The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
The Lost Story
by Meg Shaffer
Fantasy | Magical Realism | LGBTQ+
352 Pages
Released July 2024
Rating: ★★★ 1/2
Goodreads
Content Warnings
I’ve come to understand that sometimes you need the right frame of mind when starting a new book. Sometimes it’s important to understand an author and tailor your expectations accordingly. What I know after reading her first novel is this: Shaffer specializes in low-stakes, cozy fantasy stories with familiar tropes that are perfect for a rainy night snuggled in front of a fire.
This book follows Emilie, who is on a quest to find her sister that she’s never met because she disappeared years ago. In order to accomplish this, she track down Jeremy - a man with the strange ability to locate almost any missing girl. With the help of Jeremy, his mysterious friend Rafe, and a fancy rat called Fritz, Emilie embarks on a magical journey to find her long lost sister.
For starters, I found myself enjoying this one much more than her debut novel, The Wishing Game. I can definitely see that the writing has improved and because of that, I found this story pulled me in much faster. The characters were immediately sweet and charming (what’s not to love about a fancy rat?!), though a little flat and while the stakes feel just as low as her last book, there’s something comforting about the on-the-nose sort of foreshadowing that lets you know early on the direction the novel is going.
A seasoned reader will find this rather predictable but for me, it didn’t really take away from the story. I wish there had been some more world building but it’s clear that the relationships in this story were Shaffer’s focus (plus, it is sort of justified at one point in the book).
Finally, I also appreciate Shaffer’s effort to include LGBTQ+ representation in the novel, and though I’d love to expand on this thought, doing so would spoil some parts of the book.
If you’re a fan of Shaffer’s work, or you’re just looking for a fun, no-stress, fantasy romp, this should definitely be on your list.