My Review
“If you don’t get lost, you’ll never be found.”
Spellbook of the Lost and Found is one of those books that I honestly didn’t expect to find myself enjoying nearly as much as I did. I tend to stay away from books that focus on any kind of spells, witchcraft, or anything of the sort, because I tend to find them poorly portrayed. Sometimes I manage to come across one that is plain offensive – it’s the same reason I more or less stray away from any kind of films that also portray anything related to these subjects. Maybe I’m just a bit touchy on the subject because of my own religion, but darn it, if I get a book about spells, witches, and magic, I want it done right. Spellbook of the Lost and Found did exactly what I wanted it to do, and it practically made me jump up and down with excitement with how much I enjoyed this book.
I’ve heard so many great things about The Accident Season by the same author, and while I haven’t read that (yes, I do own a copy, but I never got around to reading it despite this), this was on my list of books that I honestly just had to pick up. I loved the cover and the whole synopsis – especially how it talked about taking place in the Irish countryside. I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland and I wanted to read a book that takes place there, especially one that had so many creepy and fun elements written into the story with it. I was thrilled for the chance to pick this one up!
Spellbook of the Lost and Found really does transport you to a beautiful Irish countryside setting, just like promised – and while reading, you can definitely fall in love with how well the author has written that setting and described everything so perfectly. It really felt like I was there while I was reading (so in my eyes that’s perfect). I loved how crisp and idyllic everything sounded…it really made me want to keep reading this awesome mystery that takes place here.
“Be careful what you wish for; Not all lost things should be found.”
Olive and Rose are best friends, and the two of them spend a lot of their time together. After a party one night, though, Rose starts acting very different – she isn’t herself, and Olive is becoming concerned. She is also concerned about how some things have started to go missing – her hair clips, and other things from classmates who attended the party. No one understands why or what’s going on, so they set out to investigate the strange things that are going on in the town.
Meanwhile, Olive and Rose start finding diary pages all over town by someone named Laurel, talking about strange things such as spells. When Olive meets Ivy, Hazel, and Rowan, three teenagers who are living in an abandoned housing development, she thinks she is making friends – and hopefully finding a way to bring Rose back to herself.
Eventually, they all find an old, worn spellbook that contains a complicated spell that promises to bring back all kinds of lost things – but they must heed the advice and remember that some things that are lost aren’t meant to be brought back – in fact, some things that are lost might be a little bit better staying that way, especially when you have to bargain with something you have to get it back.
“Be careful wheat you bargain with; every list thing requires a sacrifice – a new loss for everything called thing found. Consider carefully before you cast the calling; it may not be for you to choose.”
I have to admit that there were several confusing elements to this story – especially toward the end of the book when everything starts to come together. While I was confused for a short amount of time, I managed to figure it all out and put all the pieces together shortly thereafter, so it wasn’t a lasting confusion here. In fact, I thought that the ending was pretty fitting for the book, and I really loved how the author had written it.
The characters in this book are so deep and full of personality that they really bring the book to life. Olive and Rose especially bring a lot to this book; they really grabbed my attention and I couldn’t help but love the chapters that were told from their viewpoints.
There are several points of view in this book, and while that might seem as though it’s a bit daunting, it’s easy to keep track of who is narrating because of how different the character personalities are. I never once got confused or anything, plus it tells you at the top of each chapter who is the narrator. All the view points are necessary to really put the story together though – and it’s done in a great way!
This book has quite a bit of creepiness to it that would make it perfect for the fall season. It’s not actually scary or anything, but it has the right amount of atmosphere that will give you the chills from time to time.
I really loved this book – pretty much everything about it. It’s so easy to fall into and get lost in, and the amazing mystery element brings out so much more in this book.
Moïra Fowley-Doyle is half-French, half-Irish, and lives in Dublin with her husband, their young daughters, and their old cat. Moïra’s French half likes red wine and dark books in which everybody dies. Her Irish half likes tea and happy endings. Moïra started a PhD on vampires in young adult fiction before concentrating on writing young adult fiction with no vampires in it whatsoever. She wrote her first novel at the age of eight, when she was told that if she wrote a story about spiders she wouldn’t be afraid of them anymore. Moïra is still afraid of spiders, but has never stopped writing stories. She is the author of The Accident Season and Spellbook of the Lost and Found.
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