The Lost Girl

Lovedit!

One of those books that stick with you.

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Wow! Mandanna¿s debut novel has to be the best book I¿ve read th

Wow! Mandanna’s debut novel has to be the best book I’ve read this year. No, I take that back. It has to be the best book I’ve read in a really long time. I love it. In fact, I loved it a lot more than I thought I would.

The concept of echoes was different. It was a much more complex and fascinating process than the typical cloning. And while Mandanna doesn’t go as in-depth into the process of creating echoes as I would have liked, she does tell you enough. It’s enough to be intrigued and curious, but also somewhat hesitant. There’s a fear of the unknown that makes it all the better.

The book was just fantastic. The writing was beautifully done. Mandanna’s writing is powerful and full of emotion. The characters were real. I understood every character and how their behavior fit them. While I might not have agreed with a character, I understood them (even the Weavers). I feel like that’s an important part of characters. The plot was fantastic. I really don’t think there’s enough good things I could possibly say.

I know many people would like a sequel to The Lost Girl, but I personally hope this stays a stand-alone book. I think, while not perfect, the ending was nicely done. I like it being as open to interpretation as it is. Yes, it would have been nice to have a definite answer as to what happens, but sometimes it’s good to leave it to the imagination.

In case it isn’t obvious, I recommend The Lost Girl to anyone that hasn’t already read it . And I look forward to Sangu Mandanna’s next book.

Check out my other reviews on my blog, KDH Reviews.

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Loved this book. I have this thing for the underdogs and thankf

Loved this book. I have this thing for the underdogs and thankfully they pulled through!

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So I waited months to read this book but to me it felt more like

So I waited months to read this book but to me it felt more like an eternity. So when I finally got to read it in October I could hardly open the book fast enough to begin reading it. I'm not sure what I was expecting from the book but what I got was a good read that I finished in a few hours.

The book focuses around Eva who is an Echo or a clone if you will that was made to replace Amarra if anything should happen to Amarra. Well of course something does and the life that Amara has been training for since the day she was "weaved" has come and she must insert herself into a dead girls shoes but this is not without danger since Amarra lives in India where Echos are outlawed.

So, Eva is fighting what she is supposed to do with what she wants for herself which is to go home to the boy she loves Sean. However, she comes to care for Amarra's family and tries to keep up appearances but one day her secret gets out and sets off a chain of events where she almost gets murdered twice, kidnapped and leads her running away back to the U.K.

For a debut novel I would say that Sangu Mandana's The Lost Girl was a success. There was a lot going on in the novel but somehow she managed to make all the different components work well. I liked the whole "weave" concept that lead to Eva's creation I thought it was pretty unique because unlike a lot of other novels like this she gave Eva a lot of spirit which I loved. I hate when authors write the main characters with little to no personality and Eva had a lot of personality. I really liked her character and I thought that she was the most developed and realistic character.

The plot of the novel was good too. The fact that if she faced being "unraveled" if the "Weavers" deemed her to dangerous to keep on the street added a lot of intrigue to the story but I think that the main premise of the novel was that sometimes you have to fight the world to be the person you wish to be and I think that was a great moral to work into her story.

The novel is a mixture of romance, sci-fi, dystopian, action and a wee bit of romance thrown into the mix. I really enjoyed the writing and the story but at times I wish things have been a little more structured, and flowed a little better. I also think the whole Weaver thing could have been explained in a lot more detail throughout the book. It was 432 pages and very little of it spoke about the weavers and I wish I had known more about them. Also all the other characters with the exception of Eva were pretty one dimensional. I wish there had been a little more life to them and to the book itself. It was like I said a good read but it was such a somber read and I wish it had been a little lighter in parts and I think that would have benefited the whole book.

Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable read despite my issues with the other characters and the plot holes. Plus, it was a really quick read even at a length of 432 pages I read it in something like 4 hours one night and as a debut novel it could have been better but it could have been way, way worse.

I would recommend this book to fans of YA novels with a dystopian twist or people who just like YA novels that are a little different with a unique heroine but if you're unfamiliar with these types of novels I suggest borrowing it from the library first just to make sure it's the book for you. I do think though that Sangu Mandanna is an author to watch because I can't wait to read her next novel.

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What I Liked: 1) Eva. Eva was a great main character, because sh

What I Liked: 1) Eva. Eva was a great main character, because she was easy to understand, even while she was two people. Her struggles with figuring out who she is and who she wants to be is completely relatable, and anyone can easily empathize with her struggles. I love personable characters like this. 2) Plot. What an interesting idea. There are a few stories out there about two souls, one person, but this was something new. In this story they create a person, what they assume is just a body that a soul can occupy should their original body die. Of course that's not really how it works, but it's so intriguing to see Eva try to become Amarra. 3) The emotion. There is so much emotion coursing through this book. Amarra's parents and family are dealing, in their own way, with their daughter's death and the presence of this echo, who in their mind should somehow be Amarra, but yet knowing in their hearts that she isn't. 4) How easy it is to love so many of the characters. I already talked about Eva, but something that just plays into the emotions of the reader is how easy it is to love these characters. They say "there are two sides to every story" and that is blatantly obvious. There are those who love Eva as Eva, and those who love Eva as Amarra, and those who love Amarra and Eva as separate people. So it's almost hard to "choose a side" when it comes to the epic battle of love or life.

What I Didn't Like: There are some questions that I feel remain unanswered once the story is over. Sometimes this is normal, but there were a few biggies that stood out to me. But I don't want to bring them up, because I want those of you who are going to read it for yourself to be able to make your own assumptions. Just be prepared to still have questions. Also, as a side note: This book is sooooo long, it could have easily been two books. So much happens that you have to take a break at some point while reading, or else your brain might just explode. And no one wants that.

Overall Thoughts: A completely unique story, The Lost Girl definitely has a place in the world of YA literature. Somewhere between dystopian, science fiction and fantasy, this story has a place all it's own. Heart-wrenching emotions will grip you from the beginning and keep you interested throughout the book. It's easy to get lost in Amarra's story, and your own imagination will be stretched as you try to make sense of some of the open-ended questions remaining at the close of the book.

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Creative and Beautifully Written. My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Creative and Beautifully Written.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimers: I received this book for review as part of the DAC tours. Thanks Tara and Lisa for this wonderful opportunity.

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Wow! This book had such an original idea and was unlike anything I have ever read before. That automatically set this up to be a book I loved. Any book that presents a new idea in such a compelling idea automatically makes it on the top of my list.

I loved the characters Eva, Sean, Ray, and Mina Ma. Basically, every character left their mark. Their were some characters I wish had been more developed, but they were all so delightful to read about and left me thoroughly entertained.

Then there was the writing style. I adored this writing style. I used to be so prejudiced against novels written in first person and then I read so many incredible novels written in this perspective that I had to change my mind. Mandanna's writing style left me breathless. It was beautiful and allowed me to delve into Eva's mind.

Eva's life isn't her own. She can't do anything her other doesn't do and she has to do everything that her other wants to. But what happens when love enters the picture? Can you really share love? And then there was the question of whether or not Eva even has a soul and is worth saving.

This book was touching, poignant, entertaining, fast paced, and incredibly written. Basically this book was everything that a good book should be.

In Summary: Mandanna's debut novel was absolutely brilliant. She created an original story that is bound to stick with all those who read it. Beautiful prose mixed with intriguing characters. Definitely one I recommend.

The Wrap-up: This was a book that I couldn't put down. I just had to keep turning the pages until the very end and now I can't wait to see what happens next. This book and this author have definitely caught my attention and I can't wait to see what Mandanna comes up with next.

Love,

Danica Page

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