showing this side of a relationship. Although being an adult reader I felt a little uncomfortable as these were 17 year old characters, I am happy to see this kind of thing discussed more openly in young adult fiction.
Difficult topics, particularly rape and sexual assault, are similarly dealt with in quite a frank and realistic way but in a respectful manner which again, although uncomfortable to read about, was something that I didn't expect to see in a book aimed at the young adult audience but something that I feel needs to be dealt with in a way that this audience would connect to emotionally.
I loved the surreal and fantastical aspects of this novel, though some sections were so surreal that I didn't know quite what was happening. This, in some cases, was the point as the characters didn't understand their situation either but at other times it was a little too confusing. What was also confusing were the names of the characters; I understand that their names play a significant role in the plot but I was getting them mixed up quite frequently and having to look to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself of who was speaking.
The writing is nothing special though I think it really drew me into the world of the story and evoked a sense of eeriness throughout. The plot itself was enjoyable but I found that the book felt a little too long for the amount of story. I feel that the reveals all come at once towards the end and the build up, though brilliantly atmospheric, was almost too long and lost a bit of the tension.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it, especially around this time of year. If I was to describe this book based on others I'd read, I would say that this is a blend of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and Hollow Pike by Juno Dawson. I would definitely consider picking up another book by this author and I would recommend this one despite the small issues I had with it.
To be clear, I wouldn't say that this book is diverse in terms of the ethnicity of characters but mostly in the sexuality represented. Not only is there a lesbian couple but sex itself was shown in a surprisingly open way and the author didn't flinch away from showing this side of a relationship. Although being an adult reader I felt a little uncomfortable as these were 17 year old characters, I am happy to see this kind of thing discussed more openly in young adult fiction.
Difficult topics, particularly rape and sexual assault, are similarly dealt with in quite a frank and realistic way but in a respectful manner which again, although uncomfortable to read about, was something that I didn't expect to see in a book aimed at the young adult audience but something that I feel needs to be dealt with in a way that this audience would connect to emotionally.
I loved the surreal and fantastical aspects of this novel, though some sections were so surreal that I didn't know quite what was happening. This, in some cases, was the point as the characters didn't understand their situation either but at other times it was a little too confusing. What was also confusing were the names of the characters; I understand that their names play a significant role in the plot but I was getting them mixed up quite frequently and having to look to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself of who was speaking.
The writing is nothing special though I think it really drew me into the world of the story and evoked a sense of eeriness throughout. The plot itself was enjoyable but I found that the book felt a little too long for the amount of story. I feel that the reveals all come at once towards the end and the build up, though brilliantly atmospheric, was almost too long and lost a bit of the tension.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it, especially around this time of year. If I was to describe this book based on others I'd read, I would say that this is a blend of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and Hollow Pike by Juno Dawson. I would definitely consider picking up another book by this author and I would recommend this one despite the small issues I had with it.