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A review by pippa_w
Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
3.5
Read as part of BooksandLala's Buzzwordathon.
Be careful what you wish for:
Not all lost things should be found.
There are a lot of wonderful things about this book, so much so that I initially gave it a 4, not a 3.5. It is beautifully written, the premise is extraordinarily creepy and intriguing, and there are nearly 400 pages straight of pure, perfect autumn atmosphere.
The characters are a tad pretentious, but not without seeming like real people who say things real people would say. Mags and Olive's family (if not Olive herself) are particular masterworks. They go through both deep and everyday traumas, and despite existing in a world of magical realism, everything stays just south of over-the-top. The plot is truly mysterious and keeps you on your toes, and it's fully engaging throughout.
There's one key problem here: the book's a little tacky. First of all, the majority of the main cast is named after trees and plants, and the main characters' names are all tied to ingredients found in the titular "spellbook." Tacky. Everyone is in love with everyone. Tacky. The aforementioned pretentious characters try to critique other characters who are equally pretentious about their pretentiousness. Tacky. The spooky factor when the kids engage with the spellbook is dialled up to ten, for no particular reason. Tacky.
Also it's a small town setting without real small town vibes and a small town cast of characters, and that's just upsetting. I could have had half the confusing side characters eliminated for some small town colour.
It would be easy not to believe it. … To tell ourselves there’s no such thing as magic.
Be careful what you wish for:
Not all lost things should be found.
There are a lot of wonderful things about this book, so much so that I initially gave it a 4, not a 3.5. It is beautifully written, the premise is extraordinarily creepy and intriguing, and there are nearly 400 pages straight of pure, perfect autumn atmosphere.
The characters are a tad pretentious, but not without seeming like real people who say things real people would say. Mags and Olive's family (if not Olive herself) are particular masterworks. They go through both deep and everyday traumas, and despite existing in a world of magical realism, everything stays just south of over-the-top. The plot is truly mysterious and keeps you on your toes, and it's fully engaging throughout.
There's one key problem here: the book's a little tacky. First of all, the majority of the main cast is named after trees and plants, and the main characters' names are all tied to ingredients found in the titular "spellbook." Tacky. Everyone is in love with everyone. Tacky. The aforementioned pretentious characters try to critique other characters who are equally pretentious about their pretentiousness. Tacky. The spooky factor when the kids engage with the spellbook is dialled up to ten, for no particular reason. Tacky.
Also it's a small town setting without real small town vibes and a small town cast of characters, and that's just upsetting. I could have had half the confusing side characters eliminated for some small town colour.
It would be easy not to believe it. … To tell ourselves there’s no such thing as magic.