Lost in the Moment and Found

 Tell me a story...of where the lost things go

Lost in the Moment and Found (Wayward Children #8) by Seanan McGuire

Expected publication date: January 10, 2023

Date read: October 10, 2022

Welcome to The Shop Where the Lost Things Go. If you ever lost a sock, you’ll find it here. A favorite toy? A pair of headphones? A puppy? All here to be claimed, if you come looking. When Antsy runs away from home and opens a Door into the shop, she begins to realize that no matter how many Doors to other worlds might open to her, leaving the Shop for good might not be as simple as it seems. And stepping through those Doors exacts a price. 

Book #8 in the Wayward Children series, although this book can be read as a standalone. 

This is one of my favorite book series, so I am always excited when a new one comes out. Even though this book was more of a standalone and didn’t include characters we already know and love, I still really enjoyed this one. 

All of the books in this series deal with serious issues (including death, belonging, and body dysmorphia), this book felt a little darker than most of the others - which is saying something as one of the books literally takes place in a world of vampires and mad scientists. I love that the author listed the content warnings right at the start of the book and “spoiled” the story to calm any concerns. She writes:

I just want to offer you this reassurance: Antsy runs. Before anything can actually happen, Antsy runs. 

It’s also of note that, while most of these books don’t have cut and dry villains, the few that do mostly have villains that operate very much in shades of grey. (I think only book 7 has a real villain, if I’m remembering correctly). While there are certainly characters in this book that do questionable things, it often leaves the reader wondering how we would react in the same situation. 

It’s hard saying a lot about this book without falling into spoiler territory, for both this book and for the series as a whole. While this book is a standalone, I would recommend at least reading the first book in the series - Every Heart a Doorway - to get a general idea of how Doors to other worlds work and what the other worlds are like. 

I highly recommend this whole series to anyone who likes fantasy. It’s appropriate for teens (it’s YA), but does deal with serious issues, as mentioned before. These books are short, quick reads (most between 150 and 200 pages), but pack a punch. This is a great addition to the series and I look forward to the next one.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Content warning: death of a parent, child witnessing sudden death of a parent, grooming, gaslighting, child abuse

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book