Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire

Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day

by Seanan McGuire

Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day is a new standalone urban fantasy novella from New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire.

When her sister Patty died, Jenna blamed herself. When Jenna died, she blamed herself for that, too. Unfortunately Jenna died too soon. Living or dead, every soul is promised a certain amount of time, and when Jenna passed she found a heavy debt of time in her record. Unwilling to simply steal that time from the living, Jenna earns every day she leeches with volunteer work at a suicide prevention hotline.

But something has come for the ghosts of New York, something beyond reason, beyond death, beyond hope; something that can bind ghosts to mirrors and make them do its bidding. Only Jenna stands in its way.

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

3 of 5 stars

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From its cool concept regarding ghosts and witches, I found myself wanting more of this world McGuire created. We meet Jenna, who as a teen died after her sister Patty committed suicide. Jenna ends up living in New York. Without giving too much away, when a person passes before their "end date," they become a ghost with a debt of time owed to this plane. To move on, she must give time to humans. While most humans would gladly have their life extended by a week or even years, Jenna feels the time she gives must be earned. She volunteers at a suicide prevention hotline.

There are many supernatural creatures in this world who all avoid interacting with Witches. The witches can trap ghosts and are feared by them. However, Jenna friends Delia, a corn witch who owns a local dinner. When all of the ghosts in the city suddenly go missing Jenna and Delia investigate.

McGuire's story is rich, well written and as always fascinating. She mixed ghostly myths and beliefs while adding her own spin regarding spirits. I wish this tale were full-length, as so many scenes could have been expanded. I enjoyed DUSK OR DARK OR DAWN OR DAY but felt the ending was rushed and the climatic battle could have been so much more. The bits that were shared were brilliant, dark and had me holding my breath, but I wanted a full meal and was only treated to an appetizer. I am going to hope that this was only the beginning and that McGuire satisfies my appetite with a main course. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 12 March, 2017: Finished reading
  • 12 March, 2017: Reviewed