Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

September 8th, 2017 Kimberly Review 55 Comments

8th Sep
Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Spellbook of the Lost and Found
by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Narrator: Elizabeth Sastre, Marisa Calin, Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 9 hours and 28 minutes
Genres: Magical Realism
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Narration: 4.5 cups

One stormy Irish summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hairclips and jewelry, but soon it's clear that Rose has lost something much bigger, something she won't talk about, and Olive thinks her best friend is slipping away.

Then seductive diary pages written by a girl named Laurel begin to appear all over town. And Olive meets three mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel, and her twin brother, Rowan, secretly squatting in an abandoned housing estate. The trio are wild and alluring, but they seem lost too—and like Rose, they're holding tight to painful secrets.

When they discover the spellbook, it changes everything. Damp, tattered and ancient, it's full of hand-inked charms to conjure back things that have been lost. And it just might be their chance to find what they each need to set everything back to rights.

Unless it's leading them toward things that were never meant to be found...

Diverse fantasy Young Adult Standalone

SPELLBOOK OF THE LOST AND FOUND by Moïra Fowley-Doyle was one of my most anticipated audiobooks.  Last year I devoured the ACCIDENTAL SEASON and fell in love with this author’s voice, magical realism, and storytelling.  SPELLBOOK OF THE LOST AND FOUND did not disappoint delivering magical realism, diverse characters, and lyrical prose.

“then we found the Spellbook. It was like it’d been waiting for us. Like it knew we’d need it.”

Caffeinated Aspects:

  • I love the lyrical prose laced with metaphors that Moïra Fowley-Doyle delivers. She pulls me into her stories, and it all feels very surreal. She always manages to surprise me. Her stories offer rich characters, vivid scenery, and surprise twists. I confess, I did figure it out about midway, but her execution is flawless.
  • I was delighted to discover an LGBTQ thread in this tale.It was beautifully done, giving readers an f/f relationship. Forget stereotypes and cliches, Fowley-Doyle’s rendition was beautiful, genuine and realistic.
  • The plot shares quite the list of characters and their stories all revolve around a spellbook. Contained within this book is a spell that allows you to find something lost. None realize that for this spell to work it requires a sacrifice. The story shares three POV’s, and each has a group/cast of friends. Creating s story broken into several parts, and eventually, the three stories intertwine.  The story begins with Laurel, Ash, and Holly. We do not spend a lot of time with them, but their story is relevant because it sets the story in motion. Laurel told their story. The second group consists of Oliva who narrates and her best friend, Rose. The girls begin to lose things. Little things at first like hair pins, jewelry but soon Rose is missing something bigger and refuses to talk about it. The third group is made up of Ivy, Hazel, and her twin brother, Rowan. They are squatters living in an abandoned building. Wait until you meet Hazel. She narrates their story, and I found her to be memorable.  We soon learn they have lost something too. In the meantime, mysterious pages to a diary penned by Laurel appear around town. Fowley-Doyle weaves her magic pulling these characters together delivering a twisted tale about things lost and things recovered.
  • The characters are rich and complex. Some we get personal with, and others are mysterious leaving us to learn as the story unfolds.  The author gives us diversity with a large cast of female characters and thankfully leaves cliched stereotypes behind. Rose is a character of color, Olive is hearing-impaired, Hazel is gay, and Olive and Rose are bisexual. Each character has a unique personality. I think the author chose well when selecting the voice for each group.
  • If you love magical realism, Fowley-Doyle is a must read author regardless of your age.
  • This is the type of story that you question as it unfolds. You wonder how all of these plots and characters will come together.  Only when the author wraps up the tale, do you sit back and reflect. It is then you come to realize how brilliant the telling was. Her books stick with you, and I often find myself thinking about it, the character and mysterious spellbook.
  • This story does offer romantic threads, but the “lost and found” theme is central. These side stories simply added depth and realism.
  • We have three talented narrators Elizabeth Sastre, Marisa Calin, and Saskia Maarleveld. Each brilliantly captured their POV’s personality and worked well together from their tone to pacing. With three pov’s and an extensive cast of characters, I think the three separate narrators enhanced this already brilliant story.

“What will you let go of? What can you not afford to lose?”

Decaffeinated Aspects:

  • First, I loved this book so don’t misunderstand me. My only complaint was keeping track of all the characters. The use of three narrators was a brilliant move on the publishers part because it helped with knowing whose voice we were hearing. I imagine that reading this might be confusing.  Don’t be discouraged, keep a notebook handy and jot down characters in each group. It will be worth it.  Does that make sense?
  • As I said the story felt off at times, maybe it was the pacing, but it all comes together brilliantly, and on reflection, I would not change a thing.
  • I was left with a few questions, but I am not overly concerned as it fit the vibe of the book.

SPELLBOOK OF THE LOST AND FOUND by Moïra Fowley-Doyle was magical, creative and enchanting. With its edgier topics, it is geared towards the older end of the Young Adult genre and one that will cross over to the adult-shelves seamlessly.

“if you don’t get lost, you’ll never be found”

Magical, Weird, and Wonderful -Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle #audiobook Share on X
Photo of kimbacaffeinate
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

Related Posts

55 Responses to “Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle”

  1. Olivia Roach

    I have seen this book around quite a lot and it sounded really promising to me so it is one I want to read too. Your review has me even more convinced, especially when it comes to your description of her writing style and the plot/themes included. I’m usually good with a lot of characters so I don’t think I’ll mind that aspect too much.

  3. Nicole

    I’ve been super curious about this book. I loved the audio for THE ACCIDENT SEASON, so I think I’ll try audio for this one too (gotta admit, I love the accents). 🙂

  4. Katherine

    The prose on this one sounds as gorgeous as the cover. I can see how it’d be a bit of a challenge to keep up with all the characters at times but it doesn’t sound like it seriously impacted your enjoyment. I’m looking forward to reading this one.

  5. Carole

    I am so glad that you enjoyed this one! I really liked how everything came together in the end. I would imagine having multiple narrators would work really well with this one. Great review!

  7. Lauren

    I seriously can’t wait to be able to read this book myself, I think I JUST bumped it up my to buy list

  8. Geybie's Book Blog

    Oh sounds great. Never heard of the author before and I’m not familiar with the genre but I’m curious. It sounds GOOD. Thanks for sharing. Awesome review, Kim. ❤️

  9. Alyssa Marie

    This book sounds like it’s right up my alley, and I’m not easily confused when it comes to a long list of characters,. Adding it to my TBR list! Awesome review!

  10. Lily B

    I loved her first book. I loved how atmospheric it was and her writing is so good. I have this one on hold from the library I cannot wait!!

  11. Jessica

    Nice! I still want to give her first book a try but this one sounds like an intriguing read! Glad you enjoyed it! Nice review!

  12. Paij

    I LOVE stories about magic! Great review. It’s been added to my ever growing wish list on audible….hehe

  13. Ethan

    I like that this has a unique LGBT romance, but I’d be a bit hesitant about keeping up with the various characters.

  14. A Belle's Tales

    I love those quotes, and I am so happy to hear that this contains an f/f relationship written so wonderfully. This one is going right on my list! Wonderful review! Have a great weekend, my friend!

  16. Melissa

    So glad to hear that you really enjoyed this one. I love The Accident Season as well and am looking forward to reading this one soon!

  17. Tyler H Jolley

    The character development has me completely intrigued. Great review!

  18. Steph

    This sounds like a great fall/autumn read. I love the cover and that it is a standalone. Thank you for the review, I will have to pick it up.

  20. Ailyn Koay

    i do wonder what she lost though, a little sad that I couldn’t get this on netgalley. It was unhelpfully set to .. US only i think

  22. RO

    I’m one of those people who would definitely need to keep a notebook handy, because my memory sucks these days. (lol) Sounds like a really great and thoughtful read, Kim. Hugs…RO

  23. kindlemom1

    Glad you enjoyed the relationship so much and it was done beautifully, gotta love that. I’ve seen a lot of really good reviews so far for this one. Have a great weekend Kim!

  24. verushka

    I’ve been seen this book around to, and it’s always got such rave reviews, so it’s definitely resonating with readers. I’m still not entirely sure if it’s my cup of tea — but goodness that quote is gorgeous! Very apt too!

  25. Lexxie

    I don’t think I’ve read any of her books, but I really like the sound of it – many characters and all 🙂 Magic realism is something I want to read more of.

  26. Silvia

    I’ve been seeing this book around a lot lately and it piqued my curiosity right because of the magical realism. Yep, I think I’ll give it a go, and I love that quote “if you don’t get lost, you’ll never be found”!