Reviews

Le Secret de Lost Lake by Jacqueline West

shereadytoread's review against another edition

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adventurous
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a fun little mystery/fantasy with a horror spin later in the story. However, the ending really missed for me. It fell into some really toxic family relationship dynamics and presented them in a way that made it seem that the victim is responsible for repairing. I think they were trying to draw a parallel to the MC's family dynamics but it didn't land. Overall I still think it's a really interesting plot and a good story. The twist worked well. The moving book was definitely a good plot device. 

czytamprzedsnem's review against another edition

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4.0

4,5 ⭐️

Absolutnie cudowna młodzieżówka, która:
• sprawi, że znów poczujesz się jak dziecko,
• wyciągnie cię z zastoju czytelniczego,
• jest wspaniała na gorszy czas (to świetny comfort read),
• opowie ci o tajemniczej bibliotece, znikającej książce i zaginionej przed laty dziewczynce…

Młodsza ja skakałaby ze szczęścia mając w rękach takie cudo! Ale ta obecna była nie mniej usatysfakcjonowana, kiedy zaczęła odkrywać tajemnice Lost Lake…

Fiona wraz ze swoją siostrą i rodzicami przeprowadza się do Lost Lake. W jednej chwili traci dom, dotychczasową szkołę i przyjaciół - wszystko po to, aby jej siostra miała bliżej na treningi łyżwiarstwa. Fiona czuje, że siostra jest faworyzowana, a jej własne potrzeby uznane za mniej istotne (scena, w której mama za karę zabiera Fionie telefon i komputer, jej jedyne narzędzia do komunikacji ze znajomymi - no totalnie rozumiem Fionę, czułabym się podobnie). To prowadzi do coraz większego konfliktu między nimi.

Fiona ma 11 lat i nie należy do „cool kids”. Czas najchętniej spędza w bibliotece. To tam znajduje książkę, która opisuje losy dwóch sióstr. Nazwy ulic, miejsc… wszystko wskazuje na to, że akcja ma miejsce właśnie w Lost Lake. Jedna z sióstr w książce znika… To fikcja? Czy prawdziwa historia? Fiona wbiega do biblioteki, żeby dokończyć książkę, ale ona także znika. Bibliotekarka, która twiedzi, że takiej powieści nie ma w zbiorach, ukradkiem chowa ją za siebie…

Gdyby nie pilne zobowiązania - przeczytałabym ją na raz. Naprawdę! A nie należę do osób, które czytają szybko! Otworzyłam ją i ocknęłam się mając za sobą 2/3 powieści. Następnego dnia zapaliłam lampkę, wzięłam do ręki książkę, w drugą wsadziłam chrupki - tak, na chwilę znowu miałam 11 lat!

Książka jest tajemnicza, chwilami mroczna - ja kocham takie klimaty! Sekrety, ukryte miejsca, tajemnicze powieści (niektóre historie sama zmyślałam, podkręcałam wszystko tworząc w swojej głowie wyimaginowany spisek, który w ogóle nie istniał), uwielbiałam „Gęsią skórkę” i rodzinę Addamsów. Byłabym na maksa zachwycona tą książką! I teraz też jestem! Od tego nie da się oderwać!

Jest trochę creepy, a jednocześnie bardzo luźna, przyjemna. Dla nastolatków & nastolatek - boska! Ale dla dorosłych też będzie idealna - wiem, bo testowałam ją na ludziach (a konkretniej na sobie)! Stara biblioteka, mroczny sekret, dziwne zaginięcie, zjawa goniąca dziewczynkę po lesie…

Samo Lost Lake wyobrażałam sobie dokładnie tak, jak Forks ze „Zmierzchu” - wiecznie otoczone mgłą, deszczowe, dodające całej atmosferze jeszcze więcej tajemniczości! Fantastyczny klimat!

To książka o sile siostrzanej miłości, o tym jak ważne jest, aby mieć przy sobie kogoś bliskiego, aby starać się spojrzeć na wszystko oczami drugiej osoby. Powieść o empatii, wyrzutach sumienia, wybaczaniu sobie i innym, pełna wrażliwości. Bardzo zaskakująca! Zakończenie - B O S K I E! Polecam z całego serducha! Wszystkim młodym czytelnikom & czytelniczkom będę wciskać na potęgę! To taka powieść, która sprawi, że pokochacie książki!

emromc's review against another edition

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5.0

Ate it up in less than 24 hours. Loved this one. The perfect amount of the supernatural, and a sweet story about sisters and forgiveness. I loved Fiona, and the story within a story felt organic and kept me on the edge of my seat. Feels like a Newbery. I'm on a middle-grade kick right now, and this one was the best I've read this month (except maybe Enola Holmes... but they're just different. Can't really compare!). Someone recommend another 5 star book, because I'm now in a book hangover and I have no idea what to read next.

annels789's review against another edition

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5.0

West is masterful at bringing memorable places and characters to life. This story provides plenty of suspense and adventure, but what I loved most were its depictions of sisters and the complex, layered, lifelong bonds they share.

hannah_reads21's review against another edition

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5.0

Zou willen dat het nog niet afgelopen was

thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition

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5.0

Two girls: sisters and best friends enter the woods to play. One never returns. This is their story.

emilythelibrarian23's review against another edition

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5.0

LONG LOST was the perfect mystery to get back to reading the middle grade genre. Over the past year, I have been reading a lot of YA books for my job as a librarian aide at a high school , and yet I have missed the middle grade books I read while working as a library aide for an elementary school.

First off: the COVER. Beautiful, intricately detailed, and slightly creepy. Second: the author’s dedication “to the librarians.” Me being a librarian in the making in getting my MLS, PERFECT. I love a good book about libraries and librarians, not surprisingly. Finally, a story set in a old town with a haunted library and a cursed book? Count me in!

Going in, I thought that was it to the story: weird town, a beautiful and old yet haunted library, a kick-ass librarian, and a younger sister who always felt second best to her older sister, and loved books and discovering things. Yet, it was so much more.

I would have loved to have this book as a tween. Being the second of five children, I felt I was always compared to my perfect older sister, similar to how Fiona felt with her sister Arden. Ten year old Emily also wanted to be an archeologist ✅loved books ✅ loved the library ✅And I would have found a kindred spirit in Fiona.
The hidden mystery in LONG LOST is a valuable lesson, and especially with one where sisters are at odds.

Had I had this book at 10 years old, it would have been an encouragement to me- not only that it’s ok to be at odds with your sisters, (but to always come back together in the end) but also that it’s very ok to love reading, exploring, and being a spunky individual that doesn’t fit into the box society makes for young girls.

ohemgeebooks's review against another edition

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4.0

If you’re like me you are desperately craving that cozy, Fall weather and looking to fill that TBR with spooky reads, then I have a middle grade book that is just so satisfying.

Long Lost by Jacqueline West includes all of the necessary prerequisites for a particularly lovely spooky story; a haunted house turned library, a tragic disappearance and family secrets, a small town with quirky folks, sisterly angst, and a propulsive, heart-pounding tale within the story.

11 year-old Fiona is upset that her family has moved to a weird small town so that her prissy, perfectionist, figure-skating older sister can be closer to her practices. Her only solace…the town’s library, once a rambling mansion now filled with restless spirits.
The book that draws her attention has none of the usual library markings, in fact it isn’t meant to exist. She soon finds herself immersed in the true story of an unsolved crime, and she must quickly put the pieces together before she becomes the next victim.

My favorite aspect of this book is the story embedded within. Having a real mystery woven into a fictional story, connects you in a unique way to the plot. Both were so expertly written I found myself quickly turning the pages to find out what happens next. West provides the quirky small town of Lost Lake with such a fantastic atmospheric quality that I felt like I was in an eerie mist throughout. Plus, I’m just never going to dislike a book where the main protagonist loves going to the library, and discovering a mysterious book that’s not meant to be there…well, that’s just icing.

I highly recommend baking some cookies, drinking some pumpkin spice coffee, and giving yourself an afternoon of reading. Long Lost is quick, and delightfully spooky. I also highly recommend Last Things, which I read this time last year.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

sausome's review against another edition

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5.0

This book took me right back to being 10-14 years old, looking through my library's YA shelf for something spooky to read (but not TOO spooky), that would consume my next several days and nights. This book was middle-grade-spooky-GOLD. It was SO good! It provides the angst of sibling rivalry and "you're the favorite!" with moving to a new town. Enter, the Library, which is inside of an old mansion donated to the town by a woman who lost her sister when they were children. Enter, GHOSTS. Yes, this book hit all the right spots, perfect for any kid who loves to read, loves spooky tales, loves libraries and books, and can relate to the strife of being a sibling.

I came to this book because of the "If you like Katherine Arden's 'Small Spaces,' then you'll love this" blurb, and I was not disappointed. This book is not quite as scary as Arden's awesome spooky books can be, but it still hits the spot just right. Also, the cover is brilliant!

tammys_take's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars. This is an atmospheric, spooky mystery story about a girl named Fiona who moves to the small town of Lost Lake so her older sister, Arden can pursue her figure skating training more seriously. What I liked about this story was the accurate depiction of younger sister interactions and the tension in that space, which can often come out in feelings like jealousy, anger, rivalry, and even dislike. As these tensions mount between the two sisters, Fiona finds her escape in the local library and while there, discovers a mysterious book about two sisters in the early 1900s, and how one disappears. As she navigates her own feelings about the move, and tries to figure out what happened to the sister who disappeared, Fiona is challenged to find grace and forgiveness for her own sister. I would say this is written for a younger middle grade audience.