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schnaucl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Pay attention to the content warning at the front of the book.
I really liked this book. The beginning of the book in our world was very skillfully done, both the section with Antsy's dad, who she obviously adores, and the section after, where it's clear to the reader what's happening, even if Antsy doesn't understand.
I also enjoyed the sections where Antsy was traveling between worlds and it was nice to see a few more of them (at least some of which I'm guessing we'll see again).
I felt so bad for Antsy to have found a world through the manipulation of an adult in our world only to find that her safe haven world was also a place where she was being manipulated by an adult.
It also seems unfair that her world rejects her for learning the truth.
It's interesting that West's school (and I think maybe the omniscient narrator, but I'd have to go back to check) presents it as the world rejecting them, but in at least two of the last three books it was more that the child had a moment of (understandable) profound uncertainty and walked through a door without realizing it was a Door. Maybe the suggestion is that the Doors planned it that way? This book certainly suggests that have some level of sentience.
I really liked this book. The beginning of the book in our world was very skillfully done, both the section with Antsy's dad, who she obviously adores, and the section after, where it's clear to the reader what's happening, even if Antsy doesn't understand.
I also enjoyed the sections where Antsy was traveling between worlds and it was nice to see a few more of them (at least some of which I'm guessing we'll see again).
It also seems unfair that her world rejects her for learning the truth.
It's interesting that West's school (and I think maybe the omniscient narrator, but I'd have to go back to check) presents it as the world rejecting them, but in at least two of the last three books it was more that the child had a moment of (understandable) profound uncertainty and walked through a door without realizing it was a Door. Maybe the suggestion is that the Doors planned it that way? This book certainly suggests that have some level of sentience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse and Bullying
Minor: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
4.5
Finished reading: March 26th 2024
"Being bruised doesn’t make you bad, unless you’re a peach, and even a bruised peach is good for making jam."
I've been following the Wayward Children books for years now, but somehow I fell behind with the most recent installments. I recently read book seven, and I decided to make Lost In The Moment And Found a priority after rediscovering my love for this series. And I'm glad I did! This is without doubt one of my favorite novellas of the bunch even though there are parts that are hard to read. Lost In The Moment And Found is quite dark as it focuses on child abuse, grooming, gaslighting and death of a parent among other things. I could really appreciate the author's note, which made it easier to read some of the more triggering scenes... This novella is not all sad though, as it has the same whimsical dose of magical realism with the strange thrift shop and the main character traveling to unknown worlds. Still, even at the shop there is a lesson to be learned, and again Lost In The Moment And Found is a lot darker than expected throughout. I could appreciate how everything was wrapped up in the end though, and I will be looking forward to the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
ellanarose's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
felicia95555's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
zefancifulreader's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I LOVED this one. The plot pacing/build was excellent and the climax shocked me. This story played so well in the nexus of fantasy, mystery, and drama.
Definitely one of my favourites of this series.
I was personally triggered at the beginning by the death of Antsy’s Dad, a heart attack hits close to home, but I was really moved (and appreciated) Seanan McGuire’s trigger warning for the abuse Antsy faces in the first part of the book. It was beautifully written.
Definitely one of my favourites of this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Death of parent
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Violence
lipstickitotheman's review
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Child death, Physical abuse, Death, Pregnancy, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
magis1105's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
There are several types of child abuse at the hands of adults in most cases parents. The author does include the warning before the start of the book, and it makes the reading hard to enjoy, but its still a story I came to give 5 stars like most of the installment of the wayward children books.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND is an excellent addition to the Wayward Children series, featuring a girl who runs away from a danger lurking in her home and finds herself in a shop for lost thing. It features an exploration of innocence and experience which is full of care, handling distressing topics of abuse and exploitation with a mix of the mundane and the fantastical, ultimately supporting Antsy's agency and ability to make her own choices about her life.
I like the glimpses of other worlds and more information about non-human people of many kinds. Characterization and worldbuilding blends together in a mutually reinforcing way to make it feel like a connected multiverse of portals and random cultural exchange.
This book deals with grooming and gaslighting in a way that I appreciate as someone with similar trauma to Antsy. It makes it very clear how she's in danger and shows how frightening it can be to be gaslit by someone with an indeterminate but significant amount of control over one's life.
The even numbered books in the Wayward Children series, such as this one, have sometimes been erroneously marketed a standalone books within a larger series. This is to the author's great consternation. They are not stand alone, they are more like the bottle episodes of a TV show. Like a bottle episode, there’s a great deal of backstory, worldbuilding, and sometimes even characters who are explained in the more temporally linear bits of the series, e.g., the odd numbered books. This means that, as a sequel, LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND has characters and a story which in one way is very specific and very self contained. It is about Antsy, why she fled from her home, how she found the shop, how she grew, and what she eventually learns about the price of her time there. It features a fascinating bit of worldbuilding, and does much for the lore in the series, answering questions the reader may or may not have thought to ask, as well as whatever Antsy herself wonders. It does not precisely wrap up anything left hanging from the previous books, but the way it ends implies some very good and interesting things about what the next book in the series might hold. There’s a moment in the middle that briefly places it in time in relation to events previously shown in the series. Emotionally, the ending feels like whatever the comforting equivalent of a cliffhanger is, like the promise of a good surprise.
I like the glimpses of other worlds and more information about non-human people of many kinds. Characterization and worldbuilding blends together in a mutually reinforcing way to make it feel like a connected multiverse of portals and random cultural exchange.
This book deals with grooming and gaslighting in a way that I appreciate as someone with similar trauma to Antsy. It makes it very clear how she's in danger and shows how frightening it can be to be gaslit by someone with an indeterminate but significant amount of control over one's life.
The even numbered books in the Wayward Children series, such as this one, have sometimes been erroneously marketed a standalone books within a larger series. This is to the author's great consternation. They are not stand alone, they are more like the bottle episodes of a TV show. Like a bottle episode, there’s a great deal of backstory, worldbuilding, and sometimes even characters who are explained in the more temporally linear bits of the series, e.g., the odd numbered books. This means that, as a sequel, LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND has characters and a story which in one way is very specific and very self contained. It is about Antsy, why she fled from her home, how she found the shop, how she grew, and what she eventually learns about the price of her time there. It features a fascinating bit of worldbuilding, and does much for the lore in the series, answering questions the reader may or may not have thought to ask, as well as whatever Antsy herself wonders. It does not precisely wrap up anything left hanging from the previous books, but the way it ends implies some very good and interesting things about what the next book in the series might hold. There’s a moment in the middle that briefly places it in time in relation to events previously shown in the series. Emotionally, the ending feels like whatever the comforting equivalent of a cliffhanger is, like the promise of a good surprise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, and Child abuse
Moderate: Grief, Death, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
Minor: Physical abuse, Child death, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Sexism, Misogyny, Excrement, and Blood
crweber25's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Accidentally read this without having read any of the other books in the series, but it worked as a standalone I think! Also got me very intrigued in the rest of the series so looking forward to reading more.
Heavy TWs (glad I didn't skip the authors note) but an incredibly fascinating world
Heavy TWs (glad I didn't skip the authors note) but an incredibly fascinating world
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
paisleypetty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment