The Land of Lost Things by John Connolly is about the power of love and hope and family, the wonders that grow from reading, the enchantments in the worlds of books, and the place of fairy or folk tales in our lives. This book builds on Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things but can be read as a standalone, which is what I have done. (I do plan to read the first book soon.)

As the story opens, Ceres, is watching as her young daughter, Phoebe, is being cared for in hospital some time after having been hit by a car driven by a distracted driver. Phoebe has been unconscious, comatose since the accident and Ceres is losing hope. The child’s transfer to a specialty care hospital returns Ceres to her childhood home and she continues regularly visiting her daughter. Ceres brings their favorite book of fairy tales to read to her in the hope she may hear. Ceres was raised by a father steeped in folklore and legends and has shared some of this with Phoebe.

Ceres doesn’t realize that she is days away from entering a different reality, one her father would have recognized, populated by beings not primarily human. There she will experience her own tale all the while worrying about her daughter and remembering all she was taught by her father.

This is a wonderful tribute to the love and power of books and reading as well as the bonds created within families by reading together. It is also a loving tribute to imagination, to the folklore that has been gifted us from the past, and an invitation to be our own writers and readers whenever we choose.

Highly recommended to those who enjoy stories, fantasy, fairytales or, better yet, folklore, or a great read. Connolly is a gifted writer.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. The review is my own.

I enjoyed this sequel almost as much as I liked the first book. Fans of the original novel won’t be disappointed!

This is book 2 in John’s series, the Book of Lost things. David is not in this story but the setting is familiar with Ceres going to explore an out building near the nursing home where her daughter lies in a coma. This fairy tale, fantasy is a great addition to book 1. The characters are near and dear as you get to know them. It is a reminder that mankind cannot destroy the environment and continue to fight and kill each other. A good read, that can stand alone.

3.75 stars rounded up. The book, a sequel (I have not read the first) started out with a lovely voice, tone, and style. I was quite enjoying it. There are beautiful, fun scenes of magical happenings that were well crafted and nicely done. But from about the 10% mark on, I had problems with the book.

I think it comes down to a wonderful story that is trying to go in too many directions at once. At times the tone and themes are adult at others more young adult. There are multiple mysterious, unnamed menaces, (a shadow woman, a rook (raven type bird), weird ivy, the writer's house, her own cottage, even her references to her father.) when maybe one or two would have better--for me--built the believability and tension. I loved all of them, but with so many, none had time to develop in a way that convinced me of their reality.

I also found some of the interactions of the protagonist with other characters to be inorganic. For example, the immediate bond of Ceres to Oliver, her daughters new caregiver. There's no period of developing the relationship. That may sound petty, but for me, that's at the core of believability. Particularly when someone is dealing with grief and trauma. I think perhaps this author's strength is in creating a character's internal dialogue--which was very strong and extensive in this book. Whereas the interaction dialogue with others, not so much.

I hope readers of the first book will enjoy this one more than I did. This is a talented writer, most certainly, but the book didn't work on all levels for me. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read The Land of Lost Things.

The Book of Lost Things is an old favorite of mine, and I was surprised to see it get a sequel. I’m always a bit wary of long after the fact follow-up novels, but this is truly a good story and a welcome return to this world.

This story doesn’t feel quite as powerful as the original, but it does make for a nice continuation of sorts and a solidly plotted companion story. I liked Ceres a lot, and though her backstory is sad, the hopeful tone keeps the book from feeling like it’s wallowing.

One of the best things about Connolly’s writing in these books is the way he talks about stories. I love reading his observations and thoughts on the concept of the story and about our own identity as characters in our own respective tales.

The dark fairy tale atmosphere still haunts this book as it did the first one, and though it’s a bit less immersive than the first, it still boasts a very well-crafted sense of place. And though I was a bit sad that it was slightly less creepy, it was also somewhat by extension less gross, which I appreciated.

I was lost in the beautiful writing of this book. It was amazing and transported me to a different place.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

My thanks to Atria books, John Connolly and Netgalley.
Am I happy to have discovered that John is not all that, and a handful of cherries? Nope.
I tried so hard.
But..,,....nope!

I received this book from NetGalley for my unbiased opinion.

Ceres misses her daughter. One fateful moment took Phoebe away into a drifting limbo and their lives haven't been the same sense. Ceres is at her wit's end when Phoebe is relocated to The Lantern House and stumbles her way into a world she's only read of in books. Can she navigate a land with rules all it's own and make her way back to her daughter, even save her daughter?

That's the premise to John Connolly's sequel to The Book of Lost Things, a sequel he himself says he never intended to write. Often when reading a book, I make notes and have thoughts on things I do and don't like, things I wish were different, or moments I love. For The Land of Lost Things, I made it all the way through without notes, without cohesive thoughts other than "yes".

Yes, this is a good book. Yes, I like this story. Yes, I am satisfied. Like a pleasant hum in my brain, I devoured this story. Ceres' journey through the Land of Lost Things was one of self discovery, not from a place of not knowing but perhaps simply remembering of who she was and her priorities, of relearning what gives her strength to carry on despite her daughter's seemingly endless struggle. S

My one note of annoyance that kept me from fully immersing myself in the story, was the extreme similarity in name between Ceres and Calio. The format style of the story swapped POV and I kept having to go back to confirm who I was reading which might just be chocked up to me being a notorious skim reader but the exact same starting letter and length really tripped me up.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loved the first OR who simply loves a fantasy novel in a unique world that plays on the complexity and often grey areas of human emotion. A single mother navigating how to deal with and survive her young daughter's coma would be a compelling story set in reality, let alone adding the layers of paranormal, fantasy questing that came with Ceres' meeting of Calio and the Woodsman.

If I have one thought or hope for John Connolly, it is that we someday get more of the Woodsman and his story.

I did not read book one of this series before reading this book — and It was easy to get into this story without any background information. This is a wild ride into fantasy / fairytale land. - I love that there are so many fairytale characters and myths throughout the story - and for me was a bit reminiscent of an adventure like The never ending story but more creepy and borderline horror at some points. There is a lot going on — and many characters — so at times — I did get lost — but I liked that the author showed the point of view of many characters so you didn’t form a bias opinion of the characters. The writing was very good and the story was weaved well overall and everything came together nicely.


Thank-you to Netgalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this ARC . This is my honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Land of Lost Things. John Connolly changes gears from the Parker series and brings a dark and suspenseful fairy tales. Connolly is such a great writer that although this is not my fav, it’s still very good reading!
4 stars

This is a hard book for me to review. On one hand, the author’s prose is beautiful and his ability is clear from the outset. I really felt the pain and anguish of Ceres as she watched her little girl in the coma.

On the other, I think it suffered from trying to do too much with too little. Once you get about a quarter of the way in, there is a LOT going on. I wasn’t vested enough in the story to completely follow and got a little lost. There are so many characters with explanations that didn’t suffice.

It could benefit from many more pages, but I probably wouldn’t have picked it up at all if it were 500+ pages. I read the whole thing, but was fairly unaffected by it. Again, I recognize his ability. This story didn’t really do it for me.

Truly one of the greatest adventures I’ve read in a long time! Connolly let’s loose in this wildly creative, at times terrifying, story that was difficult to put down once you really got into it. Admittedly that was hard for me in the beginning, as my attention wasn’t really caught until about 25% in, but once I was in, I was hooked!

Highly recommend starting with The Book of Lost Things, though, if you don’t want to be a bit lost!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Book of Lost Things so was excited for The Land of Lost Things. I think.if I had re-read Lost Things it might have helped to enjoy this book more. I didn't enjoy this book as much and was bored with it in parts.

John Connolly's writing is so beautiful and lyrical, it is always a pleasure to read his books. The Land of Lost Things is imaginative, lyrical, beautifully written, gripping and captivating. It is also a sequel to The Book of Lost Things, a book that I did not connect with. I am now going to go back and give that book another read as I enjoyed this one so much. Sometimes we are not in the right place to read certain books.

Twice upon a time - for that is how some stories should continue . . .

Ceres sits by her daughter, Phoebe's bedside table. Phoebe is comatose after being hit by a car. Ceres spends the time with her daughter reading to her the fairy stories that she loved in hopes of bringing her daughter back.

But there is an old house, near the hospital grounds that once belonged to a missing author. Something wants Ceres to enter the home and into the memories of Ceres's childhood days. She is drawn into the folklore which her father loved, to a land with magical and interesting beings.

Connolly has the heart of a poet. His writing is beautiful and the world/realms he creates are highly imaginative, original, creative, lush, and dark. I was instantly transported into the story full of darkness, wickedness, fairy tales, folklore, interesting creatures, and a mother's love for her daughter.

This book is full of excitement, danger, hope, love, loneliness, the power of books, the beauty of the written world and magic!

Such a lovely book!

This book was absolutely mind blowing. I first discovered John's books when a co-worker was reading The Book of Lost Things. I loved every word of the story and it drew me in right from the beginning. John does an incredible job weaving this story and drawing you in with his words.

While I enjoyed the detailed magical world that has been created in The Land of Lost Things, I had some difficulty getting drawn into this novel. At times the pace is very slow; at other times there are too many different characters and too many side plots to remember and to follow. Of all the characters, I found Calio to be the most interesting and the one who truly understands how evil the Crooked Man is. The conclusion was satisfying as Ceres eventually finds her way back to Phoebe.

t helps, though it is not necessary, to have some familiarity with written fairy tales as a genre to get the most out of The Land of Lost Things. I check this box big time, having read and reread the very dark versions of the more famous fairy tales by Hans Christian Anderson and The Brothers Grimm as a child. A bit of knowledge of mythology also helps. Ceres, mother to 8 year old Phoebe, has reached the stage of hopelessness. We only know Phoebe as a child seriously injured in a pedestrian car accident and now in a coma with a very uncertain prognosis. Her brain shows some activity, but she has been moved to a long term care facility near a vacation cottage owned by Ceres' mother. Ceres is exhausted from the worry and the the long term uncertainty. She moves into the cottage. Already, when she reads from a favorite book of fairy tales as she sits by Phoebe's side, Ceres has experienced some inexplicable changes to the stories.

Ceres is drawn to to explore a house on the care home property, despite its falling down condition and boarded up windows and doors. She cautiously enters, has more inexplicable experiences and ends up in a magical land full of magical creatures, some good, some deadly. The story becomes a quest as various interactions lead Ceres to move on through the land, connecting her recent "real world" odd incidents to her purpose in the land. This book is a sequel to a 2009 novel called The Book of Lost Things, and it includes easy to follow references to a different person's prior quest. Ceres has read about this in a disappeared author's book and so has a framework for some of the dangers and some of the history of this place.

This is a wonderful fairytale with engaging concepts about magical creatures, some facing extinction, and the need to come to terms with the horrors of one's own life and the horrors facing this magical land. It is well worth your time. It has moments where it dragged a little for me, but in retrospect those parts mattered. I liked this so much, I bought the earlier book to read. Recommend for older kids through adult. If your child is good with darker stuff, go for it.

I read the Book of Lost Things as a young adult when it just came out in 2006 and I remember being completely lost in the book and it having a profound impact in me. Now as an adult, going to work I find myself getting just as lost in The Land of Lost Things in the subway and loving the feeling of submerging into this land before re-emerging back into the real world when my subway stop comes. I use this story because the parallel to what happens to the main character in the book is similar. She lives and moves in the real world but reads a book that drowns her in its world and also changes how she sees everything around her while she's reading.

Plot: The main character this time is an adult, a single mother, Ceres in London who works as a copywriter and has a daughter who in in intensive care from the first page of the novel. John Connolly does not waste time in tugging at your heartstrings, and you immediately feel her plight and fall in love with her. Her daughter Phoebe is in a comatose stage but Ceres refuses to give up on her and reads to her every day. When Phoebe is moved into a care home from the hospital, there is a gentle character by the name of Oliver who takes care of both the mother and daughter. Throughout the book, the lines between the fairytale world, superstitions, magical elements and the real world overlap and collide and seep into each other. You find yourself completely believing in the various superstitions that exist only in fairytales. I felt deeply for the mother and the daughter but as this is a book within a book, the fairytales were extremely interesting and took some of the heaviness away.

For anyone who has grown up reading Enid Blyton and fairytales as a kid and remembers seeing fairytale elements in their daily lives when looking at willow trees or imagining pixies/ fairies around mushrooms this book makes you feel like that again. I'm so glad to have lived that feeling twice with The Land of Lost Things coming out 17 years after I read the Book of Lost Things. I hope there will be a third.

Such a great followup book to The Book of Lost Things, totally enjoyable read! Ceres searches for some way to contact her daughter, Phoebe, who lies in a coma. Traveling to the Land of Lost Things, she finds her love of reading creates a tapestry of characters from her own mind. Enthralling and recommended reading !

My college years are a bit of lost years for me and my reading journey. Fittingly, there are only a few books that really stand out for me that I read during that time and one of those books was The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. I devoured this book - it gave me everything I love about books, that Alice in Wonderland feel of being lost and having my books come alive. I’ve thought a lot about that book over the years and when I saw there was going to be a follow up published I was so excited to read it.

It’s been years since I read the first book but thankfully The Land of Lost Things stands apart from its predecessor. Although a lot of familiar characters show up, this is Ceres’ journey as she informs Elsewhere while also working inside the construct of many of David’s impressions of this other world.

Ceres is unlike David in that she is an adult with a child lost to her and she must go through this land in order to get home to her daughter. I loved being back in this world of stories and I so appreciate the opportunity to explore it again now that I am older.

The middle dragged a bit for me but I loved the ending so much and was so happy to be back (and a little frightened).

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.