Lost

The Milana Legends, Book 5

By: Anna Travis

Narrated by: Juliet Jones

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Hope and hate spread across Milana as the Tarn attempt to maintain their stranglehold on the Provinces.

While rebels rise up in Falia, the B'nli sneak into another Province to seal the Pillar there, but when the unthinkable happens, can the group press on in the fight against the Tarn? Can they truly trust the Breather in this war, or will one of them be Lost?

Anna Travis lives in sunny South Florida with her husband and five homeschooled kids. She loves saltwater, hates shoes, and enjoys writing adventures that other Christians can enjoy. You can learn how her faith impacts her fiction at AnnaTravis.com.

©2021 Anna Travis (P)2023 Anna Travis

Brings Me Back to Watching Narnia

Anna Travis and Julia Jones have combined to make a vividly beautiful world. Travis captures moments, settings, and even abstract magical concepts in captivating vignettes. Beautiful as it is, her wording can get a bit repetitious, though, particularly with character mannerisms. Jones also struggles a bit with changing her voice up, but her natural voice is enchanting and emotional, and she especially sells the flowing Milanan language beautifully.

But it’s not just the world that’s captivating. This is probably the most emotional and exciting adventure so far. There are some truly intense, thrilling, and devastating moments, and I love that this book looks at them through a more distinctly Christian lens than some of the middle books in the series have. My only real criticism would be that the individual moments don’t really come together to create a cohesive journey; there doesn’t seem to be much of a narrative reason these events are bound together in this specific title.

But while I love all the moments in the narrative, the cast is a bit more of a mixed bag. There are some standouts with good consistent, distinct dimensions of character, but some of the cast feels a bit one note or like they’re only along for the ride because there needed to be six deuteragonists. However, the only ones that really disappointed me were the villains. One is really captivating, but only has a few hundred words of “screen time,” and the other is neither menacing in writing nor acting. However, Travis and Jones really do shine with their breakout star in the chief fairy—so much magic and personality.

That’s how I would sum it up: These stories are so magical, despite their rough edges, and it’s feels like returning to Narnia for the first time in a long time.





CONTENT ADVISORY

There are some fantasy curses and oaths such as “Blood and ashes” or “Breath above” (God is called The Breather in this setting), but no real-world language.

There is plenty of frightening imagery, beasts and demon-akin creatures, blood and injury, but only a few character deaths, and even those are not described in any detail. This book does, however, deal on several occasions with intense grief.

As all the previous books in the series, Travis keeps Lost very clean. There are plenty of innocent romantic attractions, holding hands, and hugging, but only a few points that are awkward or suggestive. The boys and girls are told not to be alone in their bed chambers, two characters end up touching in an awkward way when one tries to save the other, and the villains have female slaves (though they are never suggested to be intimate), and one in particular has a worshipful lover with some sensual undertones.

Good!

I can't wait for the next book!!!!!
It gets better and better as the series goes. Thank you.