With nods to The Chronicles of Narnia and even Alice in Wonderland, The Lost Story begins with an intriguing premise. Two fifteen-year-old boys are lost in the woods for months. When they return, one cannot remember anything and the other refuses to talk about it. Fifteen years later, they meet again when a sister is searching for her lost older sibling. Can the three find the lost older sister? Can they discover what really happened in those woods so long ago?
I absolutely adored the first half of The Lost Story. It begins as the perfect fantasy that is only superficially anchored in the real world. Then, screech, it turns into a politically correct young adult novel about love is love and parents are so judgey. I kept reading because I was hoping it would return to the excellent fantasy that it was in the beginning. No such luck, unfortunately. 3 disappointed stars.
Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.