The Lovely and the Lost. (Dispossessed Trilogy, Bk. 2). Page Morgan. Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada, 2014. 353 pp., hardcover & ebook, $21.00 (hc.). ISBN 978-0-385-67911-4 (hc.), ISBN 978-0-385-67912-1 (ebook). Grades 7-12 / Ages 12-17. Review by Tara Stieglitz. ** /4

excerpt:

Ingrid backed away from the fountain. The arcade entrance wasn’t far, perhaps fifty yards. She could make it if the serpent kept its sluggish pace.

Luc. She stole a glance over her shoulder. He wasn’t there, coming for her in full battle regalia. And the glass doors seemed further away than she remembered.

Ingrid’s soles scuffed over the marble, a rush of desperation making her clumsy. Luc would come. Any moment he would swoop overhead, his wings like black pennants. There were no other humans here to witness him. But a second passed, and then another, and a fast look showed Axia’s pale serpent now gliding over the marble tiles, its shining scales leaving a track of fountain water in it’s wake.

Where was Luc?

The Lovely and the Lost is the second instalment in Page Morgan’s “Dispossessed Trilogy” of gothic paranormal romance novels. This novel picks up where the previous one, The Beautiful and the Cursed, ended, following the narrative of several characters. Ingrid Waverley is struggling to control her demon powers and is still torn between her forbidden love for her gargoyle protector, Luc, and her friend, Vander Burke. Ingrid’s younger sister, Gabby, wants nothing more than to become a member of the demon fighting Alliance, and, to this end, she has been practising weapons training in secret. Ingrid’s twin brother Grayson is struggling to overcome his own half-demon nature. Meanwhile politicking and intrigue continue among the gargoyle castes and in the ranks of their sometimes allies, sometimes enemies, the Alliance. While all of this is going on, more half-demon youths are being discovered, and the Alliance searches to find them in the catacombs of Paris. In addition to all of this plot, there is a mysterious and sinister group with a history of unethical demon experiments that is desperate to get their hands on Ingrid.

     Ingrid is styled as the main character of this trilogy, which is unfortunate since her younger sister Gabby is a far more interesting character. Ingrid is constantly falling into tired romance tropes. She is torn between the love of two dangerous and supernatural men and is continuously playing the role of helpless damsel in distress while one or the other of them comes to her rescue. Gabby, on the other hand, is not content to be constantly saved by the men around her; instead she is driven to learn how to fight and defend herself against the demons. Even Grayson, with his brooding demeanour and murderous secrets, would make for a more interesting protagonist.

      The Lovely and the Lost seems overly full of plot, to the detriment of character development. But, despite its shortcomings, it is an adventure-filled read that will please readers of other urban and paranormal fantasy romance novels.

Recommended.

Tara Stieglitz is a librarian at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, AB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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