A friend recommended me the Wayward Children series to me probably almost a year ago and they sounded so interesting but I kept getting sidetracked. I saw this one on NetGalley noted that it could be read as a standalone so I requested it and I’m so glad I did!

I’ve read other works by McGuire and she has a really excellent way of writing that feels like it should be magical and fun but is actually suspenseful and horrifying. In a story like this Antsy would usually find a magical doorway and escape to a better place and then return triumphantly with evil defeated! These things do happen…but only in the vaguest way of the definitions of escaping and vanquishing evil. The loss of childhood that was always going to be stolen, just not the way it originally alluded to.

I loved Antsy’s character and the way she was such a perceptive child but not in an unbelievable way.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Another great addition to the Wayward Children series! This one follows Antsy as she suffers the loss of her father and then had to deal with her predatory new stepfather who is so bad she runs away from home. When she leaves she find a shop that is not what it seems and is full of magic and danger and talking bird and doors that lead to other worlds. Soon enough though she finds that the magic of this place isn’t all that it appears to be and that sometimes magic comes at a great cost.

As a long time reader of the Wayward Children series, some of the later books are hard for me to see what the point is in the whole grand scheme of the series. This one, I feel, finally gave us a bit of explanation on the mysterious Doors throughout the series.

As most of the Wayward Children stories do, our protagonist deals with A Lot before the Door opens for her. Considering the context of this one, I am super grateful McGuire added a trigger warning to the front of the book that also says to what extent the situation goes, so all readers can choose for themselves if it's something they feel comfortable reading.

I really enjoyed Antsy as a character, but in a lot of ways she felt less fleshed out than some of the previous protagonists. The story felt more like it needed anyone who would work just to get the story going--not that Antsy had any huge specific thing as to WHY the story happened. That being said, she's good in the story and a solid character. I just wish we had gotten a bit more from her.

I enjoyed the several nods to other worlds, characters, and items in previous stories--which also helps in some ways contextualize when this story occurs in the timeline. And I enjoyed the way the revelations were built up and carefully laid as a little breadcrumb trail through the story.

For the series, it's a decent read, and I'm curious to see where the story goes from here.

I am so glad this book was good. I won't lie, the last few books in this series have not done it for me, especially when Cora was the main focus because I feel as if her story should be wrapping up, not extending for as long as it has.... Anyways.

Antsy's story is paired with some great lore about the Doors. This book is a bit heavier in subject (such as abuse) and takes a bit more thinking power than the others in this series so far, but that doesn't take away from it at all. The ending was a bit abrupt but it really didn't need to be drawn out and after some thought, I think it works out really well for the story.

I think anyone who is a fan of this series will enjoy this installment. There are some callbacks to other characters in previous books, but this book still works as a great standalone if one were to pick it up randomly.

I really enjoyed this installment, as usual the writing is stunning and magical and it has that feeling of leaving this world into a new one. This story arc and character arc was really well done. I liked how we get a bit of background leading up to things. I think Antsy really knew herself from a young age and it definitely helped with her decisions throughout this book. The topics in this book can be triggering for some people so i definitely would check what they are before going into the novella but as always the way these topics are handled in this series is done really well, and thoughtful. I can't wait to see her in future books.

Every single time I read another book in this series, I think it cannot outdo the previous installment and every single time, I am proven wrong. At 200 pages, Seanan McGuire is able to tackle the darkest of themes in Lost in the Moment and Found and does it in the most profoundly beautiful way possible. The Wayward Children’s series is the series that every pre-teen needs to read. Each story is so unique, yet gently threaded with previous characters that the world building is an absolute work of art. Lost in the Moment and Found is a story about innocence and choices we should be able to make ourselves and is a perfect addition to this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Seanan McGuire, and Tordotcom for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This may be the hardest of all the Wayward Children books so far. Thankfully, the author's note was there to help me feel hopeful about a really tough subject. Antsy was a character I didn't really connect with in Across the Green Grass Fields. I still didn't feel a strong connection with her like I did with other characters but I did connect with her situations. The realization of how things work within your small worldview, the loss of time when you are forced to be an adult before your time, and trying to navigate loss when you feel that no one can understand such big feelings. The Shop of Lost Things was a hard concept as it was so different from any world we have encountered so far, but I'm sad to have finished this book because I know have to wait until 2024 for my next one.

I love the Wayward Children series. Each one feels like a treasure found, particularly when one feels lost. The writing felt different in this one; it felt both filled with loss and sadness but also hope and adventure. A beautiful mix and a wonderful tale and a reminder to listen to your instincts. I always feel these are far too short as if I could stay forever; but then I guess my toll would be sleep.

This was a great book, and as usual presents new and different conflicts, characters, and tough topics from the previous installments.

I loved reading these stories! I love this world, and any chance I get more time to spend in it, I will absolutely take! It was great to have another Jack story, and then having Antsy's story was so great, and so heartbreaking! Loved reading the both of them!

In Mercy, Rain, gave us a little more of the time where Jack and Jill first came to the Moors. I don't remember how much detail we got of this romance, but I enjoyed getting the start of it, as well as watching Jack become proficient in being a Mad Scientist!

Before Lost in the Moment and Found starts, there is an authors note that Antsy runs before the gaslighting leads to more. I'm glad for that, because while it's not a trigger for me, it obviously makes me pretty enraged that anyone, let alone a child, would go through that.

I really enjoyed the time that Antsy spent at the Shop Where Lost Things Go, and the worlds that she could explore. We did learn a little bit more about Doors, so that was cool. But that ending? Oh, it's another evil one, like all even stories in this series!

These were fantastic reads, and I can't wait for the next installment-I need to know what's going to happen next in odd stories in this series!

Gah, what can I say? WAYWARD CHILDREN is one of my favorite series of all time, and no matter how many books Seanan McGuire writes, they always feel like coming home. I will keep stepping through her doorways for as long as I can.

LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND is, like its predecessors, a gut-wrenching exploration of a serious topic wrapped in a layer of magic & nostalgia. My heart bled for Antsy, perhaps more than any other protagonist in the series. But no matter how upsettingly her story begins (tw for parental death and abuse), Ansy *does* find her door. Actually, several doors. Because her world is a nexus spanning innumerable universes (including a fun Jack & Jill cameo!) ... with a catch, of course.

I shan't spoil with more details, because these books are always better when experienced. But if you love this series, you will love LOST IN THE MOMENT. Save travels!

This is part of the Wayward Children series, but I think it could be read as a standalone that doesn’t require reading the others novellas. While Antsy has briefly appeared in a previous book at the school, this delves into her history, what led her to her Door, and what happened to her there.

There is a trigger warning at the start. Read it, believe it. This is probably the darkest entry because it deals with monsters in our reality – parental death, other parent remarrying, gaslighting, and the potential for something even worse. Antsy goes through a door to escape all this, but there’s always a price, even if you don’t realize it at the time.

The world she finds herself is a nexus for Doors, a place for lost things, and a shop has been built to serve customers seeking to find them. Antsy travels to many worlds, seeking out various goods and treasures for the shop, which is a change from most of our travelers who stay on one world. McGuire seems to be fleshing out the world(s) and how it all works.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The trigger warning at the beginning is beautifully done. McGuire explores a very sensitive subject in such a delicate way, giving it the heaviness and focus it deserves without sensationalizing it.

The whole beginning of the novel is hard to deal with. So much emotion and pain packed into such a small section of a book. Very well crafted.

It’s hard not to just blindly hate the main character’s mother. Despite it not being written that she did anything explicitly wrong on purpose, there is so much there between the lines.

The store or world that Antsy finds herself in is interesting and eclectic as all the wayward worlds but you can feel its insidious-ness. I did not trust it and that is in part to the clever narration style.

Most of the wayward worlds I’ve encountered lay out the rules for the children from the get. This is the first one that really didn’t.

This is probably the saddest book in the series that I’ve read so far but it’s also been one of my favourites.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

This book is a great continuation of the author's series about the Wayward Children. Warning though: this one is probably the darkest yet, detailing how a new step-father is setting up his young step-daughter for horrible abuse. The twists towards the end of the book made this one a very satisfying addition to this series, and I can only hope that the protagonist in this one makes appearances in future books in this series.

Oof, this is a tough read but is characteristically rich in metaphor and things to ponder. The author's note at the beginning gives a good warning that I would recommend reading & contemplating before journeying forward. I really enjoyed a further exploration of how and why the Doors work the way they do, and this gave me much to think about on the nature of innocence lost and the way time changes our perspectives. Another great installment!

5 stars!!

My wayward children are back! This was a fantastic addition to this series and I was so happy when it got approved on my NetGalley!

The fairy tale vibes are in full force, and I love the way Seanan McGuire includes these fantastical elements with darker consequences. I feel like this is definitely one of the darker entries but Antoinette’s story was so sad but beautiful and I thought it ended perfectly!

I really love this series. Most books deal with a new lost child and the variety of Doors they can encounter is endless. I can’t wait to see how Antsy interacts with the other kids at the school.

It amazed me just how much McGuire can keep building on this Wayward Children's world. Seriously, this one totally is new and original but feels like a breath of fresh air and a welcoming hug. A great treat.

I loved this book (as I've loved pretty much all of the Wayward Children books). It does take a bit darker turn in the real world than the others have, but there is an author's note at the beginning with some reassurance. Though the author's note might also have added a bit to the sense of dread at the beginning.

The really interesting part of this book is that instead of the child having just one door that opens for them, their first door leads them to a place where there are hundreds, maybe thousands of doors that they get to visit. It gives a lot more insight into how the Doors work without taking away the magic of it, and adds a new element of danger that isn't obvious at first.

Really well written, great addition to this series. This one might be a bit more sad overall than the others, but it's a great read. I'll probably never stop wanting to read books from this series, because they're all so unique but still of the same cloth, like a square in a huge quilt of stories.

This book was already on my “2023 most anticipated” list, so imagine my shock, awe, and delight when I got the email I was approved for an ARC of this on Netgalley. Well, I’m here, and extremely pleased to report that it did not at all disappoint, and makes for an excellent next entry in the Wayward Children series. Highly recommended, and if you haven’t started on this series yet, what are you waiting for? it’s even got a Hugo now!

Lost in the Moment and Found is an even-numbered series entry, which means it focuses on the individual story of one of the wayward children; it centers around Antsy, to whom we were briefly introduced back in Where the Drowned Girls Go.

Antsy makes for a wonderful narrator, and I really hope we see more of her in the series going forward; I’ll save the details so I avoid spoilers, but her pre-Door and post-Door stories were both extremely compelling. The world-building around the Doors gets expanded upon in a really rewarding and intriguing way in this one, and I adored the new places we got to visit.

One thing I have always loved about this series (and the stand-alones in this series especially) is how Seanan writes children, and that holds true here; she really captures both the surprising maturity of a lot of kids, and the limits of their understanding and knowledge of the world.

All in all, a fantastic read, a very worthy next addition to the series, and a great jumping-on point for anyone who hasn’t started it yet. (But, you know, this comes out in January, so why not devour the previous books first?? It’s very much worth it!) My enormous thanks to Tor and Netgalley for an e-ARC!