4:75 Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

 The 7th book in the Wayward Children series.

After Cora's experiences in the waters of the Moors while saving Suni, she constantly feels the call of the Drowned Gods, sees their oil-slick mark all over her skin. The water is no longer the safe haven it was and she can't stand it any more so she goes to Miss Eleanor and asks to be transferred to the other school for Wayward children, the school that will help her forget all about the doors and the Drowned Gods. She'll do anything to no longer hear their voices even if it also means losing her memories of the Trenches where she was a mermaid for a time.

What Cora can't know before she goes there is just how the school will try to go about making her conform, how miserable she'll be, or the many secrets the school hides from the outside. 

 Cora's journey is heartbreaking but so understandable, and I think many, including myself, will find it relatable to some degree. Ms. McGuire does yet another amazing job of bringing so many feelings out in her characters that you cannot help but connect with and with Cora's journey most of all.

Page count: 150p/612p/371,540p

1:75 Long Way From Home by Seanan McGuire

 Patreon short story for January 2022.

Alice can't understand why her grandfather hasn't answered her letters for a month now, especially as she has asked for help with the baby hodag that is currently residing under her bed. Laura, her cousin and roommate, wants it gone so Alice finally breaks down to call and have a cryptic conversation with her grandfather. This leads to a very frank conversation between her grandfather and father which leaves her father in a very awkward and uncomfortable place.  Now if only Thomas will understand what Mary is trying to tell him about why he's never received any letter from Alice...

Gearing up for this years Incryptid book, Spelunking Through Hell, which will give Alice her turn in the spotlight as her search for her missing husband, Thomas, continues with more hope now that the crossroads are destroyed. Can't wait!

Page count: 20p/20p ytd/370,948p lifetime

24:100 Belief by Seanan McGuire

September 2020 Patreon short story, standalone. 

Mary is a little girl who has lost her parents and lives with her grandparents. She has learned early on that the world isn't fair, Santa and the Easter Bunny aren't fair, but the postman is someone who is reliable and is absolutely fair in that he shows up for everyone and the post office would be her church, if she had one. 

A simple story with no gruesome monsters other than other humans and their greed, and how those of us who care might be able to save those institutions.

Page count: 20p/6,165p ytd/353,555p lifetime

23:100 Ghost*Spider, Vol. 2: Party People by Seanan McGuire

 On Earth-65, Jonny and Sue Storm were online influencers when they suddenly disappeared and now 5 years have passed and they have mysteriously returned home claiming no memory of what happened to them during that time but now with superpowers. Meanwhile, Gwen is continuing to try and balance living and crime-fighting in her native dimension of Earth-65 while going to college on Earth-616. When Sue and Jonny offer a team-up with Ghost-Spider in Earth-65, she's happy to no longer be the only superhero in the are and hopeful that together, they can help her rep. Unfortunately, nothing is ever that easy or simple.

Fun series and I hope Seanan is able to keep writing this!

Page count: 112p/6,145p ytd/353,535p lifetime

15:100 Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire

Well, shit just got really weird for Sarah, her cousins Annie and Artie, Annie's new adopted brother James, and the cuckoo Mark who had been helping them try to save Sarah from her biological family who was trying to turn her brain to mush so she would open a portal to a new world for them to devour while destroying the Earth in the process.

Instead, Sarah's friends and family helped her figure out how to turn things around and while she opened the portal and took the cuckoos through, it did not turn her into a cabbage nor did it destroy the Earth she left behind. What it did do, however, is turn the other cuckoos into mindless zombies and the friends and family she had with her into people who no longer know who she is and have lumped her in as being just another cuckoo.  

Now, she has to convince Annie and the rest (please most especially Artie whom she has loved forever) that she can be trusted, that she is family, that she is not a cuckoo to be killed, all while trying to figure out how she did what she did and how she could possibly do enough of it again to get them and at least the other humans that were also accidentally dragged along back to Earth. 

Sarah is not my favorite narrator for this series. She's okay but doesn't grip me as the others do. I also admit to being annoyed at constant repetition in books, even when it's totally in keeping with the story as it was in this case. And while all the Incryptid books tend to rely a bit on deus ex machina, this one went a little further down that path than I would have preferred. Again, I get why and it does work within the story so this is just my personal taste here.  All that to say, it dropped this book down to a 4/5 stars for me. Still enjoyable and would still read again but not my favorite.

Page count: 433p/4,805p ytd/351,475p lifetime

11:100 Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker

Avery was always a meticulous child who did everything that his parents and society could expect.

Zib was the opposite, the messy child who reveled in adventures and was anything but predictable. 

They lived on the same street but yet had never met, until the day the detours along their paths to different schools had them both end up staring at a wall that hadn't been there before with no obvious path back home. So Zib argued that they should climb up and over the wall to see where it would lead them.

It lead them to another world with no visible way back to their own. So now these two strangers must rely upon each other to try and figure out the rules of this world and find their way home. Along the way they meet a girl made up of crows, various monarchs (none of whom seem to mean them anything good),  many owls that come in many different colors, and others who help them find the Improbable Road with the hopes that their getting back home is so improbable that the road will have to help them back there.

A. Deborah Baker is a pen name of Seanan McGuire, and apparently a character in another McGuire book, Middlegame (still need to read that one). I liked the characters and found the story interesting but a bit disjointed (on purpose but still) and the ending, while I get that it's leading into the next book, just felt rushed and jarring. I love her work though so will likely pick up the second book and give that a try to see if my opinion of this series improves.

Page count: 204p/2,682p ytd/350,072p lifetime

4:100 Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

 Regan had always felt she was a perfectly normal girl growing up but she also understood that there were rules for how girls needed to act and look and if you wanted to stay with the group, you did not break those rules under any circumstances. She and Heather and Laurel had always been tight but then Heather broke the rules of how girls should be and Laurel turned on her, taking Regan with her and Regan knew that if she went against Laurel, she would also be an outcast so she didn't. Regan realized that Laurel's friendship was conditional but always thought she could keep it...right up until the moment when she couldn't. As she ran away with her heartbreaking, her door found her and took her to the Hooflands where a human would soon be needed to save the Kingdom.

Regan had always loved horses and now she was part of a herd of centaurs who defied the Queen of the Hooflands just to keep her safe. She missed her parents from time to time but years passed and she grew into a confident young woman in that time until it was time for her to face her destiny and overthrow the Queen. This was the way it was done in the Hooflands and as much as she wanted to stay with her herd, she finally had to do what she was brought there to do.

I enjoy these books and I loved the world and characters in this one but felt that the actual adventure was short and lacking any punch. We spent most of the time watching Regan grow up and then very quickly she faced her destiny and a door pulled her back to our world and it felt too rushed with no buildup.

Page count: 172p/887p ytd/348,268p lifetime

1:100 Ghost-Spider: Dog Days Are Over by Seanan McGuire

 Gwyn Stacy, the Spider-Woman of Universe 65, has been outed in her own universe which makes leading anything resembling a normal life impossible. She just wants to go to school and get an education without the hassle so decides to jump over to the regular Marvel universe, 616, and go to school at Empire State University with the help of Peter Parker. So during the day, Gwyn can be found in U-616's ESU doing the school thing but then she returns home to U-65 for homework, band practice, and crime fighting. Unfortunately, jumping between dimensions has the additional problem of having two versions of Miles Warren after her. The one from her home dimension wants to take her out and the one from U-616 seems to have the hots for the Gwyn Stacy of his universe who is no longer and is willing to transfer his affections to this new one.  Neither seems to be ideal for Gwyn's plans.

As stated before, I have only recently started reading Marvel comics and even then tend to limit to characters I'm interested in by authors I like. I just don't have the time or brain power to deal with the constant reboots and artwork/story lines that don't work for me so I tend to not know a lot of the backstories or previous information. This means that I'm kind of lost on what is up with either version of Miles Warren in this collection. There is enough filled in that I have an idea but not much more than that. Also not really sure what is up with Jameson and the Man-Wolf. Again, there was enough that I could figure out basic motivations but there is obviously a lot that I am missing. It made certain things less clear so this was less enjoyable than the last couple of volumes I read. I think a little less time spent on setting up the cross-dimensional stuff and a little more on understanding these villains motivations would have helped tremendously.

Page count: 112p/112p ytd/347,493p lifetime

New Releases I'm looking Forward To: 3rd Quarter 2020

My usual disclaimer:

Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

Work has slowed a bit but I've been crazy busy trying to catch up everything else that fell to the side when things were super nuts, including my breath. Spring semester is over but summer semester has now started so I'm still trying to get a feel for how busy that will be. In other words, I've stretched myself thin again and am still desperately trying to find time for reading with everything else I'm trying to do. I really need more hours in my days.

In A Peculiar Peril, Jeff Vandermeer has created new worlds attached to our own through doorways in the basement of newly orphaned Jonathan Lambshead which must not intrude upon our own. The first in a YA duology, I have no doubt that the worlds will be rich, the characters intriguing, and highly unusual things will be afoot.

Release date: July 7

Spells for the Dead by Faith Hunter is the 5th book in the Soulwood series, a spin-off from the Jane Yellowrock. I really enjoy the Jane Yellowrock series and I have the first few in the series but haven't yet had time to read them. Rick and Nell have a new team member, they are on a case in Tennessee where dead bodies are decaying at a rapid pace, and someone at the FBI doesn't like paranormals. All the shit seems to be going down with this one.

Release date: July 27

The second of Carrie Vaughn's Robin Hood duology, The Heirs of Locksley, looks to be a fun imagining with the children of the famous outlaw and his nemesis, Prince John. Still need to read the first one though.

Release date: August 4

I enjoyed Binti by Nnedi Okorafor and have been trying to find time to read more of her work as the story synopsis are generally intriguing.  Ikenga is her first foray into writing for a middle-school audience with the main character, 12-year old Nigerian boy Namdi, gaining superpowers after the death of his father.  

Release date: August 18

Honestly, I'm not sure why I'm behind in the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews. I think I've only read the first book which was delightful bubblegum and that is definitely about the speed my brain can handle right now so I think I need to get caught up so I can read Emerald Blaze. It looks like the series has moved away from the original power couple and I know it's on the paranormal romance side so I'm not sure if  it's going to be like their The Edge series where the main couple changes every book.  Either way, I'm sure it's going to be fun.

Release date: August 25

My oldest got into the Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne several years ago and I've recently read the first book in that series for my book club and enjoyed it. I'll definitely we working my way through all of them so I'm definitely interested in Ink & Sigil which is set in the same world with some cross-over characters while looking to be very much it's own thing.

Release date: August 25

For me, September with new releases has come to be synonymous with the newest October Day book coming out.  These books always have enough high stakes to make me bite my nails until I'm sure everything is going to be ok because sometimes they aren't and characters die or are wounded in ways that are not easily mended and I think my heart would break if something actually caused the break-up of Toby and Tybalt. In A Killing Frost, they are moving closer to their wedding when they are told that by Fae tradition, Toby's mother's husband is considered her legal father and must be invited to the wedding.  That same man would be the one who trapped Toby as a fish for 12 years and who just recently lost all the progress he made towards becoming less of an asshole to everyone. Yeah, that sounds like just the way to fuck with Toby and Tybalt's marriage that Seanan would come up with.

Release date: September 1

94:100 Spider-Gwyn: Ghost-Spider Vol.1: Spidergeddon by Seanan McGuire & Rosi Kampe

Gwyn is generally just trying to kick it on her Earth, do band stuff, catch bad guys, the usual, when she gets pulled into another dimension and her usual transport back to her own seems to be broken. She hooks up with that universe's Peter Parker and Mary Jane only to find out that in this universe, Gwyn has turned into the Gwyn-Goblin and Peter and MJ want Spider-Gwyn to help them get their friend back.

That covers the first couple of issues in this graphic novel. The rest is dealing with the deaths of different Spiders across the multi-verse and Gwyn volunteers to help let those universes that have lost their Spiders know what happened to them so they aren't left wondering. By the end of that, she is feeling lost and deciding to stay home for a while but that's when Spider-Ham shows up and convinces her that she has to come with him.

So full disclosure, I'm not a huge comic fan (that's my husband). I enjoy the movies but really, my only true comic love has been Elfquest (seriously, go check it out. It's AMAZING!) but my husband keeps bringing stuff into the house and I've started picking out certain ones that I'm interested in. My interest is really simple; I have to have a reason to like the character before I even consider reading the comic, the artwork has to be at least reasonable (if it's too messy or ugly in my opinion, I can't get over it and will walk away without reading it no matter how good the story might be), and I tend to go for comics written by authors I like.  This means that I generally have zero idea of the other storylines that are going on with that particular character and how things all work together and I'm ok with that.

That being said, my first exposure to Spider-Gwyn was from the "Into the Spidervsere" movie.  I thought she was fun so when I saw that Seanan McGuire, a favorite author, was writing a comic series for her, I was in. I have zero knowledge of how this ties in with any other comics about Spider-Gwyn. The story was entertaining and didn't make me feel lost (which I appreciated) and the art was generally fine.  I'll keep going with this series.




Page count: 112p/22,711p ytd/331,408p lifetime

83:100 Urban Enemies Anthology by Various Authors

We finally get to hear from stories from the Villains point of view in this new anthology.  17 of them in fact.  These are all from existing series with established worlds, most of which I didn't know previously or only in passing.  I bought it primarily for the stories from Kelley Armstrong and Seanan McGuire with interest in the ones from Jim Butcher,Kevin Hearne, Carrie Vaughn, and Faith Hunter and because I will usually get introduced to at least one or two new authors that look interesting.

To that end, I really enjoyed the two stories that I bought it for.  I felt that they did a great job of giving stories that enriched the worlds but at the same time served well as stand-alone introductions to them.  Butcher's didn't fare so well as even though I have read all the Dresden files books, I could barely remember this villain and didn't care about him or this story that much.  Kevin Hearne's from the Iron Druid is with characters that are later in the series than I have read but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the tale.  I enjoy the Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn and maybe this serves a nice intro to newbies of the series but it just fell flat for me but really enjoyed Leo's story from Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series.  However, I do feel that one might be harder for readers not familiar with the world to get into.

The new author that stood out to me from this anthology was Diana Pharoh Franics with a tale from her Horngate Witches series.  Never heard of the author or the series before but definitely want to check it out based on this story. 

Other than these, none of the other stories really stood out for me.  Many of them were simply meh and just didn't interest me at all, some were total slogs to finish, and a few were ok but not interesting enough to me for me to go out and read more by that author.  So in all, 5 of the 17 were worth the price of the book, a few more were fun, but I'd say that at least half of the book was just not my cup of tea which was definitely disappointing.

82:100 Emergency Landing by Seanan McGuire

Another day, another flight, a woman wondering what her seat mates are going to be like this time and if they will leave her alone so she can nap.  A routine take-off until she sees missile-like objects falling on Atlanta and feels the plane jolt like it's being pushed off the group.  Now they are up in the air and the reports from her colleagues who work with the CDC are coming in and the news is devastating.  She alone on the plane understands what is happening down on the ground and now she must decide where they go from here.

Absolutely terrifying tale of something that seems all too plausible these days.

Page count: 22p/20,836p ytd/329,533p lifetime 

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 1st Quarter 2020

My usual disclaimer:

Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

Yep, trying to balance it all is seriously impacting my reading time to the point where I'm hoping to get my 100 books in for this year.  I have read more pages than I originally set out for so I guess that's something but still, it's been hard finding the time for reading (and this is made more aggravating by only reading half of some college books or just having to read tons of articles so I can't count them).  Not that it's slowing me down much on my book buying.  LOL

The new year rings in big with the fifth installation in the Wayward Children series, Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire.  The last couple have not really focused on the events from the first book but now we see what has happened to Jack since she left to go back to the Moors with Jill's body after those events.  Can't Wait!

Release date: January 7

Next up, we get to return to the Whisper Hollow series by Yasmine Galenorn that was on hiatus for a while.  Phantom Queen picks up with Kerris realizing that something is very wrong and going to speak Veronica, Queen of the UnLiving, who has been causing trouble in town.  When Veronica is worried, everyone should be.

Release date: January 27


Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire is the latest in the Incryptid series and in this one, we have Sarah as our narrator.  After she saved Verity, Sarah has been in a very dark place and not safe to be around anyone but maybe that's about to end.

Release date: February 25


Just a few weeks later Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs comes out.  The 12th book in the Mercy Thompson series, a Fae is loose in the Tri-Cities area, one who can look like anyone and if it bites someone it can control them as well.  Mercy has said that the area was under her protection but even after everything she and the Pack have been through because of that statement, nothing could have prepared them for this.

Release date: March 10

Last we get Wolf's Curse by Kelley Armstong, the second in the Kate and Logan YA duology set in the Women of the Otherworld universe as they try to survive the week at supernatural leadership camp after everything has gone to hell in handbasket.

Release date: March 31

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 4th Quarter 2019

My usual disclaimer:

Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

Well, adding school to my already hectic life has definitely been challenging.  I'm still trying to figure out how to balance work, homeschooling, college, housework, all the kid activities (bowling, archery, soccer, and gymnastics currently), family life, social life, and down time for things like reading.  Not gonna lie, it's been hard but there are always books to look forward to that I will some day find the time to read.

Starting this list off with what looks to be an amazing anthology of women writers spinning tales of witches and witchcraft, both the good and the evil with Hex Life.  It caught my attention since it has Kelley Armstrong and Rachel Caine whom I enjoy and of course, opens me up to several new writers as well.  Can't wait!

Release date - October 1

Next up is Sharpest Sting by Jennifer Estep, the 18th book in the Elemental Assassin series.  Gin is still trying to figure out what the heck is up with the Circle and dear old Uncle Mason but as she digs deeper, she will uncover secrets that may have been better left off buried.

Release date - October 8

October is just filled with fun stuff coming out as Kelley Armstrong releases Wolf's Bane which is the first of a YA duology featuring Kate and Logan Danvers.  The twins are now 16 and have been sent off to a supernatural teen leadership conference but of course, something is terribly amiss and the twins are going to get to the bottom of it.  I'm excited to return to this universe.

Release date - October 15

I'm so far behind on the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter but I'm still looking forward to Shattered Bonds because it lets me know that Jane is still going strong and waiting for me to find time to read her adventures.  The synposis doesn't look good with her going off to the mountains to grieve the loss of friends (please not Molly!) and sick from a disease brought about by her magic though.

Release date - October 29

And the month wraps up with the biggest present ever from Seanan McGuire with Laughter at the Academy.  A collection of tons of her short pieces from all different genres spanning more than a decade. I love her patreon stuff (even if some of it scares the crap out of me) and I'm super excited to read what she has put together.

Release date - October 31

This list ends with the release of Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer.  This book looks incredibly bizarre with a messianic fox, a huge fish, band of rebels, a homeless woman, and many more unlikely characters trying to save Earth but I'm very intrigued.

Release date - December 3

40:100 On the Side by Seanan McGuire

The racists have won (hopefully temporarily) but for now, any culture other than what those people have deemed as "American" has been banned slowly but surely.  Clothes, cuisine, arts, anything that they don't feel is white-bred American is out.  Trying to stamp out the culture since they hadn't yet been able to actually stamp out the people themselves. Of course, that just means that it is hidden (and those white-bred racists don't get to enjoy it).  Enter in the covert food trucks like the one that Avi and Preeda run.  Buying forbidden ingredients to make forbidden dishes and bribing the police with free food (even if that food is technically illegal).  Maybe some day things will get better but in the meantime, you can still get a good curry if you know where to go.

A bleak outlook at the kind of America some people want and how much of our identity we stand to lose if these ideologies are taken to extremes.



Page count: 20p/10,157p ytd/321,032p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 3rd Quarter 2019

My usual disclaimer:

Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

Well, school is finally over for the kids and I'm now looking to my own schooling beginning as I start college classes this summer.  We will see what that ends up meaning for my reading time.  It shouldn't have a huge impact this summer and I'm almost caught up to where I should be for making most of my goals so here's hoping I can keep it up. 

Only a few books this quarter and mostly in series that I'm not caught up in but it starts with Reticence by Gail Carriger, the fourth book in the Custard Protocol series.  I've only read the first one so far and had a hard time getting into it which is probably why I've got the others sitting on my shelf not read but I've been so thrilled with Ms. Carriger's other series that I'm hoping that this will get better and Percy's story may be the one that really pushes it over if I can get through the other ones first.

Release date: August 6

Next up is another book that is the fourth in a series but of which I've only read the first one, Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews.  This is part of the Hidden Legacy series but the first one that doesn't have Nevada as the main voice of the story.  I read the first one and was intrigued by the world building but have just had so many other books to read (and that stupid life stuff) that this series got kind of pushed to the side but I'm really looking forward to finishing Nevada's arc and learning about Catalina.

Release date: August 27

Last up is the latest book in the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, The Unkindest Tide.  The Sea Witch is calling in Toby's favors as she goes to tell the Selkie that the time for them to pay up for their mistakes is at hand.  Toby has no choice but do as the Luidaeg demands and even though that is not a simple task, this is Toby so of course there is more going on with Dianda being taken prisoner and a Selkie woman stripped of her skin and then murdered.  I really can't wait to read this one!

Release date: September 3

37:100 And Thrice Again by Seanan McGuire

Backstory of Simon Torquill back when he was married to Amandine and father to August.  Before things changed him.  We get to see his romancing of Amandine, his loyalty to Patrick, and a bargain made that will likely prove to be his undoing.

Simon may be one of the most interesting characters in this universe and at this point, if you've read everything so far, it's basically impossible not to pity him to some degree.  Yes, he did much of it to himself but I'm guessing he had only the slightest idea of what he was getting himself into.

Page count: 30p/9,669p ytd/320,554p lifetime

30:100 Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World by Seanan McGuire

Sharon is the smart one, the good child but not the good girl, and her parents treated her as such. Her brother gets the comic books from their dad but he doesn't think to bring them for her.  When she asks her brother about them, she learns about how Superman came to earth after being placed in a rocket from Krypton when their planet was dying.  Not very realistic she thinks. So when a stranger who seems familiar comes up to her at the library and drops a piece of paper on her book and walks away, she looks at it and finds an equation.  Now that is something she can sink her teeth into.  That equation leads her to places she could never have imagined but now that she has started down that path, she can understand Superman's parents better.  The planet is dying and there is no rocketship to save any of them....or could there be?

A patreon short story by Seanan McGuire and one of her more depressing ones as I look around at our world today.



Page count: 20p/7,398p ytd/318,283p lifetime

19:100 That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire

Incryptid book 8, told by Antimony Price.  Annie and her friends have been on the run for what feels like ages now, ever since she had to make a deal with the crossroads to save her life and Sam's. She traded her magic to them as a promissory note and in return, she will have to do something for them when they ask.  With a little luck, Cylia (resident jink and luck manipulator) has secured them a lovely little place to call home for a while in a small town in Maine.  Unfortunately, that is also where the luck runs out as it's a major spot for people to make deals with the crossroads and their power is strong there.  They have no problem finding Annie and letting her know that it's time for her to pay up by killing James Smith, a local wizard, who wants revenge on the crossroads after his best friend disappeared.  He is close to finding out their secrets and maybe even a way to destroy them and they will not let them pass unchallenged.  To make matters more fun, Leonard Cunningham, aka "Likely Next Leader of the Covenant", has shown up to try and *ahem* persuade Annie to come home with him.

There is a whole lot going on in this book with all these things happening at once and it was an amazing roller coaster ride and while the ending was great, it definitely makes me impatient for the next one to see where this is going.  I have a feeling we will be changing narrator but I'm not sure where things will be going from here.

This also included the new short story "Measure of a Monster" about a kidnapping of several gorgon children from a community that Alex and Shelby are near.  Of course, they are asked to come look into and there is no way they can turn this case away.  Nice little story that seems to be setting up some future stuff and it was really nice to see Sarah a little bit and how she's doing.

Page count: 435p/4,925p ytd/316,130p lifetime

9:100 In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

The fourth book in the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire and more like a prequel to the other stories.

Lundy figured out very early that being the daughter of the school administrator made her different from other children but she also decided she didn't much care so long as she knew the rules to follow and her life was orderly.  She did her school work and read a lot. 

And then one day a door opened where there shouldn't have been one and for the first time, Lundy was curious.

She entered the Goblin Market where the rules are very strictly enforced and everything must be bargained and paid for in a manner that all parties agree with.  These are rules that Lundy can learn and ones that she thinks she can live with but there are always things that come at a much higher price than you realize.

I truly love this series and while this is not my favorite book in the series, I continue to be blown away at the different worlds with their different rules that are created and woven together into a single series.  Breathtaking!


Page count: 204p/2,321p ytd/313,226p lifetime