As a follow-up to Sara Saedi’s Never Ever, I was anxious to delve into The Lost Kids. Picking things up shortly after Never Ever, Sara transports us back to modern-day Minor Island (Neverland), where the magic continues to amaze, and we get to see what the island is truly capable of. Along with the magic comes plenty of drama that will likely have you conflicted in your choice of who to side with and cheer on; secrets are uncovered and loyalties redirected. In addition to including several characters from the first installment, we are introduced to some new characters (including a villain and her assistants) who shake things up. Expect new scenery and conflicts that will have you on edge. In contrast to Never Ever, this part of the story diverts almost completely from the original, with very few relatable details, but it was fun to see where Saedi took us.
I highly recommend reading Never Ever prior to this novel, or if you’ve already read it, then you might want to give it a quick review as there were a few occasions when I had forgotten details that were referenced. Not a big deal though, as it is worth a second read. As The Lost Kids came to a close I felt as though a few loose ends were left untied but the conclusion didn’t seem to leave things open for a trilogy. While it didn’t have what I would consider the perfect ending, I still loved these two books. It’s sometimes nice to have some things left to your imagination.
Review of an Advance Reader’s Copy
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 8 mild obscenities; 4 derogatory names; 4 scatological names; 3 anatomical terms; 1 offensive hand gesture.
Violence/Gore: Many (36) brief incidents including character thinks another is dead; character jokes about performing surgery (not trained); character hopes he doesn’t get hit by another; character jokingly asks another if she will cut him; characters worried about dying; character imagines many different ways of dying; character threatened with a gun; verbal threat; character threatened with knife; reference to parents of young child finding parents after having committed suicide; married woman contemplating abortion; characters find dead people; character stuck in quick sand; reference to torture; reference to characters committing suicide; references to characters being tortured and locked up; attempted and planned suicide; character knocked unconscious; characters choke others; character pokes another’s eye causing permanent damage; fighting.
Sex/Nudity: Many (21) brief incidents including character wanting to hold another; character touching shoulder and holding hand of another; boy and girl share bedroom; hugging; kissing; male character changing clothes in front of female character; naked character seen by many; female character naked from waist up with hair covering; references to contraception and having sex; reference to boy being homosexual; unmarried character is pregnant; implied sexual activity; reference to character cheating on wife.
Mature Subject Matter:
Young child finding parents after they committed suicide, reference to divorce, drug addiction, character kicked out of house for being homosexual, teens given birth control, characters held against will and tortured mentally and physically and being drugged.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Characters being drugged; underage drinking; reference to characters unknowingly being given sedative; song about drinking; character put in a drug-induced coma; drug addiction; reference to drunk adult.
As a follow-up to Sara Saedi’s Never Ever, I was anxious to delve into The Lost Kids. Picking things up shortly after Never Ever, Sara transports us back to modern-day Minor Island (Neverland), where the magic continues to amaze, and we get to see what the island is truly capable of. Along with the magic comes plenty of drama that will likely have you conflicted in your choice of who to side with and cheer on; secrets are uncovered and loyalties redirected. In addition to including several characters from the first installment, we are introduced to some new characters (including a villain and her assistants) who shake things up. Expect new scenery and conflicts that will have you on edge. In contrast to Never Ever, this part of the story diverts almost completely from the original, with very few relatable details, but it was fun to see where Saedi took us.
I highly recommend reading Never Ever prior to this novel, or if you’ve already read it, then you might want to give it a quick review as there were a few occasions when I had forgotten details that were referenced. Not a big deal though, as it is worth a second read. As The Lost Kids came to a close I felt as though a few loose ends were left untied but the conclusion didn’t seem to leave things open for a trilogy. While it didn’t have what I would consider the perfect ending, I still loved these two books. It’s sometimes nice to have some things left to your imagination.
Review of an Advance Reader’s Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Viking
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 8 mild obscenities; 4 derogatory names; 4 scatological names; 3 anatomical terms; 1 offensive hand gesture.
Violence/Gore: Many (36) brief incidents including character thinks another is dead; character jokes about performing surgery (not trained); character hopes he doesn’t get hit by another; character jokingly asks another if she will cut him; characters worried about dying; character imagines many different ways of dying; character threatened with a gun; verbal threat; character threatened with knife; reference to parents of young child finding parents after having committed suicide; married woman contemplating abortion; characters find dead people; character stuck in quick sand; reference to torture; reference to characters committing suicide; references to characters being tortured and locked up; attempted and planned suicide; character knocked unconscious; characters choke others; character pokes another’s eye causing permanent damage; fighting.
Sex/Nudity: Many (21) brief incidents including character wanting to hold another; character touching shoulder and holding hand of another; boy and girl share bedroom; hugging; kissing; male character changing clothes in front of female character; naked character seen by many; female character naked from waist up with hair covering; references to contraception and having sex; reference to boy being homosexual; unmarried character is pregnant; implied sexual activity; reference to character cheating on wife.
Mature Subject Matter:
Young child finding parents after they committed suicide, reference to divorce, drug addiction, character kicked out of house for being homosexual, teens given birth control, characters held against will and tortured mentally and physically and being drugged.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Characters being drugged; underage drinking; reference to characters unknowingly being given sedative; song about drinking; character put in a drug-induced coma; drug addiction; reference to drunk adult.
