Category: Seanan McGuire Page 1 of 8

Butterfly Effects by Seanan McGuire: The Johrlac vs. Sarah

Cover of Butterfly Effects by Seanan McGuireButterfly Effects

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: InCryptid, #15
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: March 10, 2026
Format: eARC
Length: 432 pg.
Read Date: February 23-24, 2026
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

Huh. Didn’t see that coming.

The InCryptid series is really a series of small arcs featuring a particular narrator before we move on to the next. Back in 2020 and 2021, we got an arc featuring Sarah Zellaby. Then we moved on to a pair of books focusing on Alice and then two on Aunt Mary.

But whoops–we’re not actually done with Sarah’s arc. It wasn’t a duology after all; it was a trilogy, and McGuire’s back to tie everything up.

I didn’t think we needed that. But now I see how much we did and how the series as a whole is better for it.

So, What is Butterfly Effects About?

So, we’d learned in Sarah’s books that the Johrlac on Earth (and in the wake of destruction they’d left behind) aren’t Johrlac-proper, they’re a bunch who’d been ejected from their home world for being as awful as we’d thought. These cuckoos were practically a separate species at this point, and most of what people on Earth knew about the cuckoos or Johrlac was horribly wrong.

And basically, everyone had moved on–it didn’t matter anymore, because there were only a handful left on Earth and Sarah had removed the ticking genetic time-bombs from them.

Except…the Johrlac are a really uptight bunch and once they saw what Sarah had done, they came to Earth and arrested her to be tried for crimes against Johrlac law. They also kidnapped Arthur to be used as State’s Exhibit A in the show trial, right out of the Edo of Rubicun III vs. Wesley Crusher on “Justice.”

Back on Earth, Annie and Alice get word of this, so they grab Thomas and use some of Alice’s remaining travel spells and inter-dimensional know-how to launch a rescue mission (and Sam insists on coming along).

And things get interesting from there…

We Sing It Anyway

I almost never discuss the novellas packaged with McGuire novels–and I’m not going to do that this time, either. Primarily because it’s solely “here’s what happens because of the novels conclusion next.” So to really talk about it would be to talk about the last half-chapter of the novel in detail.

So why am I talking about it at all? Just because I’m sure some readers are like me and don’t always read the novellas. Don’t skip this one. Trust me.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I grabbed this because I’ve been on board for this series since the beginning.

Why did I keep reading? Pretty much everything I have said–or am about to say–about the book. I wasn’t prepared for McGuire to revisit this storyline, and I enjoyed getting to see what she was up to. I thought the world of the Johrlac was utterly fascinating–and watching the chaos that follows Annie, Sarah, and Alice as they interact with it was as entertaining as it could be.

What does this book tell us about humanity?

That’s the tricky thing, isn’t it? Given this series, I’m going to have to broaden this idea to “people” or “persons.” Also, a good part of it is about just how non-human some of these people can be.

Yet there’s something that humans and other non-human species can relate to in the middle of all the otherness.

(also, McGuire’s a human and all of her species are going to reflect that in some way, it can’t be helped)

The culture of the Johrlac is all about the collective–but there are several individuals expressing themselves (and we can assume some others we don’t encounter) in various and sundry ways. Most of these individual expressions are small–insignificant, really. But you get enough insignificant acts, and something noticeable can happen.

That’s one of the main things this book is about. While collectives–like both the Johrlac or the Price-Healys–are important, and together can accomplish great feats. It’s the individuals involved in them, and their interests and strengths, that make the collectives powerful.

So, what did I think about Butterfly Effects?

This is one of the better books in this series lately. I do worry that we’re becoming too dependent on the Annie/Sam/Alice/Thomas antics to the detriment of the others. But also? I don’t care, because I like Annie/Sam/Alice/Thomas, and everyone else is busy raising kids, so I prefer them out of danger.

The story took a lot of twists and turns that keep you on your toes. Not just on your toes, either, there are a few outright surprises. Some of those surprises come from the fact that the main action of this novel isn’t on Earth, and our friends don’t have to pull their punches so they can stay under the radar. Annie and her fire can do a whole lot when given the chance.

But this isn’t all danger, twists, and fire–there’s a lot of fun to be had on this alien world. It’s so strange that you just can’t help but have fun.

Action, heart, and plenty of smiles. This series shines brightest when McGuire brings these elements to the forefront. Butterfly Effects is proof of that.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

PUB DAY REPOST: Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire: Quieting the Dead

Cover of Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuireThrough Gates of Garnet and Gold

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Wayward Children, #11
Publisher: Tordotcom
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Format: eARC
Length: 148 pgs.
Read Date: December 23, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

What’s Through Gates of Garnet and Gold About?

We watched Nancy get her door and get to go home 10 years ago (in publication time, I’m a little unclear about how long it’s been in Eleanor West’s School’s time, as is at least one student). And aside from a quick “hi,” a few books later, that was pretty much the end of her story.

Until now, obviously, otherwise, why would I start by talking about her?

She’s back, and there’s a rule-breaking quest involved. The twist this time is that Nancy has been sent by The Lady of the Dead. Something…someone…is attacking people like Nancy in the Halls. People who have come through their own Doors from their own worlds to their true home. The dead are left unmolested and undisturbed. But it’s the other living people there who are being attacked. Nancy’s friends (or as close as living statues have to friends), are being killed and they need help.

This is a first for Eleanor West and her students–but they can’t say no. They don’t want to. Kade, as almost always, the leader of the group. Christopher, who is more comfortable with the dead than anyone other than Nancy, and his bone flute come along as well. There’s no way that Sumi, Nancy’s old roommate, is going to pass up this opportunity. Talia demands to be part of it, too. She has no skills that seem to make sense for this task*, but she’s done the math. Going on a quest with other students is just about the best way to guarantee getting her Door when it’s completed. So no one had better stop her. I, for one, hadn’t done this connection–and I’m guessing many of the other students haven’t either, or there’d be several others clamoring for a change.

* Naturally, it turns out that it’s good she came along.

An Introduction to the Series

McGuire’s been clear from the get-go that this series can be read in any order–and that’s true enough. But I think there are a couple of books that should be read in a particular order, regardless of what she thinks. And you’re just better off in general going in publication order.

But let’s say that this is the first book you pick up–you’re in for a treat. In an Introduction of sorts–not really a prelude or prologue–a couple of pages before chapter one, whatever you want to call them–McGuire introduces this series, sketches the function of the Doors, the impact they make on those who pass through. Those who want them back, etc.

This isn’t a “The Story So Far…” kind of thing–but it’s the closest that this series is going to get. I hope we get these exact pages–or ones very like them–from here on out.

I Needed a Fresh Dose of Sumi

Sumi is one of the characters who appears with greater consistency than others in this series–and I, for one (but am probably not alone), am so grateful for that. Her weaponized optimism, utter lack of regard for social niceties, unwavering positivity, and generous affections emphasize all the good things to be found in a person and situation. She also brings a level of comedy and heart to every scene she’s in. She can also be profound, usually unintentionally, and add emotional weight to a scene when you didn’t realize it needed it.

And when she gives a warning–you know things are serious. But the reader gets to chuckle the way she does it.

Obviously, we needed Sumi if we’re going to spend time with Nancy (we’re going to need Kade for similar reasons). But I personally needed a dose of her in general. And while what we got was sufficient, I’m hoping it’s not too long before we spend time with her again.

So, what did I think about Through Gates of Garnet and Gold?

After last year’s Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, I assumed we’d get something good, but not great for this book–we were due for McGuire to take her foot off the pedal a bit and coast a little. I’m very glad that McGuire wasn’t thinking like that and brought us another stellar installment in this series.

I mean, I was sold from the instant I saw that Nancy was coming back–and McGuire did right by this return. When Nancy got her door again, I wasn’t prepared for that to happen. I didn’t realize we were going to spend so little time with most of these characters, just enough to fall in love with them as characters, and then watch them go on to the next chapter of their lives–and that we’d very likely be done with them (aside from an occasional glance at most). I’ve embraced that when it comes to these books, and it no longer gets to me so much that we walk away from them. But I’ve always wanted more Nancy.

So, sure, that made me an easy sell for this book–but that didn’t mean I was guaranteed to rave over it. It just made it very likely.

I didn’t really understand what Nancy saw in the Halls of the Dead before, nor do I think I truly understood what was involved. This world made a lot less sense to me than any of the others, and I really wasn’t that interested in it other than as it served as Nancy’s true home. But we got to see much more of it than we have previously, we get some more mature description of it from Nancy (and her Lady). I see the appeal, the attraction. Or at least I understand where some would. Personally? The only world I’m less interested in is the underwater world that Nadya introduced us to last year (I just don’t think I could get over being underwater). But now, I get why Nancy and the others want to be there.

What the questors and readers learn about the forces attacking–and their plans–is pretty unsettling, and tells us a little more about McGuire’s universe and the stories she’s telling. In a way that made me uncomfortable and pleased me at the same time. You’ll have to read it yourself. But it’s such a fantastic touch.

As usual for this series, McGuire balances whimsy and danger, joy and weeping, with skill and aplomb. For Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, I wrote:

This is definitely one of the stronger books in this series that is on a great roll lately, I commend it to your attention. As with just about every book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone or as an entry point (but I strongly encourage reading at least Every Heart a Doorway before any of the others). I was sad when it ended—not because of the way it ended, I just wasn’t ready to move on. I predict I won’t be alone in that.

That’s a pretty good way to wrap up this post, too. With one significant difference–I need to know what happens after the last page, preferably now. It’s not a cliffhanger (this is not one of those series), in fact it’s a perfectly fitting ending for this novella. But I really need the next page–and fear McGuire is going to make us wait a bit before she gives it to us.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Tordotcom Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.


4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire: Quieting the Dead

Cover of Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuireThrough Gates of Garnet and Gold

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Wayward Children, #11
Publisher: Tordotcom
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Format: eARC
Length: 148 pgs.
Read Date: December 23, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

What’s Through Gates of Garnet and Gold About?

We watched Nancy get her door and get to go home 10 years ago (in publication time, I’m a little unclear about how long it’s been in Eleanor West’s School’s time, as is at least one student). And aside from a quick “hi,” a few books later, that was pretty much the end of her story.

Until now, obviously, otherwise, why would I start by talking about her?

She’s back, and there’s a rule-breaking quest involved. The twist this time is that Nancy has been sent by The Lady of the Dead. Something…someone…is attacking people like Nancy in the Halls. People who have come through their own Doors from their own worlds to their true home. The dead are left unmolested and undisturbed. But it’s the other living people there who are being attacked. Nancy’s friends (or as close as living statues have to friends), are being killed and they need help.

This is a first for Eleanor West and her students–but they can’t say no. They don’t want to. Kade, as almost always, the leader of the group. Christopher, who is more comfortable with the dead than anyone other than Nancy, and his bone flute come along as well. There’s no way that Sumi, Nancy’s old roommate, is going to pass up this opportunity. Talia demands to be part of it, too. She has no skills that seem to make sense for this task*, but she’s done the math. Going on a quest with other students is just about the best way to guarantee getting her Door when it’s completed. So no one had better stop her. I, for one, hadn’t done this connection–and I’m guessing many of the other students haven’t either, or there’d be several others clamoring for a change.

* Naturally, it turns out that it’s good she came along.

An Introduction to the Series

McGuire’s been clear from the get-go that this series can be read in any order–and that’s true enough. But I think there are a couple of books that should be read in a particular order, regardless of what she thinks. And you’re just better off in general going in publication order.

But let’s say that this is the first book you pick up–you’re in for a treat. In an Introduction of sorts–not really a prelude or prologue–a couple of pages before chapter one, whatever you want to call them–McGuire introduces this series, sketches the function of the Doors, the impact they make on those who pass through. Those who want them back, etc.

This isn’t a “The Story So Far…” kind of thing–but it’s the closest that this series is going to get. I hope we get these exact pages–or ones very like them–from here on out.

I Needed a Fresh Dose of Sumi

Sumi is one of the characters who appears with greater consistency than others in this series–and I, for one (but am probably not alone), am so grateful for that. Her weaponized optimism, utter lack of regard for social niceties, unwavering positivity, and generous affections emphasize all the good things to be found in a person and situation. She also brings a level of comedy and heart to every scene she’s in. She can also be profound, usually unintentionally, and add emotional weight to a scene when you didn’t realize it needed it.

And when she gives a warning–you know things are serious. But the reader gets to chuckle the way she does it.

Obviously, we needed Sumi if we’re going to spend time with Nancy (we’re going to need Kade for similar reasons). But I personally needed a dose of her in general. And while what we got was sufficient, I’m hoping it’s not too long before we spend time with her again.

So, what did I think about Through Gates of Garnet and Gold?

After last year’s Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, I assumed we’d get something good, but not great for this book–we were due for McGuire to take her foot off the pedal a bit and coast a little. I’m very glad that McGuire wasn’t thinking like that and brought us another stellar installment in this series.

I mean, I was sold from the instant I saw that Nancy was coming back–and McGuire did right by this return. When Nancy got her door again, I wasn’t prepared for that to happen. I didn’t realize we were going to spend so little time with most of these characters, just enough to fall in love with them as characters, and then watch them go on to the next chapter of their lives–and that we’d very likely be done with them (aside from an occasional glance at most). I’ve embraced that when it comes to these books, and it no longer gets to me so much that we walk away from them. But I’ve always wanted more Nancy.

So, sure, that made me an easy sell for this book–but that didn’t mean I was guaranteed to rave over it. It just made it very likely.

I didn’t really understand what Nancy saw in the Halls of the Dead before, nor do I think I truly understood what was involved. This world made a lot less sense to me than any of the others, and I really wasn’t that interested in it other than as it served as Nancy’s true home. But we got to see much more of it than we have previously, we get some more mature description of it from Nancy (and her Lady). I see the appeal, the attraction. Or at least I understand where some would. Personally? The only world I’m less interested in is the underwater world that Nadya introduced us to last year (I just don’t think I could get over being underwater). But now, I get why Nancy and the others want to be there.

What the questors and readers learn about the forces attacking–and their plans–is pretty unsettling, and tells us a little more about McGuire’s universe and the stories she’s telling. In a way that made me uncomfortable and pleased me at the same time. You’ll have to read it yourself. But it’s such a fantastic touch.

As usual for this series, McGuire balances whimsy and danger, joy and weeping, with skill and aplomb. For Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, I wrote:

This is definitely one of the stronger books in this series that is on a great roll lately, I commend it to your attention. As with just about every book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone or as an entry point (but I strongly encourage reading at least Every Heart a Doorway before any of the others). I was sad when it ended—not because of the way it ended, I just wasn’t ready to move on. I predict I won’t be alone in that.

That’s a pretty good way to wrap up this post, too. With one significant difference–I need to know what happens after the last page, preferably now. It’s not a cliffhanger (this is not one of those series), in fact it’s a perfectly fitting ending for this novella. But I really need the next page–and fear McGuire is going to make us wait a bit before she gives it to us.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Tordotcom Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.


4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire: Toby’s Up to Her Old Tricks, with Some New Complications

Cover of Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuireSilver and Lead

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #19
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: September 30, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 400 pg.
Read Date: September 5-8, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

What’s Silver and Lead About?

Queen Arden has a task for her hero–and she’s more than happy to take it on. During the recent…whatever you want to call what Titania did, several items were removed from the royal vaults. Dangerous items, naturally. Now, Arden had wanted to wait until Toby had given birth and recovered before sending her to find them. But at least one of the items has been used, and someone is dead. She can’t put it off any longer.

Toby’s tired, fed up, and annoyed by basically being under house arrest because of her worried husband during the last few months of her pregnancy. Yes, Tybalt’s worries are understandable, but he’s maybe gone a little too far. Toby’s glad for the excuse to get to work, and promises she’ll be extra careful. (Any guesses how that goes and how cooperative the people she’s looking for are going to be?)

Quentin–whose identity seems to be the worst-kept secret in all of Faerie–sticks with her every step of the way. This adventure brings us across many old friends and allies and reminds us of one old enemy.

Oh, I forgot to mention, before any of this happens, everyone’s favorite Sea Witch has a request–both sweet and terrifying–for Toby before any of this business with Arden starts.

All in all, this is not the way most people spend the last couple of weeks of their pregnancy. But of course, Toby wouldn’t do it any other way, and her readers expect no less.

Aftershocks

While we are not looking directly at what Titania did in these pages, we’re looking at the aftermath. We’re also learning a little bit about how her plan didn’t completely work. But I’m going to gloss over that (but you’re going to want to stop and muse about it while reading).

Quentin is trying to wrap his mind around the version of himself he saw and remembers, and cannot stand it. He’s overcompensating—and you can’t blame him for that—when he’s not letting it interfere with his thinking in the present.

Some of the ramifications of Titania’s work are seen in the motivations behind this novel’s primary villain. This doesn’t justify their actions (they’d have likely found another way to justify things), but it gives us an idea of all the unintended consequences of her re-write of Faerie. (unintended, but she probably wouldn’t care).

I really appreciate this–we’re not primarily concerned with her, nor have we just gotten a “it’s been a few months, stuff happened, life goes on” kind of thing. Faerie learned a lot about itself, they found some messes that need to be cleaned up. Yes, life goes on, but it’s different and will continue to be for a while.

So, what did I think about Silver and Lead?

So after a few novels with big, world-changing events at their core, it’s nice to get back to the bread-and-butter kind of novel. Yes, the stakes are important. Yes, there are life-and-death situations all around—and if Toby fails, it will mean bad things. But it won’t be the end of the world.

One of the advantages of a long-running series like this is that you can pluck a (seemingly?) random someone from an early novel, dust them off, and have them play a major role in the current book. Which is great—it also means that every random someone has the potential of being important. McGuire used that well in Silver and Lead.

While I enjoyed Raysel’s use here, I’m a little afraid that she’s being given some short-shrift overall, and the interesting storyline that seemed to have kicked off for her in Be the Serpent will end more with more of a whimper than it should. (Hopefully, this means that McGuire has something really big cooking).

Early on in the reading, I texted a friend, “a very pregnant Toby is fun.” She really is—and just as it was good to get back to a smaller stakes plot, it’s nice to be with the characters again, adapting to/preparing for this new stage of life.

McGuire’s humor and willingness to put her characters through the wringer for the entertainment of her audience shine forth. Toby’s determination (read: near-uncompromising stubbornness), grit, and humanity are on display for all. Tybalt and May are Tybalt and May (always good), and Quentin continues to develop into quite the man. The Luidaeg was fantastically used—particularly at the beginning. It was also good to see the rest of the cast, and I’m looking forward to seeing what life is like for Sir Mommy Daye.

Fans will be pleased with this one, and it might draw in a few new ones. Silver and Lead is just what we needed after the last arc.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley—thanks to both for this. Sorry it’s up late, it’s been one of those months.


4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Catching Up with Toby Daye

I’ve been thinking about this post since September of 2022, I just knew I couldn’t write about Be the Serpent without seeing what McGuire did next—my mind wouldn’t let me decide what I thought about it until then. And then after Sleep No More, I had to tackle The Innocent Sleep, and then…well, I kept getting distracted or busy. But I have to put something down about these three so I can intelligently talk about Silver and Lead, and I really want to do that. So, I’m trying a different kind of post than I’m used to.

Oh, I’m also suspending my typical no spoilers rule here. Read at your own risk, this is the only warning I’m giving.


Be the SerpentBe the Serpent

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #16
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: August 30, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 305 pg.
Read Date: August 31, 2022-September 5, 2022; August 25-29, 2023
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

It felt like I was standing outside this scene and watching it unfold, like none of this had anything to do with me. Like I should have been able to smile politely, say, “No, thank you,” and walk away, leaving everything exactly as it was before I got out of bed this morning.

I don’t know how many friends of mine have stumbled on books 2 or 3 of this series and never kept going. Or stumbled and were pushed on (and were so glad they did). I sort of get that, but I didn’t have that reaction. I did stumble here on book 16, Be the Serpent. Obviously, by this point—it doesn’t matter, I’m going to shake it off and keep going. Toby, Tybalt, May, Quentin, and the rest (the list is getting ridiculously long) mean too much to me to be put off by one novel.

But I do have to wonder what was going on in McGuire’s mind for her to give us this book—I have no proof of this, but in my head-canon, she was so focused on the last pages of this novel and what she was setting up that she didn’t pay enough attention to the execution of this novel. That doesn’t sound like McGuire to me, but it’s the best I’ve got.

The opening is fantastic—and the way that Toby and Rayseline executed their plan was so well done, and the prospect of watching Raysel heal in the midst of Toby’s chaos seemed like a fun lark. And then the horrific happened—the scene where Toby finds Stacy’s kids dead or dying is possibly the most gut-churning thing she’s written (and that’s saying something)*

* If you want to argue that she’s topped that in some recent InCryptid novels, I won’t fight you.

The problems start a chapter or two after that. Once Toby realizes why Stacy killed her kids (because she’s not really Stacy, but Titania, realizing she’s Stacy all along. I don’t know a shorter way to describe it all), she sets out to destroy Titania—but she can’t. No matter how often she tells herself it’s not her, no matter that the “Stacy consciousness” tells Toby to do it, no matter how many frelling times she has that conversation with anyone (including herself several times)—Toby can’t just do it. That’s almost understandable.

But also, McGuire has to tell us several times how this whole thing is tearing Toby apart. But I honestly don’t “see” it happening. I hear about it—I see it when she’s interacting with Stacy’s surviving kids or husband. But otherwise? I really don’t.

I could’ve been satisfied with the ending had it ended 2 pages or so into the last chapter (because that was just a great moment).

But no…we’ve got to do the whole Titania comes back, puts the hurt on Toby, and then rewrites history—wiping Toby’s mind and rewriting her history—having (pretty quickly) found a loophole in Oberon’s decree (he must be pretty rusty from all the nothing he’s been up to for the last few centuries). Sure, the first two parts of that list were certain to happen eventually.

But I just hate, hate, hate the whole “we’ll rewrite history/perception/whatever” storyline. Buffy in the asylum, Picard’s whole other life in “The Inner Light” (although he at least starts off remembering reality), um…other examples I should have at hand, but don’t. At the time, I told friends (and maybe my readers in a WWW Wednesday post or a Saturday Miscellany) that I hate the ending, but trusted McGuire would make me come around to it in the next book (and prematurely resented her for making her eat my words).

In the end, that didn’t happen—I still am going to consider Be the Serpent as the low point of this series. However…I really liked the lemonade she turned this giant pile of lemons into. Which brings us to….

Cover of Sleep No More by Seanan McGuireSleep No More

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #17
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 310 pg.
Read Date: October 26, 2023-October 27, 2023; January 13-16, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

“Romantic love is not required to live a full and happy life, my seedlings,” Father had told us, watching carefully to be sure we took his message to heart, “but if you cannot love one who loves you truly in return, find friends, find companions, find people who will tell you the truths you cannot carry and unveil the lies you cannot see. Most of all, cleave to each other, for you will be the only sure support you have in all this world.”

We spend most of our time watching this Alternate Version of Toby make her way through this version of Faerie that we all can kind of recognize, but not really. A good deal of the “fun” of all this is seeing the ways that Titania’s rewriting of things is similar—but not quite—to our version of things.

Toby, for example, has all the niceness, the kindness, the happiness that we all know she’s capable of—but she rarely gets to express (or she can only express in certain ways). August is…wow. The best older sister, really (sure, it’d be better if she didn’t believe that changelings were lesser beings, but…at least she doesn’t treat them as trash). Quentin, on the other hand, is an entitled jerk.

Thankfully, we get to come into this world just before it starts unraveling, partially because of Toby. Even as she really doesn’t know what she’s doing (or who she is, most importantly), she keeps being Toby—which means taking apart the plans and machinations of her opponents. Everything I think McGuire got wrong in the previous book, she did right here. We even get to revisit some of the bigger moments of the past.

I really liked the story; I thought McGuire executed it as close to flawlessly as is possible. I liked the conclusion—it was exciting, tense, and you honestly (especially now) had no idea how things were going to turn out. Sure, we know that bigger and worse things are on the horizon than we just dealt with—but okay. That’s pretty much par for the course.

Best yet? October and August have a relationship now. Simon and Toby are closer than they were. Yes, things are messed up ,and everyone will need to recover and reset. But…we’ve gained a lot.

Cover of The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuireSleep No More

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #18
Publisher: DAW 
Publication Date: October 24, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 314 pg.
Read Date: October 31-November 1, 2023; January 24-31, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

Love is a knife forever suspended an inch from your heart, and if it falls or you stumble into it, you can all too easily find yourself impaled and bleeding.

This felt like an incredibly unnecessary book. Sure, it seemed like a good idea—perhaps even entertaining just to see things from Tybalt’s perspective. But we already know this story. Why bother?

Oh, for so many reasons, it turns out. I ended up loving this book.Rather than picking up months later, like we did in Toby’s POV, we see this from the instant Titania did her thing—or pretty much. We get more than simply Tybalt’s POV—we get to see how all this nonsense is impacting the rest of Faerie—or isn’t, as the case sometimes is. We see just how far the range of the changes are. Most importantly, we see what happens to people who aren’t that close to Toby—the collateral damage.

And that damage is devastating—and is getting worse.

Then we get to see some of the specific incidents described in Sleep No More from Tybalt’s POV, or at least what others tell him. Still, it’s not Toby’s viewpoint. We come away from all of it with a greatly expanded understanding of everything that happened to the characters we know and love (or just know). Also, between the two books, we really learn so much more about Titania than we did before (naturally). And now we really want to see Maeve in action—as apocalyptic as that likely will be.

Could McGuire have done this as a larger-than-usual book from shifting POVs? Probably. But the pacing would’ve been weird, getting the different POVs on the same events would get tiresome (and hard to decide which POV would come first)…and, I think it’d have just been a mess. So much better this way.

My beef with this one—and I think it’s the only one I have in both Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep is Tybalt’s lack of emotional control. Yes, it has to be hard to see Toby like this, to see her not know you at all—but for crying out loud, man! You’ve been around for centuries, you know the whammy that magic can do to someone’s mind and body (you’ve experienced it first hand!!)—magic from one of the Three? Hold yourself together, know that you’ve got a chance to help everyone—especially Toby, and stop acting like a child when she’s around.

Do the greatness of Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep make up for Be the Serpent? No. Do they make it more forgivable? Ehhh, kind of. Mostly, I know for future re-reads to expect some rough riding, but that it’s worth it. As I said above, the lemonade she made from Be the Serpent is mighty tasty. And I’m okay with that.


This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

PUB DAY REPOST: Installment Immortality by Seanan McGuire: G-G-G-Ghosts!

Cover of Installment Immortality by Seanan McGuireInstallment Immortality

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: InCryptid, #14
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: March 11, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 432 pg.
Read Date: February 12-17, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores


Obviously, there are some spoilers about the previous novel in the series, Aftermarket Afterlife to follow. And, you could probably say the same for the series as a whole. Take that into consideration if you read beyond the period at the end of this sentence.

What’s Installment Immortality About?

In the months that it took Mary to put herself back together after the attack on their training headquarters, the Covenant hasn’t been quiet. In fact, as they knew a ghost was involved in the attack, some of them have been targeting ghosts up and down the East Coast.

The anima mundi, still rebuilding its control, recruits (to put it nicely) Mary to stop them and rescue what ghosts she can. Mary gets permission to bring along some help from her family (the kind of help that can’t, say, get stuck in a ghost jar)—she doesn’t intend to, but she ends up bringing along Elsie and Arthur who have a need to do something, anything, to help them move on from their mother’s death.

So begins a cross-country trip filled with more danger than they expect (and they expect a lot).

More Mary

This book, like its predecessor, has done a fantastic job of showing the place of Mary in this family. She’s far more than just a quick message-delivery-system, or a genie that can show up at just the right time (she never really came across that way, but it’d be easy to see her filling those roles). It’s both heart-warming and heart-tugging.

She’s also changed a lot—thanks to Annie’s intervention at the Crossroads, and because of her new/growing relationship to the anima mundi. And there are more changes on the horizon—which will be fun to watch as people like me have become more invested in her after the last book.

I thought I had several things to say about Mary here, but just about all of them would need to be redacted. I really enjoyed our time with her, and while I expect that we’re going to be spending a few books focused on other characters after this one (Verity or Elsie are my guesses, which means it’ll probably be Alex), I’m looking forward to seeing what this new part of her life—ahem, afterlife—brings us.

Elsie and Arthur

Poor Arthur—I thought I had a pretty good handle on what was going on with him after the last book, but of course, there’s a lot more afoot than we could’ve known. With plenty of time with him—to see him interact with Mary and his sister, we get to hear a lot more from him and understand things from his perspective.

Then we learn even more from some outsiders. We’re going to have to spend some more time with Arthur soon, because leaving him where McGuire did is not comfortable.

Elsie, on the other hand, surprised me. I figured that like with Alex and Annie—and even the babysitter—when she got a chance to shine, she’d step up and show herself to be exactly the kind of kick-ass heroine that the Prices and Healys seem to specialize in. I won’t get into details, but she’s not cut from the same cloth as her cousins—but that doesn’t mean she should be taken lightly. It’s just that there’s an element of diversity even here that I wasn’t expecting, and I’m glad to see. I think it would’ve been boring to see her transform into a variation of Verity or Alice.

More interestingly than that for her was seeing her relationship with Arthur and how she’s reacting toward the Aeslin mice in their home.

So, what did I think about Installment Immortality?

This was a little bit of a let-down after the Aftermarket Afterlife. It was primarily a follow-up to it, tying up loose ends and getting us all ready for whatever is next. As such, it’s not going to be as good, it can’t be as powerful, and it should help the reader catch our breath. Also, saying it’s not quite as good as one of the best books in this series is not much of an insult.

But, oh man…there were so many things that are great about this book. For one example, there’s a conversation between Mary and one of the Aeslin Mice that is incredibly strange. And if you remember that we’re talking about a conversation between a ghost and a sentient, talking mouse with a perfect memory…strange should be expected. Not this level of it.

Of course, we get to meet new Cryptids, and more than a few ghosts. Their perspectives on the Prices, on the war with the Covenant, on Mary and the Crossroads (many don’t believe the Crossroads are gone, for example), and so on, are fascinating. It’s a good reminder—that we occasionally get, but not as strongly as we do here—how much people don’t instinctively trust this family. But we also get a variety of reactions to them along those lines.

This was very satisfying in terms of long-term character arcs, the war arc, and so on. Installment Immortality was also satisfying on its own terms. There’s some good supernatural, ghosty action. Some good reminders that the dead should not be messed with. Strong character development—no one leaves this book the way they came in. And some sweet moments that remind you that everyone can use a dog in their life.

This is not a book to jump into the series with, unless you want to spend a lot of time confused—Aftermarket Afterlife would function far better for that (as would starting at the beginning). But for long-term fans, this is exactly what they were looking for.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.


4 Stars
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Installment Immortality by Seanan McGuire: G-G-G-Ghosts!

Cover of Installment Immortality by Seanan McGuireInstallment Immortality

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: InCryptid, #14
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: March 11, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 432 pg.
Read Date: February 12-17, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores


Obviously, there are some spoilers about the previous novel in the series, Aftermarket Afterlife to follow. And, you could probably say the same for the series as a whole. Take that into consideration if you read beyond the period at the end of this sentence.

What’s Installment Immortality About?

In the months that it took Mary to put herself back together after the attack on their training headquarters, the Covenant hasn’t been quiet. In fact, as they knew a ghost was involved in the attack, some of them have been targeting ghosts up and down the East Coast.

The anima mundi, still rebuilding its control, recruits (to put it nicely) Mary to stop them and rescue what ghosts she can. Mary gets permission to bring along some help from her family (the kind of help that can’t, say, get stuck in a ghost jar)—she doesn’t intend to, but she ends up bringing along Elsie and Arthur who have a need to do something, anything, to help them move on from their mother’s death.

So begins a cross-country trip filled with more danger than they expect (and they expect a lot).

More Mary

This book, like its predecessor, has done a fantastic job of showing the place of Mary in this family. She’s far more than just a quick message-delivery-system, or a genie that can show up at just the right time (she never really came across that way, but it’d be easy to see her filling those roles). It’s both heart-warming and heart-tugging.

She’s also changed a lot—thanks to Annie’s intervention at the Crossroads, and because of her new/growing relationship to the anima mundi. And there are more changes on the horizon—which will be fun to watch as people like me have become more invested in her after the last book.

I thought I had several things to say about Mary here, but just about all of them would need to be redacted. I really enjoyed our time with her, and while I expect that we’re going to be spending a few books focused on other characters after this one (Verity or Elsie are my guesses, which means it’ll probably be Alex), I’m looking forward to seeing what this new part of her life—ahem, afterlife—brings us.

Elsie and Arthur

Poor Arthur—I thought I had a pretty good handle on what was going on with him after the last book, but of course, there’s a lot more afoot than we could’ve known. With plenty of time with him—to see him interact with Mary and his sister, we get to hear a lot more from him and understand things from his perspective.

Then we learn even more from some outsiders. We’re going to have to spend some more time with Arthur soon, because leaving him where McGuire did is not comfortable.

Elsie, on the other hand, surprised me. I figured that like with Alex and Annie—and even the babysitter—when she got a chance to shine, she’d step up and show herself to be exactly the kind of kick-ass heroine that the Prices and Healys seem to specialize in. I won’t get into details, but she’s not cut from the same cloth as her cousins—but that doesn’t mean she should be taken lightly. It’s just that there’s an element of diversity even here that I wasn’t expecting, and I’m glad to see. I think it would’ve been boring to see her transform into a variation of Verity or Alice.

More interestingly than that for her was seeing her relationship with Arthur and how she’s reacting toward the Aeslin mice in their home.

So, what did I think about Installment Immortality?

This was a little bit of a let-down after the Aftermarket Afterlife. It was primarily a follow-up to it, tying up loose ends and getting us all ready for whatever is next. As such, it’s not going to be as good, it can’t be as powerful, and it should help the reader catch our breath. Also, saying it’s not quite as good as one of the best books in this series is not much of an insult.

But, oh man…there were so many things that are great about this book. For one example, there’s a conversation between Mary and one of the Aeslin Mice that is incredibly strange. And if you remember that we’re talking about a conversation between a ghost and a sentient, talking mouse with a perfect memory…strange should be expected. Not this level of it.

Of course, we get to meet new Cryptids, and more than a few ghosts. Their perspectives on the Prices, on the war with the Covenant, on Mary and the Crossroads (many don’t believe the Crossroads are gone, for example), and so on, are fascinating. It’s a good reminder—that we occasionally get, but not as strongly as we do here—how much people don’t instinctively trust this family. But we also get a variety of reactions to them along those lines.

This was very satisfying in terms of long-term character arcs, the war arc, and so on. Installment Immortality was also satisfying on its own terms. There’s some good supernatural, ghosty action. Some good reminders that the dead should not be messed with. Strong character development—no one leaves this book the way they came in. And some sweet moments that remind you that everyone can use a dog in their life.

This is not a book to jump into the series with, unless you want to spend a lot of time confused—Aftermarket Afterlife would function far better for that (as would starting at the beginning). But for long-term fans, this is exactly what they were looking for.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.


4 Stars
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire: Things Get Serious

This is long-overdue. But half of what I do in these posts is figure out what I think of a book—and since about 30 minutes after finishing this book, I’ve known what I had to say (although I’m pretty sure I had the title in mind since I was about 1/3 of the way in, which is a shame, because “Adventures in Babysitting” is right there). Knowing exactly what I want to say makes writing a post hard, there’s no discovery for me. But, I’ve got an ARC for the next book waiting for me, so I had to get serious about things and get this out of my head so I can dive into it.


Cover of Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuireAftermarket Afterlife

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: InCryptid, #13
Publisher: Daw Books
Publication Date: March 5, 2024
Format: Trade Paperback
Length: 299 pg.
Read Date: March 21-27, 2024
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

What’s Aftermarket Afterlife About?

Just before I started writing this (or started again…this is something like the 15th attempt since March of last year), I took a glance at what I wrote about Backpacking Through Bedlam. This was either a mistake because I said everything there that I was about to say to start this post and now I have to come up with something new. Or it was smart because now I can cut out a lot of things and point you to that instead.

I’m lazy enough to lean toward “mistake.” But let’s see what I can do instead.

Lest we think that the Covenant of St. George in general and Leonard Cunningham in particular have just been twiddling their thumbs while we’ve been focused on Annie’s adventures (although we see some of Leonard there) or the end of Alice’s quest, we learn very quickly that they’ve been active. They’ve been gathering intelligence and plotting. The result is a shock-and-awe campaign that takes the family and their cryptid (and human) friends and allies unaware—and results in several injuries, deaths, and loss of property. Probably more damage, too.

But before we can get to that, Thomas and Alice (and Sally) arrive at the Portland-area compound for a reunion/(re)introduction. This goes so incredibly poorly that the reader will initially be relieved by the attacks because you foolishly think that means things are going to get more entertaining.

All this results in Mary, of all people, coming up with a plan to take the action to the front door of the Covenant.

Luck Runs Out

I’m not sure that I noticed it during my initial reads of the series—but in the last couple of books, as I listen to them on audio, I keep hearing about the strange luck the family has. And honestly, even if I hadn’t used the word luck—it’s hard not to think that. Verity and her friends/family/loved ones (same for her brother and sister and their friends/loved ones) largely escape the novels unscathed.

The thing about luck is…it runs out. This can be seen in the way that Sarah’s rescue of Artie at the end of Calculated Risks isn’t as successful as we might have thought at the time. And for another telling piece of evidence is pretty much this entire novel.

Choice of Mary

I was initially surprised to see Mary the family’s babysitting ghost as our POV character for this one. I expected another of the Price kids to get the slot (it’s been too long since we spent real time with Alex, for example). But I wasn’t going to complain—if only because it was nice to see her backstory.

In retrospect, there was no other choice. The reader (and McGuire) needed someone who could rapidly move between the various parts of the country to see everything going on and to take part in the action in some (not all) of the places the Covenant was acting. Thanks to her being the major actor, we get a little more insight into what happened to the animus mundi following Annie’s defeat of the Crossroads.

There are a couple of other things that only Mary could contribute to this story, but I can’t talk about those. So, as I expected but didn’t see going in, McGuire didn’t have a choice in POV character. It just had to be her.

Hail The Aeslin Mice

It’s really hard not to feel bad for these guys (when they’re not making you smile) throughout the series. This is probably the hardest novel to get through because of what happens to them. Their losses—different from the losses the family takes, and almost worse—are so hard to watch. Ditto for the family talking about them.

What’s even worse is the note that the race as a whole likely doesn’t have many more generations left. I’m sorry…I’m just not okay with that. I hope/trust that we’re going to find out how wrong those predictions are.

So, what did I think about Aftermarket Afterlife?

When I put this down I said something—I don’t remember what—but my daughter seemed shocked at my reaction. I was stunned, I didn’t expect most of what I spent the last hour or so reading (or the hours previous to it) and I guess that came out forcefully. And I’m still in that frame of mind almost 11 months later. I’m stunned by what McGuire did here.

The InCryptid books have always been (in my mind) the lighter of McGuire’s series—Toby’s for drama and excitement, the Wayward Children are to fill you with whimsy and heartbreak, and Verity/Alex/Annie et al are for some goofy action and strange critters.

I should know McGuire better than that. She’s never going to just let something be light entertainment. Still, I wasn’t prepared for this escalation. I should’ve been. The signs have been there since the end of Chaos Choreography. I’m not going to get into all the ways she gut-punches the readers here. But there are several. Some small, some huge, some of indeterminate size as of this time.

Still, McGuire deals with the various personalities, histories, abilities, interests, and everything else like a master. The writing is quirky as it needs to be without taking away from the drama or heartbreak. Mary is a great character and it’s good to see her come into her own, and we see a lot from other family members that we haven’t spent enough time with, too—ll while catching up with old friends. This is McGuire at peak performance.

Installment Immortality is due soon, and I have no idea what to expect from it—nor from the series going forward. But it’s going to be a very different kind of entity than we’ve seen before. I can’t wait for it.


4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

PUB DAY REPOST: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire: Water Loves Falling

Cover of Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuireAdrift in Currents Clean and Clear

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Wayward Children, #10
Publisher: Tordotcom
Publication Date: January 7, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 160 pgs.
Read Date: December 16-18, 2024
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

What’s Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear About?

One of the advantages (and, to be fair, aggravating parts) of this series is that each book can be from anywhere on the series timeline. Here in the tenth installment, we get the origin story of someone that we got to know in the third book (Beneath the Sugar Sky). Reality itself is wibbly-wobbly in this series, why not timey wimey?

We meet Nadya at birth—where a young Russian woman who is not ready to be a mother is rushing to give her up—even before she’s freaked out that Nadya is missing an arm. As we watch Nadya growing up, she doesn’t really seem to care about the arm she never had. But when a couple of Americans come to adopt a disadvantaged Russian child, it starts to become a factor in her life.

She’s not comfortable with her new life in the States (yet?), but when a prosthetic arm is imposed on her (in the name of help—see below), she’s made to feel incomplete as well as Other. Her only solace is the pond a short walk from her adoptive parents’ home where she can watch turtles—an animal that has long fascinated her.

Before she knows it, she falls through a Door and ends up in a world she doesn’t understand or recognize (but really isn’t that much stranger than the change from a Russian orphanage to a Colorado suburb).

The Lost and the Lonely

I probably shouldn’t have—but I laughed when she got the “Be Sure” message. It’s in a seemingly-cruel place, but it was original and it meant the story was progressing. I also found her Door rather intriguing.

But better than that was the way her arrival in Belyrreka, the Land Beneath the Lake, was explained to her. Sometimes people come to Belyrreka* because a hero is needed to do something. But sometimes, it’s just that someone isn’t at home in their world and they need a place to fit in. Nadya is the latter, so it seems. Given that most of the children we’ve seen go through a Door to do something heroic, it’s nice to see this option.

This doesn’t mean she’s incapable of heroism, or of doing something important. It just means that she probably ended up in Belyrreka because she belonged there more than on Earth.

This is really a slice-of-life story. We just get to see how Nadya lives and matures in a place where she feels that she belongs, with family, friends, and a purpose. Yes, in the back of our minds, we know that something is going to happen and she’s going to end up at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. But until then… This novella is like the years between Aslan coronating the Pevensies and the fateful hunt for the White Stag—nothing heroic, nothing particularly notable. Just…life. Regular, ordinary, day-to-day life.

Well, “ordinary” in a world that’s described as Beneath a Lake, where everyone is underwater to one degree or another (breathing without gills), full of talking animals, and where a river can magically endow people with gifts/obligations. So it’s a loose use of the word “ordinary.”

* And by implication, other worlds

I’m Not Entirely Sure This One is Fair

Many of the children we’ve met—particularly if we’ve met their parents, too—aren’t all that fond of their parents. They’re critical of them (even before their Doors appear, definitely afterward). By and large, I’ve been with the children in their critiques and evaluations of the parents—even when it’s clear that the parents are doing their best (which doesn’t happen as often as it should).

I’m not convinced that Nadya is entirely fair when thinking about the adults in her life. Her appraisal of the orphanage staff (at least after they arranged for her to get adopted) is harsh when they really just did what they could to help her get out of the orphanage (which she sees, but attributes it to less-than-altruistic ends). Her parents really don’t understand her (beyond the language) and are clumsy at best in their attempts to help her fit into Colorado. It’s hard to tell how much of the assessment of their motivations and attempts comes from the omniscient narrator and how much is Nadya’s. But really, I think whoever is doing the assessing could be more charitable (without giving blanket approval).

Particularly her adoptive father—I really get the sense that his affection is real and that in time, he’d have become what she needs. I’m not so sure about his wife, however… On some level, they are trying to make life better. But her ideas of better and what needs improved differ.

Now, Nadya is a prepubescent child yanked out of the only home she ever knew, brought to another country and culture without warning (or consent), and forced into a mold and environment that she’s unprepared for. So, sure, she’s going to be less than charitable—it’s justified and understandable. I just wish the narration did a slightly better job of showing that.

So, what did I think about Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear?

That aside…I loved Nadya. Getting to know her like this was great.

This is a book about home. About acceptance. About finding your place in the world, with people who “get” you, who care about you, and who want the best for you—even if that best doesn’t necessarily make a lot of sense to them.

It’s nice, it’s comforting, and it’s reassuring to see Nadya find this for herself and getting to enjoy it for as long as she does. Yes, it’s hard to see her end up back in the “real world” knowing that means some misery before Eleanor comes to her (at least partial) rescue.

There’s a little less whimsy to this novella than many of the other installments in the series—outside of the construction of the world. But if I had to tag this with any description, I’d probably use “cozy.” If I didn’t know this series, I’d assume it would belong with Travis Baldtree or S.L. Rowland. Maybe Heather Fawcett. But I do know better—this series continues to transcend easy categorization. Wayward Children is its own subgenre.

McGuire brings the emotional depth that Nadya and her story need. Belyrreka is a great world that operates on its own (self-aware) logic—it’s a place I’d love to visit (assuming I wouldn’t panic at the whole living underwater thing, which I can’t promise), but wouldn’t want to live. But McGuire brings it to life and fills it with people I wish I could get to know more.

This is definitely one of the stronger books in this series that is on a great roll lately, I commend it to your attention. As with just about every book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone or as an entry point (but I strongly encourage reading at least Every Heart a Doorway before any of the others). I was sad when it ended—not because of the way it ended, I just wasn’t ready to move on. I predict I won’t be alone in that.

Now, excuse me…I need to go figure out a way to cram in a re-read of Beneath a Sugar Sky to my schedule.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Tordotcom Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.


4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire: Water Loves Falling

Cover of Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuireAdrift in Currents Clean and Clear

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Wayward Children, #10
Publisher: Tordotcom
Publication Date: January 7, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 160 pgs.
Read Date: December 16-18, 2024
Buy from Bookshop.org Support Indie Bookstores

What’s Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear About?

One of the advantages (and, to be fair, aggravating parts) of this series is that each book can be from anywhere on the series timeline. Here in the tenth installment, we get the origin story of someone that we got to know in the third book (Beneath the Sugar Sky). Reality itself is wibbly-wobbly in this series, why not timey wimey?

We meet Nadya at birth—where a young Russian woman who is not ready to be a mother is rushing to give her up—even before she’s freaked out that Nadya is missing an arm. As we watch Nadya growing up, she doesn’t really seem to care about the arm she never had. But when a couple of Americans come to adopt a disadvantaged Russian child, it starts to become a factor in her life.

She’s not comfortable with her new life in the States (yet?), but when a prosthetic arm is imposed on her (in the name of help—see below), she’s made to feel incomplete as well as Other. Her only solace is the pond a short walk from her adoptive parents’ home where she can watch turtles—an animal that has long fascinated her.

Before she knows it, she falls through a Door and ends up in a world she doesn’t understand or recognize (but really isn’t that much stranger than the change from a Russian orphanage to a Colorado suburb).

The Lost and the Lonely

I probably shouldn’t have—but I laughed when she got the “Be Sure” message. It’s in a seemingly-cruel place, but it was original and it meant the story was progressing. I also found her Door rather intriguing.

But better than that was the way her arrival in Belyrreka, the Land Beneath the Lake, was explained to her. Sometimes people come to Belyrreka* because a hero is needed to do something. But sometimes, it’s just that someone isn’t at home in their world and they need a place to fit in. Nadya is the latter, so it seems. Given that most of the children we’ve seen go through a Door to do something heroic, it’s nice to see this option.

This doesn’t mean she’s incapable of heroism, or of doing something important. It just means that she probably ended up in Belyrreka because she belonged there more than on Earth.

This is really a slice-of-life story. We just get to see how Nadya lives and matures in a place where she feels that she belongs, with family, friends, and a purpose. Yes, in the back of our minds, we know that something is going to happen and she’s going to end up at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. But until then… This novella is like the years between Aslan coronating the Pevensies and the fateful hunt for the White Stag—nothing heroic, nothing particularly notable. Just…life. Regular, ordinary, day-to-day life.

Well, “ordinary” in a world that’s described as Beneath a Lake, where everyone is underwater to one degree or another (breathing without gills), full of talking animals, and where a river can magically endow people with gifts/obligations. So it’s a loose use of the word “ordinary.”

* And by implication, other worlds

I’m Not Entirely Sure This One is Fair

Many of the children we’ve met—particularly if we’ve met their parents, too—aren’t all that fond of their parents. They’re critical of them (even before their Doors appear, definitely afterward). By and large, I’ve been with the children in their critiques and evaluations of the parents—even when it’s clear that the parents are doing their best (which doesn’t happen as often as it should).

I’m not convinced that Nadya is entirely fair when thinking about the adults in her life. Her appraisal of the orphanage staff (at least after they arranged for her to get adopted) is harsh when they really just did what they could to help her get out of the orphanage (which she sees, but attributes it to less-than-altruistic ends). Her parents really don’t understand her (beyond the language) and are clumsy at best in their attempts to help her fit into Colorado. It’s hard to tell how much of the assessment of their motivations and attempts comes from the omniscient narrator and how much is Nadya’s. But really, I think whoever is doing the assessing could be more charitable (without giving blanket approval).

Particularly her adoptive father—I really get the sense that his affection is real and that in time, he’d have become what she needs. I’m not so sure about his wife, however… On some level, they are trying to make life better. But her ideas of better and what needs improved differ.

Now, Nadya is a prepubescent child yanked out of the only home she ever knew, brought to another country and culture without warning (or consent), and forced into a mold and environment that she’s unprepared for. So, sure, she’s going to be less than charitable—it’s justified and understandable. I just wish the narration did a slightly better job of showing that.

So, what did I think about Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear?

That aside…I loved Nadya. Getting to know her like this was great.

This is a book about home. About acceptance. About finding your place in the world, with people who “get” you, who care about you, and who want the best for you—even if that best doesn’t necessarily make a lot of sense to them.

It’s nice, it’s comforting, and it’s reassuring to see Nadya find this for herself and getting to enjoy it for as long as she does. Yes, it’s hard to see her end up back in the “real world” knowing that means some misery before Eleanor comes to her (at least partial) rescue.

There’s a little less whimsy to this novella than many of the other installments in the series—outside of the construction of the world. But if I had to tag this with any description, I’d probably use “cozy.” If I didn’t know this series, I’d assume it would belong with Travis Baldtree or S.L. Rowland. Maybe Heather Fawcett. But I do know better—this series continues to transcend easy categorization. Wayward Children is its own subgenre.

McGuire brings the emotional depth that Nadya and her story need. Belyrreka is a great world that operates on its own (self-aware) logic—it’s a place I’d love to visit (assuming I wouldn’t panic at the whole living underwater thing, which I can’t promise), but wouldn’t want to live. But McGuire brings it to life and fills it with people I wish I could get to know more.

This is definitely one of the stronger books in this series that is on a great roll lately, I commend it to your attention. As with just about every book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone or as an entry point (but I strongly encourage reading at least Every Heart a Doorway before any of the others). I was sad when it ended—not because of the way it ended, I just wasn’t ready to move on. I predict I won’t be alone in that.

Now, excuse me…I need to go figure out a way to cram in a re-read of Beneath a Sugar Sky to my schedule.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Tordotcom Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.


4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Page 1 of 8

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén