The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer: Characters, book review, triggers

Written By Esta Pinto

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer: Synopsis/summary.

Inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case—from the author of The Wishing Game.

As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived.

Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons’ investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.

Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. He believes it is there that they will find Emilie’s sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie’s sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories.

Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months—for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer characters:

Meg Shaffer’s’ The Lost Story is told in third-person narrative, by a mysterious narrator. Here is the full list of The Lost Story characters.

Main characters.

  • Emilie Wendell

  • Jeremy Cox

  • Ralph ‘Rafe’ Howell

  • Shannon Katherine Yates / Skya

Supporting characters.

  • Bobbi Cox

  • Maggie

  • Tom

  • Lily

  • Chi

  • Petra

  • Kaylee

  • Cady

  • Olin

  • Daisy

  • Granny Apple

  • Witch of Black Wolf

  • Green Lady

  • Deborah Adler

  • Theresa Wendell

  • Ripper (Bright boy)

  • Chopper (Bright boy)

  • Snake Teeth (Bright boy)

The Valkyries.

  • Tempest

  • Ember

  • Winter

  • Gale

  • Torra

  • Rebel

  • River

Animal characters and companions.

No cosy fantasy is complete without adorable animal companions, domesticated, mythical or fantastical. Here are the list of animal characters and companions in The Lost Story.

  • Aurora (crow)

  • Fritz (fancy pet rat)

  • Freddy (horse)

  • Sunny (horse)

  • Sparrowhawk (horse)

  • Beans (horse)

  • Loosey-Goosey (horse)

  • Morgan (horse)

Get The Lost Story here.

The Lost Story book review.

My rating: ★★★★☆
4 stars.

Whether it was chasing a talking rabbit down a rabbit hole into Wonderland, landing in Munchkinland and following a yellow brick road to the Emerald City, opening a wardrobe to step into Narnia with its talking lions and fauns, climbing up the Faraway Tree to ever-changing magical lands above the clouds, or being whisked away by a flying boy to Neverland with mermaids and eternal youth, I was always hooked by magic portal fantasy stories.

I think also what really got me was the leap from the mundane to the fantastical.

And it turns out I still apparently have a soft spot for these types of tales, judging by how much I enjoyed this book. It feels both familiar and refreshingly new, with:

  • Found family,

  • MM romance, and

  • What seems like a possibly neurodivergent female main character, at least in my interpretation, based on her quirks and traits, though it's not explicitly stated.

Plus, it's sprinkled with enough Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks references to make any fan swoon. (Disclaimer: Don't hate me, but I'm not a die-hard Fleetwood Mac lover myself. But if you are, you might appreciate the references in this book more than I did.)

Anyway, the story unfolds in a third-person narrative, alternating between the perspectives of FMC Emilie and once-estranged high school besties, MMCs Rafe and Jeremy. Together with Emilie’s antisocial pet fancy rat, Fritz, they form a motley crew on a quest for answers about Emilie’s vanished sister and Rafe’s missing memories of that time he disappeared for six months in a forest with Jeremy, which funnily enough, happens to be in the same place that Emilie’s sister went missing.

To be honest, the first 40% of this book felt like a bit of a slog. It was all foundational story set-up in the mundane real world, and I may have been a bit impatient for the magic to kick in. But no spoilers here—since it’s a portal fantasy, we know the MCs eventually step into another world. That’s where things really switched gears for me. I guess pan-dimensional red crows, cyclops owls, silver-skinned mermaids, unicorns and rainbow sand beaches in a kingdom that doesn’t take itself too seriously could have that effect.

If the above sounds a bit too whimsical, twee, or even like a psychedelic trip (and you’re not into psychedelic trips),  this might not be the book for you. However, it’s more than a feast of vivid colours and cosy whimsy. At its core, it’s a tale of found family, deep friendships, enduring love, limitless possibility, healing, forgiveness and a heartfelt reminder that what’s lost can be found.

All things considered, this feel-good story left me both satisfied and charmed. Yet, don't be fooled, there is also profound depth and meaning. It’s a tale that balances heartwarming moments with serious and relevant themes. Be aware of the trigger warnings: Mention of prenatal substance abuse, domestic and family violence, mentions of depression, suicide, and mental illness, mention of the death of a parent/s, as well as an implied homophobic character.

This was my first Meg Shaffer/Tiffany Reisz experience, but won’t be my last. If you loved  The House in The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune or any other portal fantasy stories, there is a decent chance you will enjoy this too. Highly recommended!

My heartfelt thanks to Quercus Books | Arcadia for the arc in exchange for an honest review. This book has been published and is available to read now.

View my The Lost Story book review on GoodReads here.

FAQs.

🚨 Please be mindful that continuing reading may mildly spoil some of this portal fantasy book for yourself. Continue at your own risk! 🚨

What are the trigger warnings for The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer?

  • Prenatal substance abuse

  • Domestic and family violence

  • Mentions of depression, suicide and mental illness

  • Mention of death of a parent/s

  • Implied homophobic character

  • Spiders

What are some of the fantasy tropes in The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer?

  • Parallel world and veiled magic

  • Found family

  • Mythical and fantastical creatures

  • The big quest

  • Hidden truths

  • Tragic backstory

  • Lost heir

Is Meg Shaffer a pen name?

Yes, Meg Shaffer is the family-friendly pen name of bestselling romance author Tiffany Reisz.

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Esta Pinto
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