Lost in the Moment and Found

I loved this iteration. It's about any characters that I already knew although there were some honourable mentions. I loved the idea of a place where things are lost just a giant library of lost things ready for them to be picked up when they needed them. And like many things in this series, there was another dark turn. 

It really felt like Ansty, with her experiences is being set up less as a student and more as a future teacher or caretaker of Eleanor West???s Home for Wayward Children. To replace Eleanor. I got that vibe anyway. I am so sad these books are not longer. I wish there were 50 more of them. 

Okay, if they keep getting better, I might end up as a fan of this series, after all.

Seanan McGuire has rare ability to delve into deep subjects, in this case loss without drowning the reader in sorrow.  This ability is what makes Wayward Children such a beautiful and compelling series. In this instance, the newest Wayward story, Lost in the Moment and Found, is a story about loss in all of its iterations.

Antoinette, or Antsy as she is refereed starts the story through here memory as a child of her father dying right in front of her, at Target of all places. The pain she feels at the loss of her beloved father colors her interactions through the rest of the story. And, while the pain of loss dulls with time and experience, the wound never really leaves you. Antsy is wounded, and dealing with trauma. Her mother, flawed as she is trying to make her way through the grief of the loss of her husband. And in that grief, she find love with a new man. Although Ansty doesn't trust the man, a child's intuition, she tries to be civil with him. But, there is a reason why loss is discussed in many forms and Antsy ends up physically lost hiding in the doorstop of a shop with big words above the door:

“Be Sure”

Antsy decides that she is, pushes through and finds out where lost things go. We start a journey into grief, healing, and loss. While Antsy is lost in so many ways, McGuire never for one moment allows the audience to become lost. We are at rapt attention page by page. If you haven't started this series, you aught to. This is one of the best series being written today, book after book. And I am sure that you will enjoy it as much as I did. if you decide to make the leap, and purchase the slim first book of the series, pause for a moment. Take a deep breath and be sure because you are about to go on an adventure.

Gutted that I have caught up on this series. Time to be back in my born world for a while. I look forward to finding another Door soon, I'm sure.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.

---

This ended up being one of those books that I could say almost nothing about or could just as easily have said far too much about. It took me a week and a half just to figure out—I hope—the way to strike the balance.

What’s Lost in the Moment and Found About?

Antoinette (known as Antsy) is a little girl whose life is shattered when her father dies unexpectedly. Her mother quickly remarries for security and her stepfather is the stuff of nightmares. He dismantles her idyllic-sounding childhood, almost removing her from the family. When darker (much darker) things loom, Antsy runs away.

Naturally—well, supernaturally—as this is a Wayward Children book, she’s soon presented with a Door. She steps through it, as sure as someone who isn’t even ten can be. And enters a shop. Unusually for this series, she’s not in a new world—but a shop. The Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be precise.

The shop is managed by an old woman named Vineta and a very large (and talking) magpie named Hudson. In addition to the Shop being the place that Lost Things go—those that are needed by their owners can come be retrieved. There is a Door in the Shop that Antsy can open to other worlds (Antsy’s door, and that of those coming to Find something, appears in a different location)—there’s never any telling what world will be on the other side of the Door. If it looks appealing, Vineta and Antsy will go through and purchase some things to sell in the Shop (and feed themselves), otherwise Antsy will close the door and try again.

At some point, Antsy begins finding ominous notes trying to tell her something—will she figure out what the notes are trying to tell her in time?

Worldbuilding

One of the more entertaining things—for me, anyway—about this series is hearing about worlds that we don’t get to spend time in (or more than a quick glimpse, anyway). Just a brief mention along the way to some other point, and you get to fuel your imagination for a bit. Given this setting—and the way the Shop flits between worlds for Antsy and Vineta to go pick up stock, Lost in the Moment and Found is rife in these glimpses, hints of what else is out there. I had so much fun with that—McGuire’s really created a universe for these stories where she can indulge any whim she has for storytelling and it’d work.

But that’s not really what I wanted to talk about.

This entry would be a worthwhile read for fans if only for this one thing—we learn more about the Doors and how they work. I’m not going to go into it, obviously, nor am I going to promise that every question you had about the Doors will be answered—actually you’ll likely end up with new questions, but they’ll be informed questions.

Depth of Darkness

On the whole, this series hasn’t featured “bad guys”—largely, the antagonists have been people with competing visions for the way things ought to be. People who were trying their best, but who couldn’t understand their children (before and/or after their door)—and so on. A lot of people you don’t want to be around and you don’t want to see have much success as they are, but typically it’s possible to see where they’re coming from and why they do what they do (as much as you might object to it).

But in this book? There are a minimum of two evil characters. People that need to be stopped, and you sort of wish Toby Daye would make a cameo and do what she does best.

McGuire’s painted some bleak circumstances for her Wayward Children—but this seems bleaker (I haven’t spent a lot of time reviewing the older books, so I’m prepared to be corrected) and darker than we’re used to. There’s a period where you can forget that, where it almost feels like Antsy is out for a very long lark and everything will be a fun adventure.

I don’t know if this is a turning point and that we’ll see more books like this in the years to come. I doubt it—I think this is a story that needed to be told, but we’ll be back on more familiar ground—with a more familiar tone—soon.

So, what did I think about Lost in the Moment and Found?

This is clearly a personal story of McGuire (just read the Author’s note that precedes the text) and there’s a rawness to the writing that isn’t typical for this series (or McGuire, period). But it’s oh, so fitting.

I find myself slipping into misconceptions about this series—I enjoy the characters (so many of our protagonists are just loveable), the concept behind the series and West’s school, and so on—it’s easy to remember the nonsense worlds, the joy that characters frequently experience in finding a Door, going home, or leaving home that you forget that almost everyone goes through a Door from our world to get away from something. When I pause to write something like this or describe the series/a particular novella to someone—all of that comes rushing back. Only to be forgotten again until I start reading the next book.* Antsy’s situation is perhaps the most disturbing we’ve seen—and what she ultimately finds in the shop is equally (but in a very different way) unsettling.

* I hope I’m not alone in that, but I have to assume the rest of you are more careful in your reading/remembering.

The novella is not all dire and troubling—there’s a lot of fun to be had as we follow Antsy. The quick excursion to the lost animal department could’ve filled a novella or two. The reader might see some old friends out of the corner of their eye, too. Most importantly, there is hope. That last line is earned (as we’re told time and time again, nothing comes free), and is so reassuring.

Unsurprisingly, I recommend this book—unlike most in the series, I don’t think this would serve as a good entry point. It’s a good number 8 (these are all novellas, so reading eight of them isn’t that big of an investment). It’s raw, it’s unsettling (at the very least), it’s emotional, and it’s full of some of McGuire’s best prose. I’m sure those who’ve read 1-2 (or all seven) others don’t need me to say this, you’ve probably already read them. But for everyone else, it’s time to start reading these books.

I received an ARC for this book, and am giving an Honest opinion about it.

CAWPILE SCORE
C-8
A-9
W-9
P-7
I-8
L-8
E-10
TOTAL-8.43/10

[

CAWPILE
Characters
Ansty is a wonderful character! I loved every second with her. Her wonder and her growth, just amazing. Her relationships are beautiful.

Atmosphere
The land of the Lost was great.

Writing
Great writing. Simple yet effective. Clear and precise. You can tell that Seanan McGuire put a lot of care into how it reads on the page.

Plot
The Plot is great. As a Story of Lost things, this story flows perfectly.

Investment
I loved the extra little bits of lore that we get around doors and their workings.

Enjoyment
I enjoyed this book so much. Definitely one of my favorite books in the series

Interesting story.

A lost and found thrift store where kids can go to prevent being hurt further from custodial adults.

How do these lost kids get found? Is there a way back home? Are they the same when they return? Does everything have a cost that must be paid? These are some of the questions that are answered.

The best book in this series so far. The beginning was very hard for me to read because of its content. The symbolism in this? Impeccable but so sad. How the abuse has stolen time from them and forced them to grow up faster but how that has been handled in this fantasy world. When it hit, it hit hard. Every other book I've felt but this one? It cut

4.5 stars!!!

Pros: psychologically astute, lyrical writing

Cons: packs a real emotional punch, may be distressing for some readers

When Antsy ran away from a bad situation at home she opened a Door. The Shop Where the Lost Things Go is a nexus connecting all the worlds and provides a new home for her. Antsy wants to return to her mother someday, but doesn’t realize what her adventure has already cost.

The book begins with a content warning from the author that Antsy runs before she is sexually abused. The first few chapters are difficult to read all the same. While she is a child, you know what’s happening and feel the tension and horror. The book also begins with the death of Antsy’s father. It’s a highly emotional scene that gut punched me harder than expected. This is a standalone story in the Wayward Children series, so if the content will distress you, you can skip it. If you can deal with the content, it’s an emotionally rewarding story.

In feel, the story has the same mixture of lyrical writing and keen psychological observation as the other books in the series, and Down Among the Sticks and Bones in particular.

Antsy’s a surprisingly astute child, who realizes something is wrong with her new stepfather but isn’t quite sure what. She has good instincts and follows them to positive effect in the story. She is a delight to read about.

Seeing through several doors was a lot of fun, as was learning more about the store.

As with most of the series the ending is a little bittersweet, but appropriate based on what happened.

These books keep getting better and better! I love Ancy's journey of discovery and lost & found.

Rating: 5 leaves out of 5Characters: 5/5 Cover: 5/5Story: 5/5Writing: 5/5Genre: FantasyType: AudiobookWorth?: YESTW: Grooming, Gaslighting Hated Disliked It Was Okay Liked Loved FavoritedWant to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to listen to this book. Wow...just wow. First I want to say that if you like Howl's Moving Castle's (Diana Wynne Jones) mixed with The Midnight Library (Matt Haig) and Seanan's touch this is the book for you. It does deal with a heavy, close to home theme that she warns before hand. The message this story gives is probably the most heartbreaking thing. The story is so beautiful woven that you get just as lost as Antoinette and before you know it you are kicked out and just left wondering what next. I had taken points off for the mom but... realized she was needed, even if I despised her. Maybe it just hit very close to home for me but it was so well done. I am tearing up just thinking about it now. And I wanted to take points off for shutting the door, right after it opened, but the ending was very exactly what was needed. We see where it went and how it will go. I just really love this damn book.

4.5 stars
I loved this. I love how feisty Antsy was, even as a kid, and near the end, phew! For such a short book, it packed in the adventure. I didn't want it to end! I want to read about Antsy at the school!!!

So glad I loved this one! I usually prefer the Wayward Children installments that revisit the original characters but this one really hit for me. I found it absolutely fascinating the fact that going through the doors steals your years? one of the most innovative additions to this series that I never saw coming. 
Can't wait to continue on with Antsy's journey seeing that she's also going to be a character in the next installment. 

This series has my heart. This was a particularly dark installment - pay attention to the author's trigger warnings at the start - and then prepare to fall in love all over again, and meet another scrappy, resourceful child who has the (mis)fortune of opening a Door, and believing they are sure.

I have read every book in this series and some of them are fantastic and some of them are “meh”. This one falls someone in between. We meet Antsy, who runs away from home (at the age of 7). I'll try to stay spoiler-free. The story tries to cover a lot of ground in a few short pages and the end result is the reader is left unsatisfied on pretty much all accounts. Are we about to deep-dive into parental gaslighting (as the trigger warning in the front of the book suggests), are we taking on the topic of what it means to lose time, are we talking about colonizing empires and their effect on native lands-even when they are just there to shop (or study, a la Star Trek)?????
We get a sort-of cameo from two regulars in the series and a set up ending to the book that assures us that Antsy will probably return in the Wayward Children world eventually (a safe bet, as most characters return).
I'm always glad to return to this series, but I really prefer ones that are set at the school instead of these side stories.

This one took me longer to read than expected. I loved the ending and I am super excited to read the next book. I totally understand why we had to get through the first part to enjoy the pleasure of the ending. I think I actually enjoy the store parts of the book more now that I know what ending is.