I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
What happens when the children who, by fate or accident, stumble into a magical alternate universe for a period of time but are returned to the real world? How do they function as adults in our world after such an experience as children? What if they get an opportunity to return? These are the questions Meg Shaffer, the fantasy author alter-ego of Tiffany Reisz, asks in The Lost Story. Jeremy Cox, a posh British boy who lives in West Virginia because his mum is a concert pianist and music professor at the university, and his best friend Ralph (pronounced Rafe, the British way, rhymes with “safe”) Howell, a self-professed redneck boy in his class, get lost in Red Crow State Forest for six months when they’re fifteen. They come back long after the authorities have given up finding them alive, healthy and more muscular than they were when they disappeared, with skills they didn’t have before. Only Rafe doesn’t remember a thing, and Jeremy isn’t talking.
Fifteen years later, the men haven’t spoken to each other since Jeremy’s mom took him back to England. Now he’s a professional finder of lost girls and women, and fate, in the form of Emilie, has brought them together again to search for Emilie’s missing older sister. Their mission leads back to Red Crow State Forest, full of secrets that affect all three of them.
Shaffer’s expertise in creating characters you’d want to hang out with in real life is masterful. The tension and banter between Emilie, Jeremy, and Rafe, especially the awkward pain of Jeremy and Rafe getting to know each other when one side remembers nothing of their prior relationship and the other remember everything, is beautifully written.
Fantasy novels require a significant amount of worldbuilding in the magical universe, and Shaffer paints hers with wild abandon. Colorful skies, unicorn snuggles, perfectly fitting clothes in the castle’s wardrobes, a sea that looks like a painting, regenerating evildoers to fight: it’s a place built for the young and pure of heart. It’s a fairy tale landscape, which is a lovely foil to the not-overly graphic descriptions of some of the more adult themes in the real world of West Virginia. Shaffer doesn’t neglect WV in her worldbuilding either, and paints a lovely picture of the actual state forest and area as well as enough of the culture to make it a unique place I want to visit.
The fairy tale elements of The Lost Story carry through to the end. The plot is fast paced with action and twists, whip-smart with banter, and completely engaging with complex relationships and secrets, so it’s damn hard to set aside for anything else. The only reason I wasn’t done in a day was because I foolishly started this book the day I was supposed to be packing and driving for a vacation. The Lost Story is a wonderful fantasy novel and I can’t wait for the sequel. Please write a sequel!
The Lost Story is available now anywhere you get your books.
No Pithy Phrase 