Queen B’s Decree: I have devoured all of this author’s cozy fantasy reads, and while I knew this would be different, I was excited to listen.
Lauren is driving aimlessly, trying to avoid the hard parts of life, when she stumbles upon a fantasy-like town called Lost. It’s a place where people end up when they’ve lost something important…and Lauren can’t leave until she figures out what she lost.
After a beloved member of the town rebuffs her and leaves, almost everyone else turns on her and blames her for his departure. And I’m not exaggerating when I say they would have straight up murdered her if she didn’t run away and hide. She ends up with a young girl and a strange man, and they form kind of a found family. Except Lauren is constantly trying to get back what she lost so she can leave…so it feels very temporary.
By the end I was just kind of sad and depressed, and even the amazing narration of Caitlin Davies couldn’t lift my spirits.
Book: The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst
Series: standalone
Genre: Fantasy
Plot Devices/Tropes: alternate universe