Tidal Creatures
Ratings8
Average rating4.4
Seanan McGuire is the author of three active series, two of which are in my top 10 favorites, and the third which I also really enjoy. Does that make her my favorite fantasy author? A case could be made...
If you like this series, this book will be very satisfying. It expands the alchemical universe, bringing more new characters and reunions with old favorites. I am still not sure where we will ultimately end up, but I am absolutely loving the ride.
The plot for this book really had me excited.
I had a huge problem with all the threads to the story. It was.... A LOT!
Too many POV to keep straight and I had to go back a few times because I missed stuff.
The character development was well done there was just so many characters and the tone didnt change much.
The ending was actually well worth the rest of the book and narration was well done!
3.5 stars
I received an advance reader copy thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Tidal Creatures is the third book in the Alchemical Journeys series by Seanan Mcguire. This time out the focus is on moon gods and goddesses. Chang'e, second in command of Berkeley's moon divinities, discovers that one of their own has been killed and it seems it's not the first time in the recent past. Chang'e and her human host Judy decide to investigate these deaths.
Meanwhile, Kelpie, a lab assistant for the local alchemical lab learns that everything she thought she knew about herself and her lab is a lie. She runs for her life and has to navigate her confusing new reality and try to stay alive.
Of course, these two storylines are bound to intersect and things get very complicated before it's done.
I loved this one so much! I don't think it's quite as good as Middlegame, but since that's one of my favorite ever, it's a hard bar to top. I did enjoy it much more than Seasonal Fears, which I found very predictable and anticlimactic.
In additional to the mystery of who is killing the moons, it incorporated Roger and Dodger (and Erin) in a way that advanced their character arcs as well as the plot of this volume. While this was is very much the story of the Moons, the characters from Middlegame were incorporated into the plot in a way that didn't feel like a cameo/unnecessary inclusion. I also loved that we got some insight that their journey is not done, just paused for now.