Review: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This follows Nadya, whom we've met before at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, but this is the story of her door and her own hero's journey.  Nadya was born in Russia and was given up for adoption at birth.  She was eventually adopted by a picture perfect American couple.  Nadya never felt less than or unhappy, until her new parents brought up what she was lacking and what would make her happy.  They never asked her what would make her happy, they only ever told her, and she never felt comfortable about it nor was she comfortable expressing how she felt.  She did however feel comfortable at the local turtle pond watching the turtles bask in sun and swim.  When a strange door appears in the water, she finds herself falling through to a new world where no on finds her lacking and she finds the most wonderful turtles and people and gets to go on the most exciting adventures.

This was a bit different than some of the other books in the series, as none of it is set at Eleanor's home, and there are no appearances of the other characters we've met previously.  This is solely Nadya's storyline.  If you have read the other books, you know that the timeline of the series isn't linear, and they can all be read as standalones for the most part.  This is a fairly emotional tale, even if you know how it is going to end.  I feel like I needed more time with Nadya and her world, it was so enchanting and I loved how independent and self-sufficient she was.  McGuire always does a wonderful job with the worldbuilding and I loved Nadya's character.  This was such a great depiction of agency, the power of choice, and empowerment.  

The narration was really well done.  The narrator does a Russian accent for Nadya for much of the book and differentiates the other characters throughout.  

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Review: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an Audio ARC of this book via Macmillan Audio and Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was wonderful, one of my favorites in the series so far. I am a big fan of The Wayward Children series. I highly recommend reading Lost in the Moment and Found prior to reading this as this installment is more of a sequel to that particular story and really finishes up Antoinette's story. All of the other installments are more companion stories. I recommend starting at the beginning with this series so you get to know the characters and the quests that they've gone on as they are mentioned again in later installments.

This follows Antsy after she left her door and ended up at the School for Wayward Children, and our familiar cast of characters that I've grown to love so much finds themselves on yet another quest. Antsy puts her ability to find lost things to good use in this installment and we get to visit some really interesting worlds via the doors. We also get some insight and closure on some of the characters. I'm not sure how many more books are planned in the series, but it feels like things are starting to wrap up. I really love this series as a whole and I'm looking forward to the next installment and plan to reread the series from the beginning soon.

This was the first time I've enjoyed one of the installments via audiobook and I highly recommend it. The narrator did a fantastic job giving a voice to each of the many characters.

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Review: In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While still a good story, this was not my favorite of the series. It wasn't as whimsical as the others, it was far more serious with less action and adventure. This felt more character driven than plot driven which isn't my taste. This is still extremely imaginative and well written. It is still enjoyable and fits right in with the rest of the series. I recommend it for fans of the series and I'm looking forward to more books in the series. Unlike the other books in the series, this focuses on one character instead of visiting other characters at the school or somehow ending up back at the school with the other characters.

This is the backstory for Katherine Lundy, who if you recall is the child therapist at Eleanor West's school for wayward children who have gone through doors and can't quite adjust to their original lives. We learn about Lundy's experience in the Goblin Market and the choice she was faced regarding her door. Lundy grew up as a lonely young girl, but found her true identity in the world of the Market. As she traveled between the land of the Goblin Market and the "real world" she learned about fair value, trade, friendship, family, and love. In the end she must provide fair value in one world, but she must give up the other world completely because she can't provide fair value in both.

As always McGuire paints such a vivid picture of the characters and the world they are in. While I didn't love Lundy, I also don't think I was supposed to. She was detached and cold for much of the book only showing warmth to The Archivist and Moon, and then at the end to her little sister Diana. Her closed off demeanor is part of the reason why she ended up in the Goblin Market, she was lonely and detached from the world. I don't think you were supposed to love her. The rest of the characters aren't the focus of the story and they are well developed for the roles they play. The world building as always is great. I really love how Seanan McGuire tells a story.

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