Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: What is Lost by Lauren Skidmore

What Is Lost blog tour

What Is Lost (What Is Hidden, #2)What is Lost
(What is Hidden #2)
by Lauren Skidmore
YA/NA Fantasy
Paperback, 240 Pages
Published March 10th 2015 by Sweetwater Books

Summary

Angry at his failure to exact vengeance on the prince, mask maker Joch flees Venesia to find his lost love. When a red-cloaked assassin promises answers, he has little choice but to trust her-though he may be walking into a trap. Unravel the deception in this dazzling story of second chances that will keep you guessing to the last page.

   

My Review

I loved the first book in this series, What is Hidden, published last year and so was thrilled to see a second book coming out! What is Lost picks up right after the first book, but with the narrative coming from the Chameleon. I thought this was a really interesting switch and really liked it. I read more books with a female POV than male. It felt realistic and it definitely worked for this story and kept things in the dark that needed to be there until later on in the story.

There was plenty of intrigue, a few good action scenes, some suspense, a hint at romance, and a plot that kept the characters driven and built to an interesting ending. I really liked the characters and I liked most that they felt complex. They weren't just one-dimensional. They all had things in their pasts that affected them and their choices. I felt a little vindictive, along with Joch, as he searches for the man who lied and betrayed him. At the same time, I wanted him to be more careful and to think before he acted. I didn't want him to trust Kit and then I did, and my emotions were conflicted alongside with his.

There were some things I wanted to see more of... I wanted more culture and setting/descriptions from where the characters travelled to. There was mention of the people using tattoos instead of masks, but that wasn't ever developed more. There were some mention of the different style of clothing and the food they ate, but I wanted more. I wanted to feel more immersed in where they were. Also, why couldn't the Chameleon use a tattoo to cover his mark? And I would have loved a little more romance, although from the way things ended (why don't you just brake my heart?!!!) I think there is a reason for that, a possible future romance.

If you enjoy fantasy that is more about assassins and intrigue (there is no magic here, just skills, training, and intelligence), than I would definitely pick up this series! I'm hoping the next book will be from the princess's point of view since I think there are some definite possibilities there. We'll see. I have a long year to wait...


Content: Some not-overly-descriptive violence, but otherwise clean.
Source: I would like to thank Cedar Fort for my complimentary review copy, which did not affect my review in any way.

About the Author

Lauren Skidmore grew up in Kansas, with stints in Ohio and New York, and currently lives in Utah. She attended Brigham Young University where she earned a BA in English Teaching with an emphasis in Teaching English as a Second Language and Japanese. She then spent a year in Japan teaching and traveling. She hasn’t made it to Europe yet, but it’s on the list and has been to 30 states in the U.S. so far. When she’s not exploring new places, you can probably find her on the internet with fifteen windows open and looking at just one more thing before actually getting something done.


Giveaway

Ebook of What is Lost by Lauren Skidmore (provided by the publisher)
Open internationally
Ends March 28th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

21 comments

  1. Ooh, what a great twist on the fairy tale!

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  2. Revenge always comes at a heavy price. I haven't read the first book, so it's time I checked it out!

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  3. Lauren Skidmore3/20/15, 7:52 PM

    You have some good instincts about what's ahead :) Thanks for being part of the tour!

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  4. Oh my goodness! I did not make that connection to it until you said that! How did I miss that? Maybe all my computer issues have numbed my brain. ;) Great observation!

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  5. Loved the first book! I think you'd like it!! :)

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  6. I was hoping... :D Good to hear. Can't wait for #3!!! Thanks so much for stopping by, Lauren!

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  7. That's funny! It says it right on the cover. One thing I miss when reading e-books is the beautiful covers... half the time when my husband asks me what I'm reading I can't even remember the title, usually just the author :)

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  8. I love her already! The fact that she has dyslexia and wrote a novel. I love finding people who have done wonderful things that have dyslexia. I love showing them to my son. I love showing him that it doesn't matter, you can be what you want to be even if you have a dyslexia! Plus the book sounds awesome :)

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  9. Oh my....Red Riding Hood...interesting to say the least! And no, I would hate living in such a society. The very idea offends me.

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  10. This book sounds really good!

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  11. Thanks for the giveaway. This book sounds really good.

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  12. I would never want to live in a land where I had to wear a mask all the time!

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  13. Great review! Thanks for sharing with us about how much you empathized with the Chameleon. I think it's a sign of really good writing if you get sucked in like that with a character that's not like you :) The masks thing reminds me of The Masque of the Red Death. In Bethany Griffin's novels, the mask designs befit what job the person has, and there can be some crazy decoration to it. Just has the additional fact that it prevents a disease, unlike this story :) I wouldn't like living somewhere where everyone wears masks like that. It reduces a person down to what are essentially government facts when there's so much more to people. It makes it easier for people to be all judgmental. Plus, that would remove the ability to read someone's face for information in conversations. I personally like being able to talk to someone and get that facial feedback, so I know if I'm boring them, confusing them, amusing them, etc.

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  14. It does! Lol! With all the computer issues I've been behind on my reading, so I've just had to grab books and read when I could. I actually have the print copy and obviously put the cover on the post, so I should have caught that. :)

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  15. It was interesting. I wouldn't want to either. Although when you think about it, I think we all wear masks of different types sometimes. Thanks for stopping by!

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  16. Me either. It is an interesting concept. Society has gone through periods of masking in one way or another (like in England when they powdered their faces and wore wigs...). Makes me think about what "masks" we wear today.

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  17. I have that series and still need to read it! I totally agree. I would hate not to be able to read someones facial expressions. You would become a good listening to vocal cues for sure. Thanks, Sarah!

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  18. You have to read it! It's really good :D I was kinda hoping you had, so I could get an idea of if I'd love this given my enjoyment of Masque. I think I would, but it's hard to tell. This sounds like it's a darker novel, right? Is book one that way as well? :)

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  19. I actually wouldn't say that it's too dark. I think Masque of the Red Death would be much darker. The MC basically is on the run and searching for revenge, but it's more of traveling and fighting off some soldiers and plotting. I'm trying to figure out what to say without giving anything away. :) The books are well balanced. There are sweet and happy moments alongside some more tragic things.

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  20. Great interview! I think it's so admirable that she wrote a novel despite having dyslexia, and the fact that she was such a rebel with some of those answers! You can never say no to a rebel, ahaha :D

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  21. This sounds like a great book and book and I am interested in trying the first one out myself. I like the idea of a male point of view, because like you I am usually reading female ones as well. That aside, I am someone who loves digging deep into culture as well.

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