Read-A-Long of "In an Absent Dream" by Seanan McGuire

[gali]

Read-A-Long of "In an Absent Dream" by Seanan McGuire.

@Gravy @hsimone gali

[Heidi M Simone]

So excited to start this one!

[gali]

Me too!

[Gravy]

Have you guys started?

[gali]

Yes! I have reached chapter 14! What about you?

[gali]

I finished it! I liked it, but it was my less favorite from the series. I liked the whimsical world of the Goblin Market and its idea of fair value. I didn't like the ending and not sure it even met the rule of "fair value". I thought Lundy lacked sense and was even greedy. It didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but I still enjoyed it. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars.

[Heidi M Simone]

I finished it! I liked it, but it was my less favorite from the series. I liked the whimsical world of the Goblin Market and its idea of fair value. I didn't like the ending and not sure it even met the rule of "fair value". I thought Lundy lacked sense and was even greedy. It didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but I still enjoyed it. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars.

You're so quick! I've only made it through a couple of chapters so far. I'm at the part where Lundy finds the door and just enters it. In general, I do like the young Lundy before she enters the Goblin Market. Her reading habits put a smile on my face, but I don't feel like I know her that well yet. I will keep you updated as I continue the book!

Too bad that you liked this book the least so far in the series and that the ending wasn't satisfying. I am curious on how it ends though.

[Gravy]

I am way behind on everything right now.

[Heidi M Simone]

I am way behind on everything right now.

No worries! Take your time

[Heidi M Simone]

Spoilers up to (but not including) Part III/Chapter 10:

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I really like Moon and Lundy's odd friendship. Though I am curious as to what actually happened to Mockery. It almost doesn't seem fair to the reader to leave us in the dark on how she died. I find the turning into birds a bit strange, but that's what this author typically writes about - strange things, lol.

Lundy is an interesting character, but I don't really feel a connection with her. I don't know if it's because it feels like we only get snapshots of Lundy's life or if I had different expectations going into the book. So far, I think I agree with gali - this might be my least favorite of the series, so far. I'll definitely finish reading, though, because I do want to see how it ends.

Were you able to start, Gravy?

[gali]

Spoilers up to (but not including) Part III/Chapter 10:

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I really like Moon and Lundy's odd friendship. Though I am curious as to what actually happened to Mockery. It almost doesn't seem fair to the reader to leave us in the dark on how she died. I find the turning into birds a bit strange, but that's what this author typically writes about - strange things, lol.

Lundy is an interesting character, but I don't really feel a connection with her. I don't know if it's because it feels like we only get snapshots of Lundy's life or if I had different expectations going into the book. So far, I think I agree with gali - this might be my least favorite of the series, so far. I'll definitely finish reading, though, because I do want to see how it ends.

Were you able to start, Gravy?

I agree. There were several such scenes in which the author didn't enlarge upon and just told their results.

I didn't connect with Lundy as well and thought her silly at times. She made such dumb decisions!

[Gravy]

Okay, I can add my thoughts now!
I can understand everything you both have said. I feel differently about some of it, but that could be because I grew attached to Lundy in the first book.
I also think that the author was trying to give Lundy her HEA (I'll clarify below the SPOILERS tag).

I do agree that I would have liked to see Mockery.


I love the Market. I love the concept of fair value. I wish more people could believe in such.
I hope we get to see the Market again!


Spoilers through to the end!


Going back to the first book, we knew from the information provided about Lundy that she was banished from her world.
If we go back to Beneath the Sugar Sky, we're told that "everyone gets to go home, even if they have to wait until they die to do it."*

I think this is how Lundy got to go home. I think her being banished for all that time (I can't remember how 'old' she was supposed to be, but we know that she didn't age backward at the same rate she would have aged forward, so that would've been a long time for her to be so far from home), was the Market's form of fair value for her to return.
No, she didn't get to home while she was alive, but when Jack killed her, whatever bit survives (in this mythology) after death (and we know something does because of that little tidbit in BTSS, and what happened with Sumi), I believe got to go back.

Now, ignoring all that, I believe the ending is fair value, but that's just my opinion. I feel that she lost sight of what fair value meant. She tried to get something without giving fair value, so the Market took it by banishing her.
I hate that she had to get so lost. I wanted to shout at her to listen to Moon! That she was trying to warn her!
I really think that, taking the comment from BTSS, this was the only way she got to go home, so (in a very strange way) this feels like a happy ending.

*Paraphrased

[gali]

Well put, Gravy.

Yes, she did lost sight of what fair value meant. Still, I don't think that the ending was fair value, as the consequences weren't explained to her too clearly.

She got home but was stuck in her current age, so I am not sure I call that happy ending.

[Gravy]

I agree that the ending here is not happy. I love the market so much, and she could have been so happy there. With Moon and the Archivist.

I didn't really think her family deserved what she gave them. Her little sister, maybe. But they cost her so much, and in the end, she wound up alone, anyway.

I just hold on to the author's mention of them always getting to go home, even if it's not until they die. I know it's not the happy ending I would want her to have, but it's all she gets, and I'd like to think the three of them are reunited in the end. Maybe helping to keep the scales balanced with the Archivist.

[Heidi M Simone]

So, I'm looking back and realized that I never said I finished! I finished this a while ago, but life gets in the way sometimes, lol. It was definitely an interesting read. I also enjoyed the market and hope we get to see it again. Though I kind of wanted more details of this unique world and would have loved for Lundy to explore it even more.

Yes, I agree, the ending wasn't a very happy one. The book, in general, wasn't my favorite so far in the Wayward Children series, but I do plan on reading the next one in the series, whenever it comes out.