Book Review: In An Absent Dream
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| In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire |
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Title: In An Absent Dream
Author: Seanan McGuire
Year Published: 2019
Publisher: Tor.com
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Plot: ♥♥♥♥♥
Character: ♥♥♥♥♥
World Building: ♥♥♥♥♥
Flow: ♥♥♥♥♥
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.
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.
Review*:
This book was different than the others in the series in a few different ways. Both Every Heart a Doorway & Beneath the Sugared Sky both follow a group of children at Miss West's facility for wayward children. Down Among the Sticks & Bones follows a specific story of two characters while they lived within their doorway. In An Absent Dream also follows a specific story as well while within the doorway, but the majority of the book teaches an elementary message.
We follow Lundy, a girl who loves her books and isolation as much as any introvert can. She grew up with bullies either because they thought she was weird or because her boring father was the principals. She finds herself in a world where fair value and questions are taken very seriously.
I cant say this was my favorite of the series, I think Down Among the Sticks & Bones is still number one for me, though I do enjoy following the children's stories within their doorway more than the group post-doorway. Getting to see the magic of the logic in person is very interesting.
I think a lot of what makes me appreciate the message within this book is Lundy herself. She is observant and obedient and can understand fairness, even outside of her experience in her doorway world. When she encountered the rules of the Goblin Market within her doorway, she understood what fair value meant and had no problem sticking to rules.
The elementary lessons we learn within this book are fairly simple to decipher. Everything has a cost in life, and as you grow older people expect more from you. You always must make choices, as you simply cannot have your cake and eat it too. The fact that these messages were layered in this fantasy setting reminds me of older fairy tales were fairies are still cruel but to teach a lesson.
As we get closer to the ending, you start to imagine where the conclusion is going to the story. Lundy promises her family to spend time with them, but it always certain that she will return to the Goblin Market. However as she gets closer to her sister and her mother looks less devastated you think, just maybe Lundy will stay and defy what happens to most wayward children. However the very end and epilogue were a total surprise. Both in Lundy being stuck as a teenage but banished and then what we can assume was the Archivist comes to visit as Mrs. West. It's almost like a prequel to Every Heart a Doorway.
Over all I would suggest reading this one as well. These books are always so quick to get through and although they don't tend to provoke a lot of passion to read them for me, I am never disappointed in the story.
We follow Lundy, a girl who loves her books and isolation as much as any introvert can. She grew up with bullies either because they thought she was weird or because her boring father was the principals. She finds herself in a world where fair value and questions are taken very seriously.
I cant say this was my favorite of the series, I think Down Among the Sticks & Bones is still number one for me, though I do enjoy following the children's stories within their doorway more than the group post-doorway. Getting to see the magic of the logic in person is very interesting.
I think a lot of what makes me appreciate the message within this book is Lundy herself. She is observant and obedient and can understand fairness, even outside of her experience in her doorway world. When she encountered the rules of the Goblin Market within her doorway, she understood what fair value meant and had no problem sticking to rules.
The elementary lessons we learn within this book are fairly simple to decipher. Everything has a cost in life, and as you grow older people expect more from you. You always must make choices, as you simply cannot have your cake and eat it too. The fact that these messages were layered in this fantasy setting reminds me of older fairy tales were fairies are still cruel but to teach a lesson.
As we get closer to the ending, you start to imagine where the conclusion is going to the story. Lundy promises her family to spend time with them, but it always certain that she will return to the Goblin Market. However as she gets closer to her sister and her mother looks less devastated you think, just maybe Lundy will stay and defy what happens to most wayward children. However the very end and epilogue were a total surprise. Both in Lundy being stuck as a teenage but banished and then what we can assume was the Archivist comes to visit as Mrs. West. It's almost like a prequel to Every Heart a Doorway.
Over all I would suggest reading this one as well. These books are always so quick to get through and although they don't tend to provoke a lot of passion to read them for me, I am never disappointed in the story.
*There may be spoilers in this section of the review. If you do not wish to be spoiled, please stop reading.
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