After the climatic conclusion of The Lunar Codex, Jace has been reunited with his parents after being deceived by his ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’ for the last twelve years. He barely escaped from the clutches of the fairy, Elashor, and so his parents take him to the one place they believe he is safe; Emerald Creek. As he comes to terms with his new life and his new found powers, he’s also forced to come face to face with his new pack mates and school. Even though he’s still connected mentally with his girlfriend Izzie, best friend Marcus and Brian, he’s feeling very much alone. It doesn’t matter where he goes in the paranormal community – eyes and whispers follow him everywhere. Does he really belong in Emerald Creek, which since his arrival, has seen more and more strange things happen?
The main problem with The Legend of the Lost Child is that it’s almost as though O’Connell herself got somewhat lost towards the end of the book. A series of events happened, but then seemed to be undone in the very next section. It sort of becomes apparent what actually happened a few chapters along; but it’s still somewhat jumbled and confused. Did the events happen? Or was the character in a fugue state and dreamt it all? I’m still not entirely sure.
However, if you leave out that somewhat confusing section, this is almost as good as its predecessor. Jace is still a warm, kind character – but this time with a bit more bite as his teenage temper begins to show. I also particularly enjoyed seeing the growth in character of Marcus and Izzie – especially Marcus. No longer relegated to the role of comic relief, Jace’s best friend begins to truly shine on his own.
With Legend of the Lost Child ending on a cliff hanger, I can hardly wait for O’Connell to release the next instalment in the Codex Chronicles.
S. A.
First published on Reedsy Discovery as part of their ARC program. You can read the original review here.
You can buy The Legend of the Lost Child from Amazon by clicking on its name and link.