Take a photo of a barcode or cover
offservicebookrecs 's review for:
In an Absent Dream
by Seanan McGuire
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As any child who has ever picked up a book knows, adventure can be found in the least likely of places. Katherine Lundy, nose summarily stuck, did not expect to walk right into one instead. Like Alice of old, she finds herself in a world where a door is not a door, a pencil can buy a feast of pies, and fair value may look like fans of feathers and flight when one is seeking more than they can offer. As Katherine (not Kat, not Kitty) becomes Lundy and learns the ways of the Goblin Market - and what is fair in love, war, and sacrifice along the way - she finds more than she can every dream, and loses more than she could ever imagine in return.
As those who have enjoyed any book in this series knows, there is a little of the familiar, a lot of the unique, and a searing dash of the bittersweet just beyond the open door in this series - whether you're sure or now. Though technically a standalone, readers of the Wayward Children series so far will recognize Lundy and can delight (and mourn) in the series of events which brought her through the door and back, or can enjoy a singular story that runs the gamut of Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and various other similar stories of childhood, friendship, magical creatures, puppeteers, sweet summer days, and growing up. As always, Seanan McGuire does a fantastic job of telling you a story you know the end to in a way that squeezes your heart just a little too hard - you fall in love, and get lost in the story, and think that maybe if you just keep reading, this time things will be different and the characters can have a happier ending than what you know is coming - and then the page turns. It's a tale as old an new as time, lush and inviting and rich - and somehow also a novella, and sure to stick with you as you hurry to the library to find out which door is opening (or closing) next. RIP Lundy, you would have hated that one episode of the 1990s Batman "Baby-Doll".
As those who have enjoyed any book in this series knows, there is a little of the familiar, a lot of the unique, and a searing dash of the bittersweet just beyond the open door in this series - whether you're sure or now. Though technically a standalone, readers of the Wayward Children series so far will recognize Lundy and can delight (and mourn) in the series of events which brought her through the door and back, or can enjoy a singular story that runs the gamut of Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and various other similar stories of childhood, friendship, magical creatures, puppeteers, sweet summer days, and growing up. As always, Seanan McGuire does a fantastic job of telling you a story you know the end to in a way that squeezes your heart just a little too hard - you fall in love, and get lost in the story, and think that maybe if you just keep reading, this time things will be different and the characters can have a happier ending than what you know is coming - and then the page turns. It's a tale as old an new as time, lush and inviting and rich - and somehow also a novella, and sure to stick with you as you hurry to the library to find out which door is opening (or closing) next. RIP Lundy, you would have hated that one episode of the 1990s Batman "Baby-Doll".