His journey takes him to the magical land of Fincayra, a bridge between Earth and the otherworld. He lives humbly with his healer mother (well, she claims to be his mother, but how can he really be certain with absolutely no memories of this woman who claims to have raised him?), and although outcasts, they are at least tolerated.Īfter a terrible accident leaves him with a permanent injury, Emrys takes to the sea in an attempt to find his true home, answers about where he came from, and what this frightening power building within him means. Having washed up on the shores of ancient Wales five years prior, young Emrys has no recollection of his life before. Otherwise, I think they’re fairly good companions. Alexander’s story had a better voice, enough so to make a difference. A lot of reviewers on Goodreads are comparing it to The Black Cauldron, and having only read one book in each series, I think I liked The Book of Three better than The Lost Years. Generally, I think this is best for more mature middle grade readers. The writing style is scattered all over the place. There are some scenes that feel intended for older readers, while others read very young. I think The Lost Years will suit younger readers better. It didn’t, but the choice was so very unnecessary and did not sit well. This scene set off SO MANY red flags in my head and I was really concerned this was going to end up having an anti-Semitic dialogue. Also there was a really questionable point in the early chapters where the village kids decide it’s a good plan to stone a Jew and while it doesn’t sit well with Emrys, he doesn’t prevent it. This is such a personal thing, but I wanted to mention it. His character arc was really obvious and the author’s choice in dialogue just made me cringe. May older books use elements that feel especially cliche today, and I’m sure in another 20 years, the things we find fresh will be considered cliche as well. In a more modern book, I’d be pretty harsh about this, but in 1996, fantasy wasn’t exactly the literature of choice. The characters in themselves were just… fine? Nothing really stood out and made them memorable as individuals – they all felt like fantasy archetypes. Most of Emrys’ adventures were because he tripped and fell into something and while that cliche plot twist is fine when used sparingly, T.A. Standalone scenes stood out to me, but the book as a whole had a bit of that… stumbled over feeling.

I really enjoyed the voice when Emrys was in the “human world”, as well as the scene with Cairpre and his amazing room of books.

But I came into The Lost Years feeling careful, and I think that was a good choice. Not all of them, I know! And, also, I haven’t read them all. I really like the whole Camelot aesthetic, but I feel like they often underwhelm. I tend to be a bit careful about Arthurian retellings.

The lost years of merlin series