Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire [Family Reads]

Why we chose Seanan McGuire’s Lost in the Moment and Found

TBH, we wanted to do R.F. Kuang’s Babel but it was seemingly impossible for us both to acquire a copy and read it within an acceptable time frame. Meanwhile, we both adore the Wayward Children series. Since we each preordered a copy and knew we would read it in January, we decided to discuss Lost in the Moment and Found instead for January’s Family Reads. I didn’t get around to posting our discussion in January, so now it’s February’s Family Reads!

Welcome to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go.

If you ever lost a sock, you’ll find it here.
If you ever wondered about favorite toy from childhood… it’s probably sitting on a shelf in the back.
And the headphones that you swore that this time you’d keep safe? You guessed it….

Antoinette has lost her father. Metaphorically. He’s not in the shop, and she’ll never see him again. But when Antsy finds herself lost (literally, this time), she finds that however many doors open for her, leaving the Shop for good might not be as simple as it sounds.

And stepping through those doors exacts a price.

Lost in the Moment and Found tells us that childhood and innocence, once lost, can never be found.

Goodreads

Our Discussion 💬

For my sister and I, Lost in the Moment and Found is what some bloggers might consider a typical three star read. We enjoyed it fine enough while reading, but couldn’t tell you much about what happened in the story or why it was enjoyable. For myself, the last three books in the series have less lustre than the previous ones. For Ash, this wasn’t her least favourite entry but it also isn’t in the top five. Lost in the Moment and Found feels like an interlude, a side story to explain some worldbuilding that has heretofore been glossed over. It felt to us more like book 7.5 than book 8. Antsy doesn’t travel to another world; she goes to an inbetween space.

One way this book distinguishes itself from others in the series is the author’s note at the front, which serves as a content warning. Ash and I had quite a discussion about content/trigger warnings and when they are or aren’t used. We both recognize the merit of the note in this book, as we could see how someone might stop reading because they are concerned of what may lie ahead (when, as the note states, Antsy runs “before anything can actually happen”).

Elements of the story that Ash enjoyed include the magpie lore, the expanding shop, and the ‘ghost girl’ exposition. I wasn’t keen on that last element of the book. It felt largely irrelevant to me, just a way to give some exposition. Overall, that was my main frustration with the story. To me, the fantasy world storyline felt disjointed and uninteresting.

The early part of the story, set in our world, is the stronger, if devastating, half of the book. Once again we see a parent breaking their child’s trust with no awareness of what they’ve done. Reading Antsy’s thought process and her initial attempts to logic away her dislike for Tyler was heartbreaking.

Something I noticed while skimming reviews ahead of time was that a lot of folks commented on the ‘door lore’ in this book. I thought that would be exciting – we’re finally learning more about how this all works! But in reality, I was actually a little disappointed. It turns out I would rather keep the magic secret and obscure. And what did we really learn in this book, anyway? Something about aging when going through doors? I didn’t think it was news that the doors are intentional about who they ‘choose’. I did flag one paragraph that seems to offer a bit more insight into the doors almost as characters themselves (pg 90), though I didn’t find it too revolutionary.

Lastly: It’s always sad when someone gets kicked out of their world. Even though we know it’s going to happen! It’s always a sad shock.

Final Thoughts 💭

I gave this book ★★★½ and Ash gave it ★★★★. Certainly it’s not one to miss for those who already enjoy the Wayward Children books. Overall, however, it’s not one of our favourites and not one we would recommend starting with.

Further Reading 📰

🍂 Author website
🍂 Reviews: Destiny @ Howling Libraries, Annemieke @ A Dance with Books, Tammy @ Books, Bones and Buffy, Lili @ Utopia State of Mind, Liz @ Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks
🍂 Related: Other speculative fiction books Ash and I have discussed for Family Reads include The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, In Other Lands, and Lalani of the Distant Sea.

Now that we are up to eight Wayward Children books – which one is your favourite?