Review: In Sea-Salt Tears

In Sea-Salt Tears by by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There’s a reason Seanan McGuire has stated that their preference for the reading order is published order. This story takes place before any of the other mainline books thus far, but it would be a spoiler for book 5 to read it before then.

McGuire knows how to write tragedy - it’s evident in the October Daye books and the Wayward children series. The world is an unforgiving place and the same is true in her books. They aren’t good books to escape the brutality of the world. But they ARE good books to empathize and sympathize with others who may be going through similar problems as you are. She writes universal themes through a fantasy lens and really brings the emotional response out of the reader.

Years ago - maybe even a decade at this point - I came to the conclusion (after comparing a few essays on the topic with my own experiences) that spoilers don’t have to ruin a story. (Except for a mystery) Sometimes they can heighten the story because, knowing where the story is going creates a certain tension. You know something important that the protagonist doesn’t. This story is one such story. The protagonist tells you the ending at the beginning. And yet….to watch it unfold still brings out so many feelings.

If you are reading through the October Daye series, do not miss this story. It’s pretty short (took me maybe an hour to read) and yet it packs a punch.

• Seanan-McGuire