In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

Synopsis:
This fourth entry and prequel tells the story of Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.

When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise. Alas, everything costs at the goblin market, and when her time there is drawing to a close, she makes the kind of bargain that never plays out well.
(Synopsis from Goodreads). 

My Thoughts:
I love Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series. Back when Every Heart a Doorway came out, I requested it from my library, and read it in one sitting. I didn't even move from the same position on the couch because I was so invested in the story. Recently, the fourth book in the series came out, In an Absent Dream. I read it shortly after it came out. While I loved it, it was just missing some of the magic that previous books in the series had.

You know, it's kind of interesting when even though I didn't love In an Absent Dream as much, it still gets four stars for me. I think that's because I love Seanan McGuire's writing. There's just something so magical about it. She transports the reader to another place, making them feel like they're at the goblin market with Lundy. While reading this book, I could picture scenes in my head as vividly as if I was watching them on a big screen in a theater. It takes a very talented writer to be able to do that.

When I say that In an Absent Dream was missing some of the magic from the previous books, it's kind of hard to explain why. It still had the beautiful story line, and kept me focused on it from beginning to end. It was just missing something. I wanted more in some areas of the story that only get very tiy mentions. I really wanted to learn more about Lundy's friend, Mockery, and the battle that had happened. Even though I knew how things were going to turn out, I found the ending to be very depressing as well. I wanted a different ending, even though I understand why that's not possible.

Even though I didn't love it as much as the other books in the series, I greatly enjoyed In an Absent Dream. From my understanding doing research, the series will end when the next book, Come Tumbling Down, comes out in 2020. I have mixed feelings about this. A year seems too long to wait for the next book, but I really don't want the series to end. I plan on catching up on some of Seanan McGuire's back list books, and her books written as Mira Grant, in the meantime. 

I give In an Absent Dream: 4.5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website:  http://seananmcguire.com/index.php
Blog: http://seananmcguire.com/blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seananmcguire
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/seananmcguire
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seananmcguire/
Tumblr: http://seananmcguire.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2860219.Seanan_McGuire

I received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.