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A review by youlizyoulearn
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
3.5
Meg Shaffer was, without a doubt, automatically an auto-buy author for me after reading her fantastic debut novel The Wishing Game last year. Due to this, I was so excited to get a chance to read her second novel The Lost Story. Unfortunately, a lot about this didn't hit the mark for me.
In terms of positives, Meg has again crafted really loveable characters and a creative, wondrous world. I'll often think about Jeremy and Rafe, Emilie and her little pet rat Fitz. I was rooting for them every step of the way, and I was eating up every single heartwarming scene where they supported each other through hardships, lost memories, and basking in the childlike wonder of this other world.
Where it fails for me is in plot and writing style. The narrative in the beginning felt very slow and clunky. At first, the introduction of the "Storyteller" seemed unnecessary and cheeky to the point of being annoyingly self-important... like instead of being whimsical as intended, it felt like it was trying too hard. The characters also don't even make it to the magical world until halfway through the book, which made this particular reader highly impatient for some action. Then in terms of writing style, there were many sentences that felt too short and clunky and way too many sentences starting with "But" (particularly in the beginning).
Unfortunately, I feel that perhaps this second novel was rushed out the door to capitalize on the hype of The Wishing Game? It seems like it could've benefitted from a little more development time. I'm hopeful that the final copy will address some of the pet peeves I had with the book, as I understand there are edits still in progress. I'll certainly give it another shot once its publish date comes around.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
In terms of positives, Meg has again crafted really loveable characters and a creative, wondrous world. I'll often think about Jeremy and Rafe, Emilie and her little pet rat Fitz. I was rooting for them every step of the way, and I was eating up every single heartwarming scene where they supported each other through hardships, lost memories, and basking in the childlike wonder of this other world.
Where it fails for me is in plot and writing style. The narrative in the beginning felt very slow and clunky. At first, the introduction of the "Storyteller" seemed unnecessary and cheeky to the point of being annoyingly self-important... like instead of being whimsical as intended, it felt like it was trying too hard. The characters also don't even make it to the magical world until halfway through the book, which made this particular reader highly impatient for some action. Then in terms of writing style, there were many sentences that felt too short and clunky and way too many sentences starting with "But" (particularly in the beginning).
Unfortunately, I feel that perhaps this second novel was rushed out the door to capitalize on the hype of The Wishing Game? It seems like it could've benefitted from a little more development time. I'm hopeful that the final copy will address some of the pet peeves I had with the book, as I understand there are edits still in progress. I'll certainly give it another shot once its publish date comes around.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review!