3.5
The Land of Lost Things
ByPublisher Description
The redemptive power of stories and family is revealed in New York Times bestselling author John Connolly’s atmospheric tale set in the same magical universe as the “enchanting, engrossing, and enlightening” (Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale) The Book of Lost Things.
“Twice upon a time—for that is how some stories should continue…”
In this “dark fairy tale” (Kirkus Reviews), Phoebe, an eight-year-old girl, lies comatose following a car accident—a body without a spirit. Ceres, her mother, can only sit by her bedside and read aloud the fairy stories Phoebe loves in the hope they might summon her back to this world.
But an old house on the hospital grounds, a property connected to a book written by a vanished author, is calling to Ceres. Something wants her to enter, to journey to a land colored by the memories of childhood, and the folklore beloved of her father—a land of witches and dryads, giants and mandrakes; a land where old enemies are watching and waiting…
The Land of Lost Things.
“Twice upon a time—for that is how some stories should continue…”
In this “dark fairy tale” (Kirkus Reviews), Phoebe, an eight-year-old girl, lies comatose following a car accident—a body without a spirit. Ceres, her mother, can only sit by her bedside and read aloud the fairy stories Phoebe loves in the hope they might summon her back to this world.
But an old house on the hospital grounds, a property connected to a book written by a vanished author, is calling to Ceres. Something wants her to enter, to journey to a land colored by the memories of childhood, and the folklore beloved of her father—a land of witches and dryads, giants and mandrakes; a land where old enemies are watching and waiting…
The Land of Lost Things.
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3.5
“When I picked up The Land of Lost Things, I was unaware of its predecessor, The Book of Lost Things. However, not reading the first did not affect my understanding of the story, as it is largely built upon the world established in the original.
The story focuses on Ceres, a mother caring for her comatose daughter. While struggling with the loss of who her daughter once was and feeling trapped in an emotional limbo, Ceres is lured into a fantasy world in the hope of saving her child. Through this journey, the story becomes one of remembering her own strength as she fights to save others, herself, and—perhaps—her daughter.
I thoroughly enjoyed the change and growth of Ceres throughout the story. The narrative maintains her duty as a mother while also allowing space for her to rediscover herself, showing that these responsibilities are not mutually exclusive but deeply intertwined.
By the final page, I felt that Ceres’s journey was less about escape and more about learning how to exist within grief without being consumed by it.”
About John Connolly
John Connolly is the author of the #1 internationally bestselling Charlie Parker thrillers series, The Book of Lost Things and its sequel The Land of Lost Things, the Samuel Johnson Trilogy for younger readers, and (with Jennifer Ridyard) the Chronicles of the Invaders series. He lives in Dublin, Ireland. For more information, see his website at JohnConnollyBooks.com, or follow him on X and BlueSky @JConnollyBooks.
Other books by John Connolly
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