After reading the 2nd book in the series (and not really caring for it), I wasn't very excited to jump back into this world. I can say that I enjoyed this book more, but it still had its problems. First, there is a VERY long opening that recaps the first two books. This recap just felt like it was dragging on so long (and for a novella that isn't good). I guess the recap can be skipped if you've recently read the first two so you might not have to worry about this. Next, we find the group getting swallowed by a whale (very Pinocchio) and sitting around talking. Again, this is a slow pace that didn't hold my interest. When the group finally leaves the Saltwise Sea and enters land of winds the story picked up and finally held my interest.

We meet some new characters - the Page of Winds and the Queen of Winds - who seem to have a very "Mother Dearest" type relationship. We learn that the Queen deals in bargains (but people tend to get more than they bargained for). We learn more about the Crow Girl (which for me was the highlight of the book). And the kids begin learning more about themselves.

Overall, this was better than the previous book but it had a lot of pacing issues and not much of a plot. But I did enjoy everything with the Queen of Winds so that made me enjoy this book a little more.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thought I posted a review for this book months ago but somehow it got missed. The book was disappointing, to say the least, and unmemorable. It might do better as a physical book than an audiobook. The narrator was okay.

(I received this audiobook ALC via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you.)

This is the third book in a series that feels like it could go on forever and I kind of wish it will. Despite this being the fictional children’s fiction series that the Middlegame duology continuously references, I find the Up and Under series to be much more quietly sinister. It’s like the tone can never settle between whimsical or unsettling and that creates a wonderful sense of disorientation for the reader.

This installment focuses on a watery detour off the improbable road, and it dedicates a lot of page time to Zib’s character development and the Crow girl’s backstory than previous books. I did enjoy the inclusion of Jack here, a key player in the original duology whose origin in the folklore is finally being explored.

I will always struggle with Seanan Mcguire’s writing, namely the way it is sometimes a struggle to read despite the syntax itself being incredibly straightforward but her concepts never miss. There’s a particular moment of realization in this book where the characters acknowledge that every metaphor they encounter in the Up and Under is exactly the opposite - it’s a very straightforward expression of the seemingly impossible. And while this series will never be perfect for me, it’s moments like this that make me continue to think about it.

Thank you to the publisher Macmillan Audio for providing an audiobook ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

The meta work of "children's fantasy book written by an in world author in this alchemist novel I wrote" is pretty fantastic, and having that book series in turn foreshadow things going on in current and future books in the series is a hell of a thing. Beyond that though, Avery, Zib, and their party are honestly fantastic and it's great to see what all they come across. In this case, the Queen of Swords is creepy as hell, and her segment of the book is fascinating, and also has things to say about parental relationships. Probably my favorite one of the series so far, and I can't wait to see how the final book turns out. Also - A++ narration by Heath!

I love this author. I love this series! I cannot wait to read the next one. I love Avery, Zib, Crow Girl and Drowned Girl. I want to save Jack too! The ending of this one though!! The story was fabulous. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

I always enjoy listening to this series. The characters and the world of Up and Under. I also enjoyed finding out more about the Crow Girl and her background.

The third installment of the Up and Under series and the story is still going, with many more barriers for Avery and Zeb to still face. At this point in the series, I'm just here for the chaos and the new friends that the two kids pick up on their quest. I can never predict what's going to happen so I'm always kept guessing.

Another perfectly executed MG novel. I swear that I have no idea what is going on half the time, but these novels are just SO adventurous. I love getting to know the Up & Under. The audiobook is also a stellar way to listen to this series - Heath Miller does a great job. I can't wait to see what is next for Zib and Avery!

I pretty much love everything Seanan McGuire writes. The Wayward Children series is my all time favorite series. I look forward to checking out the other books in this one!

Into the Windwracked Wilds by A. Deborah Baker

This 3rd book in the Up and Under series by A. Deborah Baker, Seanan McGuire’s second pseudonym, is excellent! I liked it even more than book 2.

Once again, I will say that I love Seanan McGuire. (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. I had read some Urban Fantasy before, and I fondly remember Mercedes Lackey’s Diana Tregarde books, but my tastes run more to science fiction and then secondary world fantasy, so I was hesitant to dive into such a long series. I picked up the first book, Rosemary and Rue, when it was on sale as a kindle daily deal, and I found it somewhat disappointing compared to her other work. I reminded myself that it was her first published novel, so I cut it some slack. Then Incryptid was nominated for the Best Series Hugo in 2018 and I dove into that instead. I loved it! So I vowed to give Toby another chance. And I was so glad that I did! It is no one of my favorite series.

I really enjoyed Middlegame when it came out and voted for it as best novel on the Hugo Awards at the time. The writing there was lyrical and a little dreamlike in a way that was a little different from most everything else of hers (but reminded me of the Parisitology books a little).

One thing about Middlegame that especially reminded me of the Parasitology books was the excerpts from a children’s book included in the novel. In the world of Middlegame, A. Deborah Baker was an author who wrote the Up and Under Books. And Seanan McGuire, being the incredibly talented and prolific author she is, wrote out the entire book of Over the Woodward Wall as part of the process of writing Middlegame.

That was quickly followed by book 2, Under the Saltwise Sea, and now this new volume, Into the Windwracked Wilds. I love everything about this book, from the cover on down. I listened to an eARC of the audiobook, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, who gave me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was much better paced than book 2. It began with far less recap and jumped right into the story. We learned much more about the Crow Girl, one of my favorite characters in the series. (I wonder how much of the author is in the Crow Girl?). The characters don’t seem much closer to the Impossible City by the end of the book, but the character progression makes up for any possible complaints I might have.

I was worried I wouldn’t like the narration - the only other audiobook I have listened to by Heath Miller was his wife’s novel, Space Opera. I adored that book and hated the narration on the audiobook. But Mr. Miller’s voice and style was a perfect fit for this tale.

Author: Seanan Mcguire (aka A. Deborah Baker)
Narrator: Heath Miller

Heath is the perfect narrator for these books… he brings every character to life!

Seanan Mcguire is and remains one of my favorite authors. The Toby Daye series is my favorite series of all time. And, I love the Incryptid series so much that I have a tiny clay colony of my own!

I have also loved many of her Mira Grant books. I’m basically just an avid fan girl of all stories by this wonderfully imaginative woman!

I really enjoyed Rodger and Dodger from Middlegame… as well as it’s sequel, which, of course, made me want to listen to the Up and Under series.

I’m still a kid at heart, and as such… I love adventure stories - what kid doesn’t?

This book is about several children - Zib and Avery from Earth, Niamh (pronounced Kneeve), the Crow Girl, and Jack (Jack Daw) from the Up and Under.

Like many great adventure stories, this one starts unexpectedly, and leads to the children wanting to get back home… and like all great adventures in life - the journey is so much more fun than any of them could ever have imagined.

In this book we meet a Mosasaur (based on a real prehistoric creature) who is kind enough to tote the children from water to safety in a most unconventional manner.

We meet a child that is really more teenager or man than child… but with childish and wise instincts all the same… and he helps our pack of children because it will upset his mother.

And we meet a mother that is an adult that acts more like a petulant sociopathic child than an adult. She makes monsters and demands payment for everything.

I share these tidbits in order to say… if you like adventure and unlikely, but altogether perfect, characters - then this story is for you.

I loved it and I highly recommend it!

Who may love this book? Lovers of…
The Wizard of Oz
Lord of the Rings
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Neverending Story
Harry Potter

Thank you for an ALC of this! I genuinely love how whimsical and slightly dark these novellas are. As always, I think the narrator is wonderful. I do think book 1 is still my favorite

As a mom of a middle school kid I’m always excited to find fun middle grade books.

There’s plenty of adventure this this story as we pick up with Zeb (Zib?) and Avery as they are journeying through the fantastical over and under.

They have to learn to be mindful of their words, figure out what’s worth sacrificing, and tell the difference between friend and foe.

I have not read the first two books, but with the brief catch up at the beginning it didn’t limit my enjoyment.

The story is beautifully written but it’s not so in the deeps of description that it gets cumbersome.

The only wish I had, particularly as a mom of multiracial kids, was for there to be a bit more diversity in the characters.

It's great to be back in the Up-and-Under! (even if I did manage to entirely skip book two somehow)

This series reads a bit like a fairytale and a lot like Alice in Wonderland. Strange things that don't entirely make sense form a story that is unpredictable and delightful, and Heath Miller's narration is engaging and easy to listen to. The text feels conversational and lyrical, with some genuinely lovely sentences and phrases that are delicious to pronounce. The writing in this series has a distinct style that seems like something you either love or hate - one guess which side of the spectrum I'm on! - and the shortness of each book splits a much longer story into easily digestible bites that feel like the perfect length. At risk of repeating myself too exactly, it's a weird, lovely story and I'm looking forward to more.

Into the Windwracked Wilds is another wonderful entry in the Up-and-Under series! This time, we follow Avery and Zib into the land of air, where they meet Jack Daw, the son of the Queen of Swords.

Their journey to get to the land of air and on their way back to the improbable road is as winding and meandering as ever, and I cannot overstate how much I've fallen in love with these books. Every character we encounter, every consequence to a hasty decision, every bit of magic, every new rule (which adorably frustrates Avery in particular), all of it feels thoughtful and intentional, and I just can't get enough. It's interesting to think that I only picked up the first one to see how it tied in to Middlegame, and now I am so caught up in this story that I don't really care how or if they're connected at all.

Something I loved about this book in particular was learning more about the Crow Girl. She is a character I've come to adore and possibly care about even more than Zib and Avery. I want only good things for her! And while I certainly won't spoil anything that happens here, I will say that I'm quite curious about what will unfold for her and how her dynamic within the group might shift as this adventure continues.

I'm already excited to read the next book!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced listener copy of this title. It's such a treat when you get to listen to books like these. (Opinions are entirely my own.)

A. Deborah Baker (a pseudonym for Seanan McGuire), is an incredibly gifted writer and also wildly prolific. She creates such unique and fantastical worlds that cross over into one another, where logic bends and everything that happens is felt so deeply by the reader.

I love Avery and Zib, two incredibly unlikely companions, whose relationship has become a beautiful and deep friendship over the course of these books. I am utterly charmed by their companions, their ever-expanding group is so lovely to explore the up and under with.

My only criticism ( and it's not one I am that concerned about ) is that these books do not work well as stand alones. They may be better off in a larger volume as opposed to smaller books. They do tell a full story arch, but so much of that story feels reliant on your knowledge of the previous books. Not a large problem for me since I fully intend to read them all, but it might be for other readers.

I wanted to like this but I still feel that, although the narrator did a great job at giving off the story, I am finding this story has run its course...