Seanan McGuire is a very good writer but I've not always really been pulled into her work. I've more admired the Wayward Children series than actively looking forward to a new instalment. I said of last year's Across the Green Grass Fields that the series
"once had interesting things to say about portal fantasies, it is now much more about exploring variations on its own themes"
https://camestrosfelapton.wordpress.com/2022/07/19/hugo-2022-novellas-across-the-green-grass-fields-by-seanan-mcguire/
So, I didn't rush to read this year's entry. It wasn't what I expected and the whole thing happily defied my expectations and demonstrated that McGuire knows what she is doing and how to do it. Indeed, it even forced me to appreciate more what she was doing in Across the Green Grass Fields.
The novella pulls the series back to what we might call the "main" plot. It starts back at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children with the character Cora feeling the repercussions of earlier stories. This does mean that this is not a great entry point for people new to the series as past events and previous characters are very relevant.
Cora is haunted by the voices of beings from a previous visit to a world that was not her own. Unable to sleep, she decides that she has to cut ties with the life of magical doors and seek a different solution and a path back to normality. This will entail leaving Eleanor West's home and attending the Whitethorn Institute - a rival home that apparently can make people move past their past experiences with portal fantasy worlds.
Unsurprisingly, Whitethorn has all the hallmarks of a deprogramming or conversion therapy institute. The apparent aim of the school is to return 'normal' children back to their parents via what amounts to psychological abuse. Here Cora meets Regan - the child who found herself in a horese-themed fantasy world in Across the Green Grass Fields.
I say "apparently" as quickly it becomes clear that their are more sinister layers to Whitethorn...
This is quite a gripping tale that pulls together a lot of the themes from the earlier books about dreams, imagination and identity. It would be a contender for my top choice except it feels like it comes to an end very quickly. I assume from the context of the end with a whole bunch of question unanswered, that this is part one of two of a particular arc about Whitethorn. I don't think every villain needs a big villain speech but we move past the reveal of the headmaster very quickly.
This is a somewhat churlish complaint on my part though. How dare the author make me want to read more and look forward to the next installment! McGuire once again using excellent prose, engaging characters, deep themes and intriguing plots to make me read things!
So, an important entry in the series. Not such a great book for people casually dipping into the series.
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