Aftermarket Afterlife is the 13th (not counting a patreon only prequel novel) official novel in Seanan McGuire's urban fantasy series, Incryptid. The series follows the Price/Healy family, who tries to protect cryptids (sentient or non-sentient species whose existence isn't believed by science) from normal unknowing humans...as well as other knowing and more malevolent humans who hunt such cryptids, such as the worldwide organization known as the Covenant of St. George. The series has featured Cryptids from various parts of the world, although is mostly set in North America, and each arc in the series has tended to follow a different member of the family as its first person protagonist. In Aftermarket Afterlife, the series switches its' central character/narrator to Mary, the family's babysitting ghost who used to work for the malevolent supernatural force known as the Crossroads.

And Aftermarket Afterlife is honestly the most grim and devastating novel in the series, as McGuire uses the novel to tie up seeming plot holes and loose ends in ways that take away multiple books' past happy endings...and result in our main protagonists suffering losses like never before. Mary has to deal with not only the fact that there are two new baby/infant members of the family (and that the return of the family grandfather threatens to overturn family harmony) but also a full on attack by the covenant on multiple fronts, such that the lives of her charges and the cryptids and people they care about are in serious danger. The result is a novel where not everyone will make it out alive - and I'm not just talking about the babysitting ghost protagonist - and it is downright brutal. InCryptid is often a series which has had plenty of fun moments even amidst dire danger, and well there's a lot less of that fun here....but the novel works pretty well and moves the series' main arc significantly forward...so I expect we hopefully will have more fun stuff to come in the future.

Spoilers for Books 1-12 are unmarked below:

Plot Summary:
Mary Dunlavy just wanted to take care of her family - even after death. But for decades she has done so at the cost of also working for the malevolent force known as the Crossroads. Now the Crossroads is gone, so all she is a Babysitting (or Caretaker, as she'd prefer to think of it) Ghost, which should make things much easier right? Well, not when that the family she lovingly haunts is the Price Family, whose members (by birth or by adoption) keep putting themselves in danger trying to save all the Cryptids of the World. And right now should be one of her hardest jobs yet, keeping the family together in peaceful harmony as Alice and Thomas Price come home for good (along with adopted child Sally), despite the hatred of their daughter Jane and the mixed feelings of everyone else.

But before the family reunion can really devolve into the chaos everyone expects, something worse begins to happen: the Covenant launches a full on assault on all of the Price Family's allies in North America all at once - whether that be in the dragon's lair in New York, where youngest Price Olivia is residing, or at the Campbell Family Carnival among which several of the Prices grew up. To save them, the Prices will need to be in multiple places at once across the country....and only Mary is capable of zipping in and out at will. But it's a ghostly power that Mary is struggling to use these days without the Crossroads behind her.....

But without Mary's help, the Cryptids of North America...and the Prices themselves may be numbered. And even with her help, Mary may undergo more losses at once than she has ever experienced, a nightmare beyond her greatest imagining. A nightmare that will drive her to go to the limits of her ability and may finally answer the question: what will it take to finally get rid of Mary Dunlavy, Crossroads/Babysitting Ghost, for good?


To be honest, a number of the more recent InCryptid Books have ended on happy endings that haven't really made sense to me. For example, book 2 in the series ended with the heroes using Sarah's power to make Covenant operatives think that there wasn't a need for a purge of New York. But Book 12, Backpacking Through Bedlam, ended with Alice, Thomas and Sally helping to kill off or otherwise dispose of 20 Covenant members in New York, as if that would solve the problem, and just sort of left it at that like it would be a resolution and the Covenant wouldn't send more agents who were even better armed. Book 10, Calculated Risks ended with Sarah accidentally erasing Artie's entire mind in order to get everyone back to our dimension and had her manage to save Artie - and get a happy ending - by telepathically using all of her memories and the memories of others of Artie and putting those into his head to reform his person. But of course a person is more than other's memories of them, so surely this wouldn't actually restore Artie, right? Similarly the end of Antimony's arc had her getting away from the Covenant Scion who wanted to recruit her, but surely he wouldn't be okay with her just getting away?

Aftermarket Afterlife decides that all these "happy" endings weren't real after all and uses that to construct its terrifying conflict. So of course the Covenant isn't done with their attacks and instead launches one with even more overwhelming force across North America, targeting multiple Price Allies at a time. Artie ISN'T restored to his old self by Sarah's actions, and he now goes by Arthur and is clearly not right, without the emotions he often should have, to the discomfort of both his family and he himself. And Leonard Cunningham, the covenant scion who was after Annie, well he's back and still wants her desperately and is willing to do deadly things to get her. In some sense this use of continuity is impressive, but the way it essentially reverses a bunch of happy endings in prior books makes those other books suddenly have a bad taste. Add in the fact that this book doesn't deal with new Cryptid communities or species and that it doesn't really have a lot of the fun humor of other books in the series, and you might expect that I'd really not love this book, as it misses some of my favorite parts of InCryptid.

However, Aftermarket Afterlife still works and it works really really well, despite all of the above and some brutal spoilers I won't go into here (other than to say do not necessarily expect all your favorite characters to get out alive). It helps that Mary's voice comes together really well as she suddenly faces the possible extinction of her own family, whose love is the very reason for her continuing existence, and finds herself drawing deeper and deeper into her power to try to do anything she can to save them. After all she's just a ghost who can't really physically affect the material world too much, what can she really do? Well a lot actually...but she has limits and she runs to and through them in the course of this book...but of course she does, because as the book makes clear in her voice this is who she is, the caretaker of her family. The continuity I mentioned above also works really well, as do the character relationships and whatnot within those continuities, which makes everyone's interactions and reactions work very very well.

And the story end in a way that not only probably ends Mary's arc at one book, but also probably finally gets us into a place where the InCryptid story can move forward from the plot arc that begun way back at the end of book 5 (Chaos Choreography), where the family's biggest focus was dealing with the fact that the Covenant suddenly knew they were still out there and became obsessed with killing them and all of North America's Cryptids. We're not done with the Covenant for sure, but perhaps now we have some breathing room, with such breathing room earned though terrible stakes, and maybe we can get back to the fun stuff in the future. Again, even without much of the fun quirks of this series (and there's a little bit of it here) in this book, it works since I care so much about the characters, and most readers will too if they're 13 books in. But It'd be nice to have a more relaxing lovable dangerous adventure with new Cryptids again, and this book paves the way I think...(Not that McGuire's ability to devastate her long series protagonists should ever be underestimated).

This is the 13th book in the InCryptid series and absolutely not the book to pick up if you haven’t read any of them.

Our narrator for this book is Mary and she’s the only one who could tell this story as it needed to be told with the Price-Healys spread across the country. The entire family features in this book and it was both wonderful and painful. The Covenant of St. George has finally responded to the events of Chaos Choreography, waging war on both the family and the cryptids of North America. It was violent, it was brutal and oh, how it hurt.

The mice are sad, Seanan! You made the Aeslin mice sad!

I loved the way that this book was able to tell us more about Mary and to let us explore different members of the family much easier with the use of her powers. It was nice to be able to check in on everyone and to learn about the new family members they have created. That being said, the stakes were definitely up in this book and the loses really hit me hard. I think they were well-explored and made sense with how serious everything has gotten, and I enjoyed this book more than the previous two. I think Antimony remains my favorite narrator, with Sarah being a close second. Seeing through the eyes of Mary was definitely a new experience that I think fit this exciting moment in the story of the Price family.

Thanks to Netgalley and DAW for the prerelease copy. Below is my honest review.

I can't. There aren't words. I am struggling to write this review. Was the book good? Of course it was. It was five stars. It's Seanan-freaking-McGuire, so of course it was good. It was great. But...

It was also devastating. I wasn't prepared for this, even a little bit. I know Seanan can be brutal, but wow. WOW.

I don't want to spoil anything, so let me give you the quick rundown: All of the series leading up to this point has been about moving pieces into place. And those pieces? They're moved. And now, there is war. And neither the Covenant nor the Price-Healy clan are going to pull their punches.

Prepare yourself before reading this.

Also, this is one of those books that you REALLY need the context of the rest of the series going in, so do yourself the HUGE favor of reading all the fantastic books leading up to this one (including the three Ghost Road novels too, please and thank you). You won't regret it... though you might regret the trauma this book is likely to cause. *breaks down weeping*

HIGHLY recommended.

Representation: 4 (Mary is implied Aro/Ace)
Emotion: 3 (Did I cry? Yes. Was it at the right times? No.)
Characters: 4
Plot: 2
Pacing: 2
Romance: 0

Overall Score: 2.5 Stars (Rounded up to 3)

I honestly considered giving the book a 1 star because it kind of ruined the series for me. This is a series I used to re-read before every new book (until around book 10, when I just didn't have time to do that.) But because of some of the plot decisions, I don't think I'll be able to re-read it again or recommend it to anyone without disclaimers about "maybe don't read past book 11 or 12"

But I decided that it did provide entrainment and despite my Personal upset, it's not a bad book, so I would look at the elements and decide the star rating from there.

What I liked: Mary is an interesting protagonist, and her ability to hop around between family members provided a cool connection we've rarely seen in these books, since everyone is so spread out.

What I wanted more of: the family reunion, romance of any variety (I know these are more Urban Fantasy than romance, but all previous books had a romance of some kind, so it was an unexpected let down, and Certain Events made the lack of new romance worse), and definitely more closure. The last few pages were super rushed and I'm confused on if this is the last book or not.

If there Are other books in the series, I may not read them.

"Seanan McGuire's New York Times-bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated urban fantasy InCryptid series continues with the thirteenth book following the Price family, cryptozoologists who study and protect the creatures living in secret all around us.

Mary Dunlavy didn't intend to become a professional babysitter. Of course, she didn't intend to die, either, or to become a crossroads ghost. As a babysitting ghost, she's been caring for the Price family for four generations, and she's planning to keep doing the job for the better part of forever.

With her first charge finally back from her decades-long cross-dimensional field trip, with a long-lost husband and adopted daughter in tow, it's time for Mary to oversee the world's most chaotic family reunion. And that's before the Covenant of St. George launches a full scale strike against the cryptids of Manhattan, followed quickly by an attack on the Campbell Family Carnival.

It's going to take every advantage and every ally they have for the Prices to survive what's coming--and for Mary, to avoid finding out the answer to a question she's never wanted to know: what happens to a babysitting ghost if she loses the people she's promised to protect?"

It's March so this should easily be her third book of the year... How is she so productive without sacrificing quality?

Since Antimony killed the Crossroads, Mary Dunlavy is spending her afterlife caring for her family as The Babysitter. When the conflict with the Covenant of St George comes to a head, Mary's ability to jump between family members stretches the plot across multiple previous narrators as the Healy-Price family comes under attack.

The central conflict between the Prices and the Covenant has been balanced on the edge of a knife for a very long time in this series. While this book ramped up the action of this plot point, I found it very hard to read. This book contains some true tragedy for the characters within. I am both dreading and hopeful for the future of this series.

Oh the feels in this book! Mary, the babysitting ghost, gets to tell this story so we get to hear from the whole family as they battle the Covenant. Mary checks in on everyone, trying to help and be there as the family all fight battles. I liked learning more about Mary and how she became entrenched with the family from her perspective. There were many heartbreaking parts in this story, including one where I almost stopped reading because it really broke me. I hated the part. I wished the ending had an epilogue so we would not what happed with the final mission, and I so wish Sarah would get some happiness, she has been through so much.

Any new book by Seanan McGuire is a bonus and Aftermarket Afterlife continues that list. This story tells more about Mary, a Crossroads ghost and babysitter to the Price family. As always the author sucks one in to the multiple layers of the family and Mary's efforts to keep them safe.

Seanan McGuire is a master storyteller. This book took a few turns that I was absolutely not expecting, and I loved that it was told from the POV of Mary. Who else would have such insight on all the family members young and old? While I was thrilled that James and Sally finally reunited, parts of this book absolutely broke my heart. As Mary jumps from family member to family member throughout the book, it becomes clear that she is so much more than a babysitter. What will happen next? Will we get more of Eloise? What is going to happen with Artie? Will Sarah continue to evolve? I would love to see all the Price siblings involved in something together. What I do know is that whatever McGuire writes it will make me laugh, probably cry, and leave me wanting more.

First, I have always adored this series. I find the Price family fun and fascinating and a bit violent. And the first 2/3rds of the book I read in one sitting. Seeing the family through the eyes of the babysitter, and seeing what she was willing to do to protect her charges made for am excellent story. However, right about at the 2/3rds point the book got a bit bogged down and I had to take a short break from reading. That point didn't last long, but a short section brought me out of my reading trance. All in all. Not a bad ook, but not my favorite in this series. It is a decent addition to the series, and the bonus short story is excellent. I would recommend it to fans of the series, but not to those who are new to it.

I adored this book. After getting Rose's series as a stand-alone series, which I loved but felt made her relationship with the Prices slightly less, I'm glad to get a Mary story.

If you have not read the previous books, you should before reading this one. So much happened over those books and there is an attachment to the characters that makes this book so much more impactful than if you haven't read them. Technically yes, you can read all of the Incryptid books separately, but I don't recommend that.

This book ripped my heart out more than once. It made me love a character I've previously been on the fence about. It didn't shy away from painful moments and I appreciate that. It literally made me cry. When I started reading this series over a decade ago, I wouldn't have thought would happen, but the characters have grown and been so well developed that I literally cried reading this book. I've cried before with this series, but not like this. This was a well done addition to the series and I hope there's more to come.

It brought a lot of the threads from earlier in the series together in a way that made a lot of sense and was pretty satisfying. Mary is a new narrator for the inCryptid series, and I wasn't as much of a fan as I was of previous narrators, but that is probably just personal preference. It did require remembering a lot of stuff from previous books and even though I have read the whole series, it has been a while, so I got confused a bit when referring to side characters from earlier books. Also, it really seemed like we were supposed to know who all the kids were and I didn't. Overall, still compelling and I liked it, just not quite up to the level of previous books in the series.

Hmm I was expecting a lot of this book, I am a fan of Seanan McGuire, but I guess I like her Mira Grant books way better, I was missing a bit of seriousness, is not bad, but this is clearly a young Adult book for a young public, reminded me of the books of Enid Blyton, so this is positive if you’re looking for a book to give away for a twelve years old.

Thank you Netgalley and DAW for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

Aftermarket Afterlife was absolutely riveting. I love this series if you haven’t read it already it is The InCryptid series book 13. Although part of a long reaching series this can be read as a stand-alone thanks to the short tidbits sprinkled throughout that help catch you up if you’ve missed a book or two (or possibly just forgotten some of the lesser used terms for cryptids, or what these cryptids that haven’t had center stage in a while can do).

This books POV is by Mary the Prices very unique and protective babysitter. Who has spent her entire afterlife watching over the Price family.
That is to say she is a ghost, what kind has changed over the years and that is never more important than in this book.

As Nary tells her story we learn more of the fascinating details about the history of the family, and more about several incryptid species and characters.

Now buckle up this is where things get dicey the covenant has openly declared hunting season on the Price family and if Mary and the rest of the Price family has a say on the matter the covenant may not like their life choices soon.

Can Mary bend the rules yet again or will her efforts send her to the brink of actual ghost death? Can Mary be forced on to the other-side before she she’s her charges safe?

What an action charges roller coaster ride! The covenant has gone full out on multiple fronts can they take out the Price family or will the cost be to high? This is an absolute must read and I could hardly put it down! I am absolutely on the edge of my seat right now waiting for more! Get the book you will love it. After all the math adds up to a spellbinding story that is unforgettable.

This was another great, engaging installment of the Incryptid series, with higher-than-ever drama and stakes. If you haven't started the series yet, I recommend going back to the beginning, but longtime fans will no doubt appreciate this book.

Our POV character, Mary, is a babysitting ghost; she’s been a consistent side character in earlier installments, and I loved that she got to take the center stage in this book, while we revisited other characters whom we know and love from previous installments. The plot was engaging and pacy, the writing excellent (as usual!), and the major emotional arcs hit very hard. There was, in particular, some really compelling follow-up from a character arc which felt under-developed in a previous book, and I'm extremely interested to see how that continues to play out over the rest of the series. I did feel like the pacing was a little lopsided -- in particular, the ending felt a bit rushed -- so not quite five stars, but overall, this was a great installment in an excellent series, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Also, as a side note: those hoping for more queer POV characters in this series (Elsie POV when??) will be pleased to hear that, while it's not explicitly stated, Mary is very heavily implied to be aroace, which delighted me to no end.

Thank you so much to DAW Books and Netgalley for the advance copy!

Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire. A GREAT read from McGuire! The ghost who is a nanny goes to war with the Covenant but will even she survive against all the odds?

Babysitter Mary may be a ghost, but she takes care of her charges like no one else. When the Covenant attacks on multiple fronts Mary rides to the rescue.

AFTERMARKET AFTERLIFE is Seanan McGuire at peak emotional shredding. Book 13 in the InCryptid series is told from Mary, the ghostly babysitter to the Healy Price clan. The war between the Covenant and the clan ramps up in intensity as the family suffers severe losses. Mary decides that the Covenant needs to be dealt a blow that once and for all warns them away from North America and her family.

Seanan McGuire pulls no punches, especially the ones aimed at your feels. She skillfully weaves together plotlines crisscrossing the continent involving multiple clan members and their allies. Ratcheting up the tension and the stakes makes this book feel more intense, even somber than earlier books.

This book is the thirteenth main novel of the incryptid series; in addition, there are at least a dozen short stories. Each book or story features a member of the Price/Healy family or found-family as the main character. This one features Mary, the ghost babysitter, a very interesting character who has seen the whole family change over the years.

Don't even think of starting with this book.

InCryptid #13 was an excellent addition to the series. We hear from almost all the recurring characters in the family. We learn more of the tantalizing details of the histories of the family and more about several incryptid species. And there seems like there's real change and progress in the over-arching story of the fight against the evil Covenant. If you've read the other 12 books, you're going to like this one.

It does have the flaws that many of the books in the series have, including the author's apparent lack of faith that her readers can remember the most basic details of the universe she's spent years building. I don't need to have the "darks" explained to me or what a cuckoo is, or what Mary is (which was explained twice in this book), or about Verity's live tv dance/snake cult challenge to the Covenant, or what a revenant is, usually right smack in the middle of action or a conversation. And annoyingly, there's another cliff hanger. <spoiler>And she kills two family members, one major.</spoiler>

So, yeah. Definitely a series worth reading, but you'll be skimming here and there during all the recaps. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an advance reader copy of Aftermarket Afterlife.