Review: What is Lost (What is Hidden #2) by Lauren Skidmore

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What is Lost by Lauren Skidmore

Paperback, 240 pages

Published March 10th 2015 by Sweetwater Books 

Source: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

Description: 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 enjoyed the first book and couldn't wait for this one! A Little Red Riding Hood spin-off? Yes!

This story started out with a lot of suspense. Joch, a mask maker, feels like a failure and sets out to find his one true love--who is lost to him. He's escaping and things are quite tense for awhile. He is joined by a mysterious woman and he is almost forced to trust her. 

Joch is different than I thought and I enjoyed getting to know him better and in a way that almost made me feel sorry for him. There is definitely more than meets the eye with him and I loved that, because I think that's true with most people. His red-hooded companion is intriguing. I couldn't figure out what she was about and was kept guessing where the story was going to go. Just as I thought I had things figured out, a major twist happened and I was taken by surprise. I love being surprised by an ending!

Content: I would consider it clean!

Interview with the Author:

  

*If you could be any character in any book, who would you be?

This is such a hard question, because while I'd love to be the Harry Potter world, I wouldn't want to deal with Voldemort, you know? So many books have great characters and great worlds, but also huge conflicts that are fascinating to read about but I wouldn't want to live through. Katsa in Graceling is another great example - incredible character with amazing skills but she had to go through so much to get her happy ending. I'd probably be best as the Very Hungry Caterpillar or something like that. 

*If What is Lost was made into a movie, which actors would you have play your main characters?

I don't really follow many actors, so I can't really think of anyone current that would be a good fit. Fresh faces are always great for me.

*Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I don't know about "always" but definitely from a young age. I know I started writing around age 12 or so, and have always loved reading.

*If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you want to go and why?

Right now I'd really like to visit Italy. There are so many beautiful things to see there and Italian food is my favorite.

*What inspired you to write this story?

Villain back-stories have the potential to be so interesting, especially if you have a well-rounded character, and there was so much I couldn't tell in What Is Hidden since it was all from Evie's perspective. As it's been said, the villain is the hero of his own story, so I really wanted to explore Joch's story and what happens to him after he failed in his mission in What Is Hidden. 

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 travelling. 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.