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juliezantopoulos 's review for:
Spellbook of the Lost and Found
by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
I was so impressed with the writing in this story. From the very beginning, before I had the names of characters, friend groups, and storyline straight, I was already enthralled by the writing. It's lyrical without being too flowery, it's got beautiful quotes sprinkled like gems among the pages. I have so much annotated in this story, so many tabs pointing to passages that I loved. Not only was the writing beautiful but the themes and underlying plot within this book are so poignant.
Discussed in a story of a spell gone wrong, where people are searching for things they've lost only to lose more than they had planned in the process, there are themes of feminism and strong supportive friendships, sibling relationships, parent/child relationships, forgiveness, and so much more. There's a ton of diversity represented in this book with a main character who wears hearing aids, one who is half Indian and half Irish, and more than one character who identify as bisexual as well as another queer lady. The characters are strong, richly written, complex and flawed. Their friendships are built both over time and within a short span under unusual circumstances in totally believable ways.
The vibe of this book is decidedly less witchy than I had anticipated but also incredibly eerie and a little unnerving all at once. It's more contemporary with magical realism or mystical moments. They weave together beautifully. The writer has so many easter eggs for twists and turns, so much attention to detail in a finely crafted story of love, loss, heartache, friendship, and the things we'll do to keep those we love close and safe.
It really was a stunning book and one I'm really glad I finally got around to. The only reason it's missing a star is that it did take a days reading or so to get the hang of the story and characters. I appreciate that the reader was babied but we are introduced to a lot of characters from GO, all with similar names (all trees/plants Hazel, Olive, Rose, Ivy, Holly, Ask, Laurel, Rowan) and sometimes keeping them straight was really difficult as they all belong to different friend groups/chosen families. Even as you read the book there were moments I felt I had missed something, some detail, and had to stop to consider whose chapter I was reading. We do get a few POVs (Hazel, Olive, and Laurel) but I was so invested in this story and the outcome.
A beautiful book that was well worth the read.
Discussed in a story of a spell gone wrong, where people are searching for things they've lost only to lose more than they had planned in the process, there are themes of feminism and strong supportive friendships, sibling relationships, parent/child relationships, forgiveness, and so much more. There's a ton of diversity represented in this book with a main character who wears hearing aids, one who is half Indian and half Irish, and more than one character who identify as bisexual as well as another queer lady. The characters are strong, richly written, complex and flawed. Their friendships are built both over time and within a short span under unusual circumstances in totally believable ways.
The vibe of this book is decidedly less witchy than I had anticipated but also incredibly eerie and a little unnerving all at once. It's more contemporary with magical realism or mystical moments. They weave together beautifully. The writer has so many easter eggs for twists and turns, so much attention to detail in a finely crafted story of love, loss, heartache, friendship, and the things we'll do to keep those we love close and safe.
It really was a stunning book and one I'm really glad I finally got around to. The only reason it's missing a star is that it did take a days reading or so to get the hang of the story and characters. I appreciate that the reader was babied but we are introduced to a lot of characters from GO, all with similar names (all trees/plants Hazel, Olive, Rose, Ivy, Holly, Ask, Laurel, Rowan) and sometimes keeping them straight was really difficult as they all belong to different friend groups/chosen families. Even as you read the book there were moments I felt I had missed something, some detail, and had to stop to consider whose chapter I was reading. We do get a few POVs (Hazel, Olive, and Laurel) but I was so invested in this story and the outcome.
A beautiful book that was well worth the read.