ARC Review – Lost in the Moment and Found

From Goodreads:

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.

This might be my favourite of the series yet. First off I would say read the author’s note. McGuire gives a thoughtful summary of trigger warnings, such as grooming and gaslighting. While these topics are heavy McGuire writes them with such precision never stepping over the line but keeping such strong emotional resonance. From Antsy’s grief in loosing her father to the new feeling of fear and trepidation inspired by her step father all have so much emotion pouring from the page.

The darkness of the first half is complimented so beautifully by the magic of Antsy’s door. I think by far it is my favourite world we have visited in the Wayward children series. There is still a little darkness and sadness to the world, an almost Wonderland quality to it where there is just a touch of darkness in all the wonder. It is beautiful in its darkness. Like the whole series it finds the joy of childhood and highlights little beads of sadness that come with growing up.

To me this was a gorgeous and poignant edition to the wayward children series.