Spellbook of the Lost and Found

by Mora Fowley-Doyle

Colby Minifie (Narrator), Marisa Calin (Narrator), and Saskia Maarleveld (Narrator)

• ISBN10: 1524750166
• ISBN13: 9781524750169
• Publish Date: 8 August 2017
• Publish Status: Cancelled
• Imprint: Listening Library (Audio)
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 7 hours and 30 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

This book truly captured the mood and tone of what magical realism should be. It is both haunting and beautiful, both hopeful and dark. The lines between what is real and what is otherworldy are perfectly blurred. And the writing is lush and lyrical, pulling the reader into the story. The narrative was so creative, with an almost abstract quality to it. Nothing is solid or stable. No one is reliable. Nothing can be trusted. The story wavers as you read it, shifting between the real and the magical.

The premise was so interesting and unique, told through multiple perspectives and timelines which come together in a surprising way. Things are being lost, and at first, few think much of it. Sometimes, it’s small, inconsequential things. Other times, the things being lost are less tangible but more significant. At the same time, things are also being found… both tangible and intangible. It’s a story that asks questions, of the characters and of the reader. Are the consequences of what you gain worth what you lost? How much can you lose before you lose yourself?

More on my book blog: http://acuppabooks.kimdeister.com/spellbook-of-the-lost-and-found/

[Bianca]

Be careful what you bargain with:
Every lost thing requires a sacrifice –
A new loss for every called thing found.
What will you let go of?
What can you not afford to lose?
Consider carefully before you cast the calling:
It may not be for you to choose.
Be careful what you wish for:
Not all lost things should be found.

— Loved the atmospheric writing. It was spooky and mysterious. But there were too many ”main” characters, all underdeveloped by the end. Also wasn’t a fan of the multiple POV, it confused me a lot.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Caffeinated Aspects:

• I love the lyrical prose laced with metaphors that Moïra Fowley-Doyle delivers. She pulls me into her stories, and it all feels very surreal. She always manages to surprise me. Her stories offer rich characters, vivid scenery, and surprise twists. I confess, I did figure it out about midway, but her execution is flawless.



• I was delighted to discover an LGBTQ thread in this tale.It was beautifully done, giving readers an f/f relationship. Forget stereotypes and cliches, Fowley-Doyle's rendition was beautiful, genuine and realistic.



• The plot shares quite the list of characters and their stories all revolve around a spellbook. Contained within this book is a spell that allows you to find something lost. None realize that for this spell to work it requires a sacrifice. The story shares three POV's, and each has a group/cast of friends. Creating s story broken into several parts, and eventually, the three stories intertwine. The story begins with Laurel, Ash, and Holly. We do not spend a lot of time with them, but their story is relevant because it sets the story in motion. Laurel told their story. The second group consists of Oliva who narrates and her best friend, Rose. The girls begin to lose things. Little things at first like hair pins, jewelry but soon Rose is missing something bigger and refuses to talk about it. The third group is made up of Ivy, Hazel, and her twin brother, Rowan. They are squatters living in an abandoned building. Wait until you meet Hazel. She narrates their story, and I found her to be memorable. We soon learn they have lost something too. In the meantime, mysterious pages to a diary penned by Laurel appear around town. Fowley-Doyle weaves her magic pulling these characters together delivering a twisted tale about things lost and things recovered.



• The characters are rich and complex. Some we get personal with, and others are mysterious leaving us to learn as the story unfolds. The author gives us diversity with a large cast of female characters and thankfully leaves cliched stereotypes behind. Rose is a character of color, Olive is hearing-impaired, Hazel is gay, and Olive and Rose are bisexual. Each character has a unique personality. I think the author chose well when selecting the voice for each group.



• If you love magical realism, Fowley-Doyle is a must read author regardless of your age.



• This is the type of story that you question as it unfolds. You wonder how all of these plots and characters will come together. Only when the author wraps up the tale, do you sit back and reflect. It is then you come to realize how brilliant the telling was. Her books stick with you, and I often find myself thinking about it, the character and mysterious spellbook.


• This story does offer romantic threads, but the "lost and found" theme is central. These side stories simply added depth and realism.



• We have three talented narrators Elizabeth Sastre, Marisa Calin, and Saskia Maarleveld. Each brilliantly captured their POV's personality and worked well together from their tone to pacing. With three pov's and an extensive cast of characters, I think the three separate narrators enhanced this already brilliant story.

“What will you let go of? What can you not afford to lose?”

Decaffeinated Aspects:

• First, I loved this book so don't misunderstand me. My only complaint was keeping track of all the characters. The use of three narrators was a brilliant move on the publishers part because it helped with knowing whose voice we were hearing. I imagine that reading this might be confusing. Don't be discouraged, keep a notebook handy and jot down characters in each group. It will be worth it. Does that make sense?



• As I said the story felt off at times, maybe it was the pacing, but it all comes together brilliantly, and on reflection, I would not change a thing.



• I was left with a few questions, but I am not overly concerned as it fit the vibe of the book.

Audio provided by the publisher.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Sam@WLABB]

Fowley-Doyle has cast her magic on me again!

Olive, Rose, Ivy, Rowan, and Hazel are all searching for things they've lost, both tangible and intangible. But as they hunt for what is missing, things are also found.

"If you don't get lost, you'll never be found."

Fowley-Doyle won me as a fan with The Accident Season, and she delivered more of what won my heart in Spellbook of the Lost and Found. I was once again treated to her beautiful prose with its ethereal quality, that kept me mesmerized from page one. Fowley-Doyle has such a talent for creating atmosphere in her stories with descriptions that are so vivid. I really felt like I was in each and every situation with the characters. This book, much like her last book, puts the reader in a little darker place, which fit perfectly with a story about secrets and losses. And BONUS! There were times it was feeling a little reminiscent of The Craft, which is a plus in my book.

"Be careful what you bargain with; Every lost thing requires a sacrifice -- A new loss for every called thing found."

But it's not just the writing that is great, Fowley-Doyle gives us a great story too. I loved navigating my way through this tale, as she slowly fed me breadcrumbs to follow. I was engrossed in the stories presented by each of the three narrators, one from each group of friends, but I did not see a connection. As the story played on, two groups merge, and then I was really scratching my head about that third group. I did not figure out the connection until about two pages before the reveal. So, Fowly-Doyle deserves quite a pat on the back, for once again delivering a twist I really didn't see coming, and later, hitting me with one I REALLY didn't see coming.

"Maybe we need to lose some things to make room for others."

Every character in this book was interesting and jumped off the page. Fowley-Doyle always does such an incredible job fully realizing her complex characters. This was, by no means, a simple feat in this book, as there were quite a few major players in this story.

"I kiss her neck until I forget everything but this feeling and honestly it's a lot less like losing my heart and more like finally being found."

There is a big overarching theme of loss in this book, and I loved all the different angles Fowley-Doyle chose in her exploration of loss. Loss of tangible things, of self, of friendships, of trust. She also posed the idea, that not all loss is bad. Loss of a bad habit, of addiction, of a heart. But, there was also this idea of things found: physical items, a heart, independence, a friend, a sister, one's self. This book just left me thinking about so many things!

"Be careful what you wish for; Not all lost things should be found."

This book has some diversity, mostly in the sexual orientation realm. Two of main characters, Rose and Olive, are bisexual, and another, Hazel, is a lesbian. In addition to being bisexual, Rose is also half Indian, and it becomes a minor point of discussion with respect to ethnic beauty, which I found interesting. There is also a bit of feminist centered discussions, and a bunch of other important talk, which I will not reveal, because I don't want to spoil anything here.

"I've lost my heart. Not all losses are bad."

Overall: An captivating tale of love, loss, friendship and family filled with an air of mystery and magical realism.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. I also would like to thank GoodReads and the publisher, as I won a physical copy through a GoodReads giveaway. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.

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