In an Absent Dream (Wayward Children, #4)

by Seanan McGuire

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

In an Absent Dream is my first book by Seanan Mcguire. I know, I know: I should have started with Every Heart a Doorway, but I saw this one at the library (our library doesn’t have the others) and it was calling my name. It’s a standalone that takes place in the same world as Every Heart a Doorway, so I decided to take a chance and read it first.

It was so good! It follows Katherine Lundy, a quiet, lonely girl. One day on her way home from school, she comes upon a tree with a door in its center. Oooh, I love a good doorway story! This particular door leads to the Goblin Market, where Lundy (never give your full name in the Goblin Market) learns what it means to have friends, make important choices, and live with the consequences of not giving fair value.

This book was interesting in that it didn’t follow Lundy’s adventures as much as I would have expected. Instead, it focused on her as she changed and became who she was meant to be. I wish that some of those adventures that were merely mentioned were fully explored ( I want to see the battle with the Wasp Queen!), but I loved what the author did do with her book.

It was sweet and surprisingly sad. I didn’t expect things to end the way they did. I suspect that there were things that I would have appreciated much more if I had already read the other books in the series, but I still really liked this book. I’m now even more determined to read the rest of the series. Seanan Mcguire managed to write a book that was simple and accessible, while tackling the complex subject of becoming. Oh- and bonus points for having Lundy read the Trixie Belden books (I read all of those when I was young)!

http://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2019/02/02/in-an-absent-dream-by-seanan-mcguire/