Review by peristome - The Lost Story

peristome 's review for:

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

4.0

adventurous hopeful lighthearted

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.

I knew I would enjoy this book the moment I read the epigraph. This is one of my favorite quotes of all time, and I don't even have the nostalgia of The Chronicles of Narnia to fall back on. Something about it has always touched me, and this book managed to follow in its footsteps and touch me as well. I legitimately teared up several times while reading this,

especially when I read the poem Rafe's dad wrote him right before he died

.

The prose was absolutely beautiful in this book. I wrote down several quotes as I was reading, which is rare for me. Additionally, the worldbuilding was amazing. Shanandoah really does feel like a 13 year old came up with it, which I appreciated as a detail. And while I was unsure of the "Storyteller Corner" sections in the beginning, I really liked how they were used throughout the book. The romance is also very sweet. I tend to really like the

second chance romance

trope when it's done well, and I think the book nails it. Don't go in expecting any spice, though. On the scale, this book is barely seasoned with black pepper!

A little list of all the quotes I loved:

As far away as And they lived happily ever after is from Once upon a time

All the bitterness, which was simply another name for loneliness, fled like shadows at the touch of the sunlight.

Joy is quieter than people think it is.

There was no bond that bound hearts that did not bind theirs.

And, of course, Bill's entire poem.

If I had to give one critique—which is also the reason I'm giving this book four stars instead of five—it's that the dialogue is incredibly inconsistent. Sometimes it works, but other times it feels so stilted and unnatural. For example, I found Jeremy calling Emilie

Princess

out of nowhere was very strange, even if we find the reason out later on. It's not bad he did it, but I feel like it could have been introduced more organically. Or another time, when Jeremy asks "Anything?" twice in the same conversation, on the same page

(p. 154)

. This was absolutely the weakest part of the book for me.

If you're looking for a fun, lighthearted read, I'd highly recommend this book. It's not a mind blowing experience, but I don't think it's trying to be either. It's a story about friendship, love, and what the power of the pen. It's a fairy tale through and through. Or is it?

Either this isn't a fairy tale... Or it's only the beginning.

P.S. One day, I'm going to bake that cake. Mark my words.