I’m a huge fan of Azad’s books and The Wild Ones is one of my favorite whimsical while also emotional reads. So when I saw Azad’s latest I knew I had to read it somehow. And while there are elements that reminded me of previous books, there’s something unique and special there. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Even the most powerful magic can’t hide a secret forever.
Croi is a brownie, glamoured to be invisible to humans. Her life in the Wilde Forest is ordinary and her magic is weak—until the day that her guardian gives Croi a book about magick from the Otherworld, the world of the Higher Fae. Croi wakes the next morning with something pulling at her core, summoning her to the Otherworld. It’s a spell she cannot control or break.
Forced to leave her home, Croi begins a journey full of surprises…and dangers. For Croi is not a brownie at all but another creature entirely, enchanted to forget her true heritage. As Croi ventures beyond the forest, her brownie glamour begins to shift and change. Who is she really, who is summoning her, and what do they want? Croi will need every ounce of her newfound magic and her courage as she travels a treacherous path to find her true self and the place in the Otherworld where she belongs.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Road of the Lost is a book that will sweep you away. It’s easy to get lost in the action and adventure which basically begins from the very first pages. And while I fell in love with Croi’s quest to find answers – and all the action that unfolds – why I enjoyed Road of the Lost so much were the characters and the themes. I had no choice but to love Croi. A character who has to figure out their own origins and the mystery behind their past will always pull at my heartstrings.
Her journey to discover her own powers and her past is captivating. She’s faces with the concept of what’s possible. How everything she ever thought is about to change and the world she thought she knew will disappear. A distinct lyrical quality to the writing felt familiar to me from The Wild Ones. And combined with her personal journey and fierce desire fro a family, my heart broke for her. All the things she will do for the people she cares about, even when they don’t feel the same. That alone would break my heart.
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How she has to test the limits of the friendship. All the ways in which we draw the line between those we help and those we don’t. But from a thematic perspective, I loved how Road of the Lost explores whether we are destined to inherit the actions of our family and generations before. And how we have to establish ourselves separate from our past. At the same time, this recent release also examines what happens when something pokes holes into the stories we took as facts. It’s another fabulous release from Azad which is for you if you love compelling main characters and whimsical and dangerous fantasy. Find Road of the Lost on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.