In an Absent Dream is the fourth installment of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. This review will not contain spoilers for In an Absent Dream.

Lundy was an extraordinary child.  A serious young girl who spent her time discovering new worlds inside books instead of playing with the other children. 

Until she found a door.

A door to a new world—a world of logic, reason, and fair value. The Goblin Market was so unlike where she grew up, yet it was home. Only she had to make a choice before her eighteenth birthday. A choice she did not want to make. 

I am still trying to process my thoughts and feelings on this book so please bear with me. When I started this book, I already knew what happened to Lundy, because it told us so in the first book of the series, but still, I found myself wishing that it wasn’t true. That there would be some twist I wasn’t expecting.

I fell in love with this story and I don’t think I have a single bad word to say about it, which is rare for me. I picked it up one afternoon because I was bored and I did not put it down. I read it in one sitting, ignoring what I should have been doing, like walking my dogs.

McGuire created a dazzling world in the Goblin Market, a place of adventure and friendship. I was captivated by the ins and outs of that world and I wished I had seen more about Lundy’s experiences. I think I said this in my review of the third book in this series, Beneath the Sugar Sky, but I wish these books were longer. I want so much more. Maybe that is my one complaint. I want more!

Lundy was a really interesting character to follow because I was that bookworm who didn’t have many friends. I only wish my door had opened up. Seeing the way Lundy’s choice tore at her really made me think about the ones I love and what I would do if I was ever in her shoes. I can’t say that I wouldn’t follow in her footsteps.

I highly recommend this book and series to everyone. I honestly don’t know if I can pick a favorite among them. I am not so patiently waiting for the fifth book to come out. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

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