My first completed read of 2023 and it was a magnificent one! This 8th installment in the Wayward Children series is near perfection.

I love this series so incredibly much. I'm a big fan of portal fantasy to begin with, but Seanan McGuire just has a way with words. Her characters are wonderful, her stories both heartbreaking and uplifing. The narrative is beautifully written and atmospheric. The Shop Where Lost Things Go is magnificent and I really enjoy the creativity of all the worlds that she manages to create. The only downside to this book is that it is a novella. I would devour each of these reads even if they were 1000 pages long. They are just incredibly magical.

There is some gut-wrenching and potentially triggering content at the introduction of the story, but it is gracefully handled and does a wonderful job of setting the scene. McGuire is nothing if not authentic to her work and I appreciate how many different facets and ways of life she brings to her tales. She is so effortlessly inclusive that I am just constantly in awe.

The plot is full of wonder and magic, but also contains her trademark nature of allegory and life lessons. An absolutely perfect read to begin 2023.