The Land of Lost Things by John Connolly

 

"This is how we sometimes lose people: not all at once, but little by little, like the wind blowing specks of pollen from a flower."

The Land of Lost Things is the long-awaited sequel to The Book of Lost Things. The Book of Lost Things is one of my favorite books and is located on my Top Ten Books to Get Lost on a Deserted Island With list. Having never reviewed The Book of Lost Things, I feel compelled to tell you a little about it first.

The Book of Lost Things is about a boy named David; his mother dies and his father remarries. Increasingly unhappy with his homelife, that now includes an infant half-brother, he falls deeper into the stories that bring him comfort... Until he accidentally opens the door to Elsewhere. In a world beyond his own, he finds fairytales and monsters reminiscent of The Brothers Grimm. I know certain adults have the compulsion for lumping all fantasy novels in with YA, but this book was not aimed at young adults. This book is a coming-of-age novel, and while kids can read it and understand it, I don't necessarily recommend it directly for them.

The Land of Lost Things starts us off with a new set of characters: Phoebe, eight years old and left comatose after a car accident, and her mother, Ceres. Ceres stand vigil over her daughter, day after day, hoping Phoebe will just wake up. But as Ceres becomes exhausted and desperate, ivy begins taking over her cottage and the books begin to whisper. Like David, Ceres is about to find herself lost Elsewhere.

This book was not as dark as the first, which could be good or bad depending on whether or not you prefer dark, but it had its creeptastic moments. We learn a little more about Elsewhere; the visitor influences the world. Where David lived for his fairytales and wound up getting an eyeful of them, Ceres grew up on mythology and finds herself in a world where myth blends into the landscape like Bob Ross painting a portrait called Happy Little Harpies. (If you are too young to know who Bob Ross is, look him up on YouTube.)

Lost in a world that is not her own, all Ceres wants is to go home to Phoebe. But she's trapped in the inevitability of an adventure that may or may not culminate in her own death or the saving of her daughter. In this story, the Fae have returned from wherever it was that they were and are looking forward to the destruction of mankind. The Crooked Man has returned and, between him and the Fae, we know somewhere there's a deal to be made and a heroine to be tempted.

I found Ceres to be up to the task of navigating this dangerous world, and why wouldn't she be? She's a grown woman, not a frightened child. I'm not sure if that made the story better or worse though. While the world and the people in it were full of surprises, I found the Ceres was not. She made rational choices of an adult and while this story was imaginative and compelling, I found most of the ending oddly predictable even if it was enjoyable. I think maybe I would have enjoyed a different ending a little bit more. But I also know that a reoccurring theme in this story is hope, and it would be silly to end with something terrible happening... That'd be the opposite of hope. I also think on the subject of target audience, this book is more clearly defined for adults since the main character is one.

I'll also tell you this book was not written as a standalone, you do need to read The Book of Lost Things first.