Butterfly Effects by Seanan McGuire

 

Yes! Yes yes yes! This is the book I have been waiting for for years!

I love Seanan McGuire’s body of work.  (Note: I review a bunch of her books so I am copying part of some of my other reviews here to save time.). She has quickly become my favorite living writer and I feel very lucky that she is so prolific. I was first introduced to her work when her book Parasite, written as Mira Grant, was nominated for a Hugo Award. I loved it and quickly devoured the Newsflesh series before I realized that Mira Grant and Seanan McGuire were the same person. 

I started reading her works under her own name, starting with Sparrow Hill Road, which is amazing, but I picked it because I was intimidated by her long running October Daye series. When Incryptid was nominated for the Best Series Hugo in 2018, I dove into that and I loved it! It is probably my second favorite series by McGuire (Velveteen Vs. holds a special place in my heart). 

I was overjoyed when Tor and NetGalley awarded me an eARC of the latest Incryptid book, in exchange for an honest review. 

The book picks up with Sarah’s story, her first stint as narrator in several years - but interestingly, she is not alone. Several chapters are also from Antimony’s perspective, splitting up the perspectives in what I think is a first in this series.

After Artie was shattered and put back together again, I have been very sad. I loved Artie and my heart was broken when he and Sarah finally realized their loves for each other were not unrequited only to have Artie effectively die. Knowing how Seanan McGuire writes, I was not expecting a happy ending for those two. So imagine my surprise when I got to read this book! I won’t spoil any details but I was overjoyed at how Ms. McGuire deftly handled these plot threads and I was very happy with how things turned out. The bonus novella shows the aftermath from Elsie’s point of view in a way that was heartbreaking and hopeful in equal measure. 

I can’t wait to see what happens next!