A review by kadtide
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I would say that a main theme of the book is finding closure, something that has always been at the core of the series. This is not the end of the series, but it is an ending for some of the characters and those endings are beautifully written, with the time and care they need to get to where they need to be.

I had a hard time with Antsy's story in Lost in the Moment and Found due to the specific themes of the story, but my main takeaway was "I like this character and I want to see where she goes from here." This book did not disappoint- I loved her too-young-too-old grown-up-too-fast childish righteousness, and I appreciated the way
she was able to confront her past and find certainty in her home. While I'll miss her in future stories, I think her story was very strong as is and I'm glad she ended up where she belongs.


Some thoughts on the other characters:

Seraphina:
Based on the book description I first saw I was honestly expecting her to be a more major part of the plot, not just the driving force. I'm not disappointed though, although I am a bit curious as to what (if any) role she'll take on in the future.


Kade:
I think it's very cool that we got to see Prism, however briefly. Kade's story is one I know is coming at the end, and I like how it's told in bits and pieces (and usually the same bits and pieces, just told in slightly different ways). I look forward to seeing how he reacts to Sumi's revelation that the goblins reportedly want him back as their prince.


Sumi:
She brings such a unique and special energy to these books and I love her for it. She's someone I would hate to know in real life, but she works so well within the story. I think her Nonsense provides a much-needed balance- she's both chaos incarnate, yet sometimes arguably the most rational in the moment.


Cora:
my beloved Cora! The epilogue hit me hard when I realized what it meant. I love the juxtaposition between her and Antsy, who both enter the narrative partway through and leave in the same story, but while Cora's journey is long and spans several books, Antsy's is much shorter. These two work so well as not a pair so much as briefly intersecting lines. Cora has had such a beautiful, wonderful journey over the course of this series, and I'm so happy for her that she's finally going home, even as I'm so sad to see her go. The timing was perfect for her.


The Whitethorn cast:
My absolute favorite character in the entire series is Marian, but I am neither surprised nor bothered that she doesn't make much of an appearance. Regan as well, I feel like the two of them have had their time and it makes sense for both of them to have the chance to step back from the narrative.

I am very glad we got to see more of both Emily and Stephanie- they didn't have the same sense of closure at the end of Where the Drowned Girls Go as Marian, and I am happy to see Emily's story continue as she joins the questers and to get a stronger sense of Stephanie's conclusion and what that means for her. Stephanie and her dinosaurs were only briefly in the story, but it felt true to her character. Meanwhile Emily is a wonderful addition to the core group of the series- I loved her interactions with Yulia and Antsy (being the only one to recognize her younger age, and relating it back to Rowena!!) She is gentle and passionate and fierce in her own way and I'm excited to see where her story leads.


Christopher:
I don't have much to say here, but that isn't really a bad thing. He takes a little bit of a back seat in this book, just because he's offscreen for a bit more of it than in the past, though it feels right for him. He has been a central enough part of the story so far that I'm sure he'll have a satisfying narrative in the end, and I'm willing to wait for it.


All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I do need to reread some of the earlier ones since I'm sure part of this is recency bias speaking, but I think this one is among my favorites so far. 
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