In An Absent Dream - Seanan McGuire

Title: In An Absent Dream
Author: Seanan McGuire
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 Stars

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 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.

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When I first read Every Heart a Doorway, the first book in the Wayward Children series, I knew this would be a series I would love - and every single book has hit it out of the ballpark. 









In An Absent Dream, the fourth book in this series, follows Katherine Lundy, called Lundy in the Goblin Market, as she travels to and from her world. She finds her first (tree) door when she is 8, and from there travels back and forth between the Goblin Market, a world based on Christina Rosetti's Goblin Market, many times before she turns 18. The first thing Lundy learns are the three rules of the Goblin Market:

1. Ask for Nothing.
2. Names Have Power
3. Always Give Fair Value

While there, Lundy meets Moon, lives with the Archivist, and learns about death and change in a most unique way. 

I love this story in more ways than I could possibly describe. But I will try. 

The development of this story is excellent - from the first time that Lundy finds her way through the door to the end of the story, everything grows and changes so well in this story.  The plot works well, every time Lundy leaves the Goblin Market to go home, every time she returns to the Goblin Market, every time she hoards things to give for fair trade, this all fits and works so well together.

Each character in this story is well developed as well. They all have their own distinct personalities, traits, and ways of doing things that are specific to who they are.  They are unique and wonderful in their own ways, and the young characters - Lundy and Moon - grow and learn so much throughout this book. 

I love the descriptions of everything in this book as well.  The way the author describes the Goblin Market, the way the characters are described, it all works together so well to create this world that is marvelous and a great addition to the Wayward Children series.



It is interesting to learn what this world means when they talk about Fair value, as well.  Lundy learns so much about herself and what it means to her, her family, and the Goblin Market when fair value is involved.

Overall, this is a wonderful book that everyone should get their hands on!