A review by ashlanswain
Last Car to Annwn Station by Michael Merriam

4.0

Last Car to Annwyn Station had some standard urban fantasy elements--fae, the supernatural hiding in plain sight--and some less-standard pieces like the main character's entry into the fray (child services) and several twists and turns along the way. I thought the writing was a bit uneven or repetitive in spots, and I'd have loved to learn a bit more about the various fae courts and characters that were introduced. Though it made sense to hear about things from Mae and Jill's perspective as outsiders, I sometimes had trouble following who was angry at whom, or who owed fealty where.

Still, those were minor issues for me. Mae and Jill's relationship grew naturally over the arc of the story, and was sweet to follow. I liked the setting, and would love to read more in it, especially in the aftermath of fae politics at the end. But I think the book's biggest strength was that the author was willing to take chances with the plot, and hand out permanent consequences.

Mae dies and gets hung on a tree in the afterlife, even though she gets better. Jill loses an eye, gets magic-vision, and straight-up kills some dudes. The girl Mae wanted to save is already dead by the time the book starts, and her rotting corpse is a supporting character.

Through the whole book, the encroaching ice and snow bind what's happening in the mortal and fae worlds. I read a lot of stories where the basic theme is "all-knowing supernatural pairs with fresh innocent mortal, hijinks ensue" (not knocking that, it's a good frame). Last Car to Annwyn Station played on those stereotypes without embracing them, and came with a bittersweet message: death wins in the end, but heroism is still worth it.