Review: Spellbook of the Lost and Found

Exciting, intense, and down right magical is how I would descibe Spellbook of the Lost and Found  by Moïra Fowley-Doyle. It is a book where reality blends with superstition and where friendships form among all things lost.

I received an e-ARC of Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyly from Penguin First to Read in exchange for an honest review.

---

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewelry, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something bigger; something she won’t talk about.

Then Olive meets three wild, mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel and Rowan. Like Rose, they’re mourning losses – and holding tight to secrets.

When they discover the ancient spellbook, full of hand-inked charms to conjure back lost things, they realise it might be their chance to set everything right. Unless it’s leading them towards secrets that were never meant to be found . . .

---

The Details

Title: Spellbook of the Lost and Found

Author: Moïra Fowley-Doyle

Publication Date: August 8, 2017

Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books

---

My Review

 

I really enjoyed this book. I thought Moïra did a great job of blending two groups of teenagers to create two story lines that intertwine in a way that makes you wonder if finding the spellbook was meant to be, or just coincidence. I also loved the setting. I spent a few days in Dublin a couple of years ago and we found a dinner where Irish Folklore and Stories would be told throughout the evening. Although this book didn’t include the mythical creatures of Irish folklore I felt the magical elements like the howling of the dogs, and the forests around, felt authentic to the story. It brought back memories of my stay in Dublin and I really enjoyed that.

The first group of characters consist of three best friends named Laurel, Ash, and Holly. These three girls cast a spell to find the things they’ve lost and end up meeting a boy who may or may not be good for them. This friends group felt a bit more tumultuous in what they experience after casting the spell from the spellbook and their friendship gets tested in a ways that may possibly come back to haunt them in the end.

The second group of teenagers consist of two best friends who happen upon a set of twins and their childhood friend. Their names are Olive, Rose, Hazel, Rowan, and Ivy. These five teenagers come together in the most unconventional of ways to cast a spell to find what they’ve lost. Instead they end up learning that maybe losing things isn’t always a bad thing, and maybe the things they want found should remain lost forever.

When events start to overlap and the pieces come together in the end do these friends discover that the past may be closer to them than they could’ve imagined.

I liked that the relationships in this book showed a range of sexuality which I think is important in books these days. Young Adults shouldn’t feel bad for loving who they love and that you can love multiple people in different ways. Moïra did an exceptional job of portraying the dynamic relationships found among all these friends which I really liked.

This book will teach you about friendships, loss, love, and learning that home is defined by where you choose to be, not where you believe you should be.

---

Have you read Moïra’s other novel The Accident Season? Will you be adding this to your TBR pile?