Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
New York : Tor Publishing Group, 2023.
Pages
160
Description
A young girl discovers an infinite variety of worlds in this standalone tale in the Hugo and Nebula Award-wining Wayward Children series from Seanan McGuire. 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 a favourite toy from childhood, it's probably sitting on a shelf in the back. And the headphones that you swore 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 discovers 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.… (more)
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Novella — 2024)
Locus Recommended Reading (2023)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — Hall of Fame — January 2023)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2023-01-10
ISBN
9781250213648
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member tapestry100
Lost in the Moment and Found, book 8 in @seananmcguire’s Wayward Children series from @tordotcompub, takes us back to a portal world, this time the Shop Where the Lost Things Go, and Antoinette’s story of how she discovered her world.
Running away from a life she didn’t ask for, Antsy
However, this book fell just a little short for me from the others in the series. I think I’ve figured out why this and Across the Green Grass Fields didn’t quite work for me like the rest of the books: we’re being introduced to characters that we don’t necessarily have an emotional attachment to. AtGGF introduced us to Regan, an entirely brand new character, and here we’re given Antoinette’s story, a character who was only mentioned in passing in Where the Drowned Girls Go. Without any previous attachment to these characters, I have a hard time connecting with them and their world. Also, there was a lot of “telling” in this book, as there is a story within the story that takes of the Shop and how it came to be; I felt this could have been spread out a little in the overall shape of the story, instead of being more or less an expository drop towards the end of the book.
Even so, McGuire always delivers when it comes to her Wayward Children, and I’m hoping that since we have her story now, this means Antoinette will be playing a larger role in the overarching arc, since she grew into such an interesting character in this book.
#fantasy #portalfantasy #frommybookshelfblog #waywardchildren #seananmcguire #tordotcompublishing #bookreview #bookstagram #book #books
Running away from a life she didn’t ask for, Antsy
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(Antoinette) finds a Door, this one leading to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go, and being lost herself, she finds a home here and begins to help in the running of the Shop. What she isn’t told, however, is the cost that helping run the Shop will take on her, and she learns that even when adults aren’t actively, openly taking things from you, they can still be hurting you. This was a heavy book, tackling a lot of uncomfortable topics, and the first to come with a trigger warning. I appreciate McGuire’s choices in this book, and her delicate handling of topics that can be very indelicate and not easy to talk about.However, this book fell just a little short for me from the others in the series. I think I’ve figured out why this and Across the Green Grass Fields didn’t quite work for me like the rest of the books: we’re being introduced to characters that we don’t necessarily have an emotional attachment to. AtGGF introduced us to Regan, an entirely brand new character, and here we’re given Antoinette’s story, a character who was only mentioned in passing in Where the Drowned Girls Go. Without any previous attachment to these characters, I have a hard time connecting with them and their world. Also, there was a lot of “telling” in this book, as there is a story within the story that takes of the Shop and how it came to be; I felt this could have been spread out a little in the overall shape of the story, instead of being more or less an expository drop towards the end of the book.
Even so, McGuire always delivers when it comes to her Wayward Children, and I’m hoping that since we have her story now, this means Antoinette will be playing a larger role in the overarching arc, since she grew into such an interesting character in this book.
#fantasy #portalfantasy #frommybookshelfblog #waywardchildren #seananmcguire #tordotcompublishing #bookreview #bookstagram #book #books
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LibraryThing member hcnewton
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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This ended up being one of those books that I could say almost nothing about or could just as easily have said far too much about. It took me a week and a half just to figure out—I hope—the way to strike the balance.
WHAT'S LOST IN THE
Antoinette (known as Antsy) is a little girl whose life is shattered when her father dies unexpectedly. Her mother quickly remarries for security and her stepfather is the stuff of nightmares. He dismantles her idyllic-sounding childhood, almost removing her from the family. When darker (much darker) things loom, Antsy runs away.
Naturally—well, supernaturally—as this is a Wayward Children book, she's soon presented with a Door. She steps through it, as sure as someone who isn't even ten can be. And enters a shop. Unusually for this series, she's not in a new world—but a shop. The Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be precise.
The shop is managed by an old woman named Vineta and a very large (and talking) magpie named Hudson. In addition to the Shop being the place that Lost Things go—those that are needed by their owners can come be retrieved. There is a Door in the Shop that Antsy can open to other worlds (Antsy's door, and that of those coming to Find something, appears in a different location)—there's never any telling what world will be on the other side of the Door. If it looks appealing, Vineta and Antsy will go through and purchase some things to sell in the Shop (and feed themselves), otherwise Antsy will close the door and try again.
At some point, Antsy begins finding ominous notes trying to tell her something—will she figure out what the notes are trying to tell her in time?
WORLDBUILDING
One of the more entertaining things—for me, anyway—about this series is hearing about worlds that we don't get to spend time in (or more than a quick glimpse, anyway). Just a brief mention along the way to some other point, and you get to fuel your imagination for a bit. Given this setting—and the way the Shop flits between worlds for Antsy and Vineta to go pick up stock, Lost in the Moment and Found is rife in these glimpses, hints of what else is out there. I had so much fun with that—McGuire's really created a universe for these stories where she can indulge any whim she has for storytelling and it'd work.
But that's not really what I wanted to talk about.
This entry would be a worthwhile read for fans if only for this one thing—we learn more about the Doors and how they work. I'm not going to go into it, obviously, nor am I going to promise that every question you had about the Doors will be answered—actually you'll likely end up with new questions, but they'll be informed questions.
DEPTH OF DARKNESS
On the whole, this series hasn't featured "bad guys"—largely, the antagonists have been people with competing visions for the way things ought to be. People who were trying their best, but who couldn't understand their children (before and/or after their door)—and so on. A lot of people you don't want to be around and you don't want to see have much success as they are, but typically it's possible to see where they're coming from and why they do what they do (as much as you might object to it).
But in this book? There are a minimum of two evil characters. People that need to be stopped, and you sort of wish Toby Daye would make a cameo and do what she does best.
McGuire's painted some bleak circumstances for her Wayward Children—but this seems bleaker (I haven't spent a lot of time reviewing the older books, so I'm prepared to be corrected) and darker than we're used to. There's a period where you can forget that, where it almost feels like Antsy is out for a very long lark and everything will be a fun adventure.
I don't know if this is a turning point and that we'll see more books like this in the years to come. I doubt it—I think this is a story that needed to be told, but we'll be back on more familiar ground—with a more familiar tone—soon.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND?
This is clearly a personal story of McGuire (just read the Author's note that precedes the text) and there's a rawness to the writing that isn't typical for this series (or McGuire, period). But it's oh, so fitting.
I find myself slipping into misconceptions about this series—I enjoy the characters (so many of our protagonists are just loveable), the concept behind the series and West's school, and so on—it's easy to remember the nonsense worlds, the joy that characters frequently experience in finding a Door, going home, or leaving home that you forget that almost everyone goes through a Door from our world to get away from something. When I pause to write something like this or describe the series/a particular novella to someone—all of that comes rushing back. Only to be forgotten again until I start reading the next book.* Antsy's situation is perhaps the most disturbing we've seen—and what she ultimately finds in the shop is equally (but in a very different way) unsettling.
* I hope I'm not alone in that, but I have to assume the rest of you are more careful in your reading/remembering.
The novella is not all dire and troubling—there's a lot of fun to be had as we follow Antsy. The quick excursion to the lost animal department could've filled a novella or two. The reader might see some old friends out of the corner of their eye, too. Most importantly, there is hope. That last line is earned (as we're told time and time again, nothing comes free), and is so reassuring.
Unsurprisingly, I recommend this book—unlike most in the series, I don't think this would serve as a good entry point. It's a good number 8 (these are all novellas, so reading eight of them isn't that big of an investment). It's raw, it's unsettling (at the very least), it's emotional, and it's full of some of McGuire's best prose. I'm sure those who've read 1-2 (or all seven) others don't need me to say this, you've probably already read them. But for everyone else, it's time to start reading these books.
---
This ended up being one of those books that I could say almost nothing about or could just as easily have said far too much about. It took me a week and a half just to figure out—I hope—the way to strike the balance.
WHAT'S LOST IN THE
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MOMENT AND FOUND ABOUT?Antoinette (known as Antsy) is a little girl whose life is shattered when her father dies unexpectedly. Her mother quickly remarries for security and her stepfather is the stuff of nightmares. He dismantles her idyllic-sounding childhood, almost removing her from the family. When darker (much darker) things loom, Antsy runs away.
Naturally—well, supernaturally—as this is a Wayward Children book, she's soon presented with a Door. She steps through it, as sure as someone who isn't even ten can be. And enters a shop. Unusually for this series, she's not in a new world—but a shop. The Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be precise.
The shop is managed by an old woman named Vineta and a very large (and talking) magpie named Hudson. In addition to the Shop being the place that Lost Things go—those that are needed by their owners can come be retrieved. There is a Door in the Shop that Antsy can open to other worlds (Antsy's door, and that of those coming to Find something, appears in a different location)—there's never any telling what world will be on the other side of the Door. If it looks appealing, Vineta and Antsy will go through and purchase some things to sell in the Shop (and feed themselves), otherwise Antsy will close the door and try again.
At some point, Antsy begins finding ominous notes trying to tell her something—will she figure out what the notes are trying to tell her in time?
WORLDBUILDING
One of the more entertaining things—for me, anyway—about this series is hearing about worlds that we don't get to spend time in (or more than a quick glimpse, anyway). Just a brief mention along the way to some other point, and you get to fuel your imagination for a bit. Given this setting—and the way the Shop flits between worlds for Antsy and Vineta to go pick up stock, Lost in the Moment and Found is rife in these glimpses, hints of what else is out there. I had so much fun with that—McGuire's really created a universe for these stories where she can indulge any whim she has for storytelling and it'd work.
But that's not really what I wanted to talk about.
This entry would be a worthwhile read for fans if only for this one thing—we learn more about the Doors and how they work. I'm not going to go into it, obviously, nor am I going to promise that every question you had about the Doors will be answered—actually you'll likely end up with new questions, but they'll be informed questions.
DEPTH OF DARKNESS
On the whole, this series hasn't featured "bad guys"—largely, the antagonists have been people with competing visions for the way things ought to be. People who were trying their best, but who couldn't understand their children (before and/or after their door)—and so on. A lot of people you don't want to be around and you don't want to see have much success as they are, but typically it's possible to see where they're coming from and why they do what they do (as much as you might object to it).
But in this book? There are a minimum of two evil characters. People that need to be stopped, and you sort of wish Toby Daye would make a cameo and do what she does best.
McGuire's painted some bleak circumstances for her Wayward Children—but this seems bleaker (I haven't spent a lot of time reviewing the older books, so I'm prepared to be corrected) and darker than we're used to. There's a period where you can forget that, where it almost feels like Antsy is out for a very long lark and everything will be a fun adventure.
I don't know if this is a turning point and that we'll see more books like this in the years to come. I doubt it—I think this is a story that needed to be told, but we'll be back on more familiar ground—with a more familiar tone—soon.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND?
This is clearly a personal story of McGuire (just read the Author's note that precedes the text) and there's a rawness to the writing that isn't typical for this series (or McGuire, period). But it's oh, so fitting.
I find myself slipping into misconceptions about this series—I enjoy the characters (so many of our protagonists are just loveable), the concept behind the series and West's school, and so on—it's easy to remember the nonsense worlds, the joy that characters frequently experience in finding a Door, going home, or leaving home that you forget that almost everyone goes through a Door from our world to get away from something. When I pause to write something like this or describe the series/a particular novella to someone—all of that comes rushing back. Only to be forgotten again until I start reading the next book.* Antsy's situation is perhaps the most disturbing we've seen—and what she ultimately finds in the shop is equally (but in a very different way) unsettling.
* I hope I'm not alone in that, but I have to assume the rest of you are more careful in your reading/remembering.
The novella is not all dire and troubling—there's a lot of fun to be had as we follow Antsy. The quick excursion to the lost animal department could've filled a novella or two. The reader might see some old friends out of the corner of their eye, too. Most importantly, there is hope. That last line is earned (as we're told time and time again, nothing comes free), and is so reassuring.
Unsurprisingly, I recommend this book—unlike most in the series, I don't think this would serve as a good entry point. It's a good number 8 (these are all novellas, so reading eight of them isn't that big of an investment). It's raw, it's unsettling (at the very least), it's emotional, and it's full of some of McGuire's best prose. I'm sure those who've read 1-2 (or all seven) others don't need me to say this, you've probably already read them. But for everyone else, it's time to start reading these books.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.
Antsy lost her father. Her mother's new husband is not a man to be trusted. (I won't delve into spoilers here, but there is a fantastic trigger warning at the start of the novella that states that Antsy escapes, so go into the book knowing the content verges
The Wayward Children series includes some of my favorite books, ever--and also some volumes that fell incredibly flat to me. This one is well done, a four-star rating from me. I don't rate it among the best because the set-up feels long, the immersion in the fantastic frustratingly brief. But oh, I loved Antsy's time in the shop. I wanted to stay there for a full novel, in all honesty.
Note that the book is stand-alone. You don't need to have read the previous novellas in the series, though your experience may be richer if you have.
Antsy lost her father. Her mother's new husband is not a man to be trusted. (I won't delve into spoilers here, but there is a fantastic trigger warning at the start of the novella that states that Antsy escapes, so go into the book knowing the content verges
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on disturbing but does nothing graphic.) She opens a door, in the tradition of this series, to a mystical place: in her case, a shop for things that are lost. The Wayward Children series includes some of my favorite books, ever--and also some volumes that fell incredibly flat to me. This one is well done, a four-star rating from me. I don't rate it among the best because the set-up feels long, the immersion in the fantastic frustratingly brief. But oh, I loved Antsy's time in the shop. I wanted to stay there for a full novel, in all honesty.
Note that the book is stand-alone. You don't need to have read the previous novellas in the series, though your experience may be richer if you have.
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LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
The latest in the Wayward Children series introduces us to Antsy, a little girl who’s father dies during one of their weekly Daddy daughter trips to the store. Her grieving mother remarries a year later and quickly has a baby with her new husband that gives Antsy the creeps. Antsy runs away after
There is a cameo by some previous characters that fans of the series will recognize immediately. Now I can’t wait to see where Antsy, Antoinette Ricci fits into the wider universe now that her story and her door have been told.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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being portrayed as unreliable and a liar to her mother by her stepfather before anything happens. She finds shelter in a thrift store she had never seen before and stepping through that door has changed her world. She finds herself a store where doors appear and if she goes through them, she can shop and bring back treasures for the store to sell. But the store also holds things that were lost and their owners can come and retrieve them as well. But not every lost thing is found again or found in time. There is a cameo by some previous characters that fans of the series will recognize immediately. Now I can’t wait to see where Antsy, Antoinette Ricci fits into the wider universe now that her story and her door have been told.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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LibraryThing member Strider66
Pros: psychologically astute, lyrical writing
Cons: packs a real emotional punch, may be distressing for some readers
When Antsy ran away from a bad situation at home she opened a Door. The Shop Where the Lost Things Go is a nexus connecting all the worlds and provides a new home for her. Antsy wants
The book begins with a content warning from the author that Antsy runs before she is sexually abused. The first few chapters are difficult to read all the same. While she is a child, you know what’s happening and feel the tension and horror. The book also begins with the death of Antsy’s father. It’s a highly emotional scene that gut punched me harder than expected. This is a standalone story in the Wayward Children series, so if the content will distress you, you can skip it. If you can deal with the content, it’s an emotionally rewarding story.
In feel, the story has the same mixture of lyrical writing and keen psychological observation as the other books in the series, and Down Among the Sticks and Bones in particular.
Antsy’s a surprisingly astute child, who realizes something is wrong with her new stepfather but isn’t quite sure what. She has good instincts and follows them to positive effect in the story. She is a delight to read about.
Seeing through several doors was a lot of fun, as was learning more about the store.
As with most of the series the ending is a little bittersweet, but appropriate based on what happened.
(review copy provided via Netgalley)
Cons: packs a real emotional punch, may be distressing for some readers
When Antsy ran away from a bad situation at home she opened a Door. The Shop Where the Lost Things Go is a nexus connecting all the worlds and provides a new home for her. Antsy wants
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to return to her mother someday, but doesn’t realize what her adventure has already cost.The book begins with a content warning from the author that Antsy runs before she is sexually abused. The first few chapters are difficult to read all the same. While she is a child, you know what’s happening and feel the tension and horror. The book also begins with the death of Antsy’s father. It’s a highly emotional scene that gut punched me harder than expected. This is a standalone story in the Wayward Children series, so if the content will distress you, you can skip it. If you can deal with the content, it’s an emotionally rewarding story.
In feel, the story has the same mixture of lyrical writing and keen psychological observation as the other books in the series, and Down Among the Sticks and Bones in particular.
Antsy’s a surprisingly astute child, who realizes something is wrong with her new stepfather but isn’t quite sure what. She has good instincts and follows them to positive effect in the story. She is a delight to read about.
Seeing through several doors was a lot of fun, as was learning more about the store.
As with most of the series the ending is a little bittersweet, but appropriate based on what happened.
(review copy provided via Netgalley)
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LibraryThing member MontzaleeW
Lost in the Moment and Found
By Seanan McGuire
I am glad the author gives the warning in the beginning of the book. The book starts out like something bad is going to happen to the little girl by her step-father but we are warned that she runs and runs. I don't know if I could have finished or tried
The girl does run and is safe. She runs to a door of a shop so she can call her grandma. But this isn't any shop. There is a talking bird and a very old woman. She can't open the door and return to her home, she opens the door but what she finds is different worlds with different creatures.
Great story with an unusual twist.
By Seanan McGuire
I am glad the author gives the warning in the beginning of the book. The book starts out like something bad is going to happen to the little girl by her step-father but we are warned that she runs and runs. I don't know if I could have finished or tried
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to finish if I thought she was going to be hurt.The girl does run and is safe. She runs to a door of a shop so she can call her grandma. But this isn't any shop. There is a talking bird and a very old woman. She can't open the door and return to her home, she opens the door but what she finds is different worlds with different creatures.
Great story with an unusual twist.
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LibraryThing member KittyCunningham
Very much a side story that only touches the school briefly.
LibraryThing member NeedMoreShelves
This series has my heart, so there is a possibility that I don't have the capacity to be entirely objective when reading them. That said, I was once again transported by the magic and mystery she creates in each one of her worlds. This installment is certainly one of the darkest in the series, with
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the author herself sharing trigger warnings in the foreward. This is a series about children, but not necessarily FOR children, and Lost in the Moment certainly illustrates that. McGuire tackles childhood grooming and abuse with forthright tenderness - just enough, and never too much. Antsy is another unforgettable protagonist, and I can't wait to see her story develop in future installments, as she is allowed to interact with other beloved characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member Verkruissen
This one definitely had a much more sinister vibe with the author prefacing the story with a trigger warning in regards to childhood abuse.
But seriously, the Wayward Children series never fails to enchant me. The whole idea of there being a world where lost items or pets go to be found is
As always, a highly recommended addition to one of my favorite series ever.
But seriously, the Wayward Children series never fails to enchant me. The whole idea of there being a world where lost items or pets go to be found is
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absolutely fantastic. If you've read the other Wayward Children books you will catch some small references to the other stories throughout this book. The characters were, as always, fascinating and the main character, Antsy (Antoinette) is a strong brave girl that trusts her gut and finds herself on an amazing adventure. As always, a highly recommended addition to one of my favorite series ever.
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LibraryThing member lavaturtle
Another strong entry in the Wayward Children series. Antsy's situation and journey is compelling. The beginning is an all-too-realistic picture of emotional abuse and grooming, and I'm glad the content warning was included. Once Antsy gets through the door, she's in an intriguing place, and there's Antsy returning back to see her mom and how things ended up with Tyler . Looking forward to seeing Antsy at the school!
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just the right amount of foreboding for things to feel a bit uneasy... until the big secret comes out, and it hits with the full force of the thing we should have been paying more attention to. I loved the denouement and Show Less
LibraryThing member jennybeast
This one was a hard one to read, and I'm glad that McGuire includes a note about triggers in the beginning. I think maybe one of the things that makes it so hard is that the shop is so appealing -- a really fantastical realm, and I just wanted Vineta and Hudson to be better. I wanted the price to
Advanced readers copy provided by Edelweiss.
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be less predatory and the consequences less heartbreaking and all of that on top of not wanting Antsy's family to fail her as badly as they do. It's a lot. But it's also powerful and real. Advanced readers copy provided by Edelweiss.
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LibraryThing member MillieHennessy
Another bittersweet entry in the Wayward Children series. This one is a mix of the heaviness of dealing with a really tough, very real topic (cw: childhood abuse, hints of intent of worse abuse - though thankfully it's not depicted in detail) with the extra-magical nexus of doorways and lost and
As usual McGuire has created more fascinating worlds and more likeable, relatable characters. Antsy's experience with her step father had me remembering my own experiences with my dad's girlfriend as a young kid, and while my story is nowhere near the same, it brought back a weird sort of reflective hurt that some of the other entries in this series haven't done for me.
My only "complaint" is that I would have liked to see even more worlds and magic. But I guess I'll just have to wait for the next one!
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found shop. In this book our heroine can access many doors and also helps to run a very intriguing shop where lost things from all worlds go. I enjoyed the atmosphere, but the beginning and end of this book are fairly sad.As usual McGuire has created more fascinating worlds and more likeable, relatable characters. Antsy's experience with her step father had me remembering my own experiences with my dad's girlfriend as a young kid, and while my story is nowhere near the same, it brought back a weird sort of reflective hurt that some of the other entries in this series haven't done for me.
My only "complaint" is that I would have liked to see even more worlds and magic. But I guess I'll just have to wait for the next one!
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LibraryThing member niaomiya
Oh, wow. This book. I could not put it down.
I have never read any of Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series, although I've heard a lot about them. This one, though, as a standalone, called to me from the library book shelf, and I am SO glad I grabbed it.
Anytime that I read a book, I read all of
The first 45 or so pages of the 146-page book were difficult to get through. Not because it wasn't interesting or because it was poorly written. On the contrary. Because it was written with such insight and depth of TRUTH -- clearly drawn from personal experience, which made it all the more devastating. There is a palpable feeling of dread through the entire first 45 pages because the reader knows what Antsy doesn't, and it is just such a terrible, terrible feeling to know what is about to happen to this precious little girl. I didn't want to read on, and yet I did. I am not spoiling things by saying that the book blessedly shifts before things can get unbearably awful, because McGuire states in her Author's Note: "Antsy runs. Before anything can actually happen. Antsy runs."
When the book shifts at page 46, it is to a world of fantasy. Antsy has stepped through a door that takes her someplace she has never been. The rest of the book is filled with fantastical and wondrous things, and yet there is something missing. As Antsy spends more time in this other world, she gradually learns the truth behind this world. There is a price to pay for everything, and she eventually learns what price she has been paying for being in her safe haven. Does she still want to go back home? Or does she not? *Can* she go back home? And, if she does, what will be waiting for her there?
This book hit me so hard. I felt everything profoundly. The loss of childhood innocence is an incredibly sad thing, and yet the book ends with a glimmer of hope. Seanan McGuire, this book destroyed me, but in the most beautiful way. I am forever a fan and look forward to going back and reading all your books.
I have never read any of Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series, although I've heard a lot about them. This one, though, as a standalone, called to me from the library book shelf, and I am SO glad I grabbed it.
Anytime that I read a book, I read all of
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it, including the dedication page, author's note, any quotes, etc. that the author includes before the start of the book. And, let me tell you, I am SO glad I did that with this one. The dedication page was absolutely heartbreaking and even more so when I finished the book and went back and read the dedication page again. I was in tears. The Author's Note was absolutely critical in enabling me to brace myself; it's essentially a trigger warning, and although I don't have such triggers, I really needed the warning in order to prepare my brain and emotions.The first 45 or so pages of the 146-page book were difficult to get through. Not because it wasn't interesting or because it was poorly written. On the contrary. Because it was written with such insight and depth of TRUTH -- clearly drawn from personal experience, which made it all the more devastating. There is a palpable feeling of dread through the entire first 45 pages because the reader knows what Antsy doesn't, and it is just such a terrible, terrible feeling to know what is about to happen to this precious little girl. I didn't want to read on, and yet I did. I am not spoiling things by saying that the book blessedly shifts before things can get unbearably awful, because McGuire states in her Author's Note: "Antsy runs. Before anything can actually happen. Antsy runs."
When the book shifts at page 46, it is to a world of fantasy. Antsy has stepped through a door that takes her someplace she has never been. The rest of the book is filled with fantastical and wondrous things, and yet there is something missing. As Antsy spends more time in this other world, she gradually learns the truth behind this world. There is a price to pay for everything, and she eventually learns what price she has been paying for being in her safe haven. Does she still want to go back home? Or does she not? *Can* she go back home? And, if she does, what will be waiting for her there?
This book hit me so hard. I felt everything profoundly. The loss of childhood innocence is an incredibly sad thing, and yet the book ends with a glimmer of hope. Seanan McGuire, this book destroyed me, but in the most beautiful way. I am forever a fan and look forward to going back and reading all your books.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Antsy is a young girl whose father died and whose mother married a man who makes Antsy afraid. When he attempts to molest her, she runs away and finds a magical shop where lost things go. The metaphor of lost childhood is pretty on the nose, but it’s otherwise pretty much what you expect from a
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Wayward Children book, including unfair bargains made with incomplete information. Show Less
LibraryThing member KallieGrace
This is the best one I think. It's so so heartbreaking but the metaphor works perfectly. Children who are abused are forced to grow up faster than they should have to. Their childhood is lost. There is no on-page abuse, but the grooming leading up to what would be abuse just makes me blood boil. I
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can't imagine ever not believing my children like that. Show Less
LibraryThing member AngelaJMaher
Probably the most heartbreaking of the series so far, with personal history of the author giving it that little bit more something. Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes sad, a tale of escape and the unforeseen costs that come with it. Not without hope, but a somewhat challenging read in places.
LibraryThing member LynnMPK
I loved this entry into the Wayward Children series! It felt so unique and I enjoyed how the mystery of the shop slowly unfolded. Antsy is a strong little girl and it was great to see her come into her own and stand up for herself.
LibraryThing member tornadox
Antsy works in a shop where Lost things are Found. Every day she can travel through multiple Doors to shop. Although she has good instincts for bargaining, she rarely knows the true cost of things.
I did not cry much while reading this book, which is unusual for this series. But the story is so
**Read an ARC from NetGalley**
I did not cry much while reading this book, which is unusual for this series. But the story is so
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good.**Read an ARC from NetGalley**
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LibraryThing member sraedi
I would really like one of these with misophonia as the theme.