In this installment of the InCryptid series, a whole lot of things come to a head all at once. And it’s not pretty. If you’ve been waiting for a shoe to drop on an inevitable plot development or a fraught conversation, you’ll probably find it here. The family takes some staggering losses and has to make some hard, morally dubious choices in order to survive.

Mary was the perfect POV for this story, and really, logistically, the only one that makes sense. It was also nice to finally get some more background on her story, and what exactly she is now that the crossroads are gone. Mary’s love for the family is palpable – they are literally the reason she exists.

The novella at the end... I can’t say whose POV it is and what it’s about without giving too much away, so I’ll just say that it takes place during Aftermarket Afterlife, and that you might need tissues.

Five stars! And very much wondering whose narration the next book is going to be.

Representation: LGBTQ+ characters, POC characters, disability rep

CW: mention of eating disorder, death and mourning, children in danger, mention of child death

My Thoughts

Told from Mary Dunlavy’s POV this story was quite an undertaking on behalf of an author whose series I have grown extremely fond of reading.

After the last books triumphs this one’s tragedies were as upsetting to me as they were to the characters themselves.

Characters who over the course of these 13 stories have become more dear to me than I had expected them too.

Now certain events from past stories are coming back to cause even more problems for the Cryptid populations in North America as Price family members and their allies find themselves under siege by Covenant of St. George strike teams.

Casualties on both sides mount up and the measures it will take to survive for those left alive hinge on a hail mary plan that Mary Dunlavy comes up with.

The resulting execution leaves readers with a true cliffhanger ending that has opened up several new avenues that our author can now take this series toward.

Avenues I am eager to explore in the future releases.

DREAMING OF YOU IN FREEFALL Novella

Verity has a short novella that is twofold in that it follows up after the full length book then it also gives us another small glimpse of the dragon William and his Nest under Manhatten.

This also ends on a cliffhanger with hints at the future.

[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Every time I read a new book in Seanan McGuire's Incryptid series I think, "this is the best one yet!" But Aftermarket Afterlife really IS the best one yet. This series is fast, fun, and funny; it follows a family dedicated to studying and preserving Cryptids - magical and mythical creatures that live around us but hidden, trying to survive in our modern world. Complicating that is the Covenant of St. George, an organization dedicated to their extermination.

Aftermarket Afterlife is the 13th book in the series, and is told from the POV of Mary Dunlavy, the ghost who's been the babysitter for the Price family for 80 years. It's a time of upheaval for the family, as members are reunited for the first time in decades, at the same time as the Covenant makes a huge offensive strike. Mary's only purpose for 80 years has been to protect the children of her adopted family and keep them all safe, and now she's being truly tested. What's a ghost to do?

I couldn’t put this book down. I loved finally getting a story from Mary's perspective, and I loved how things that have been building for 12 books have just exploded all over everything. There are STAKES. There are CONSEQUENCES. And some of them are heartbreaking and earth shattering. You can't say that Seanan McGuire doesn't deliver. Sometimes with series that go this long, you feel like the author starts to have difficulty upping the stakes but still trying to keep a status quo, where there never end up being consequences. As a result, as a reader you start to feel less invested. Why get emotionally invested, you know everything will be fine? That is absolutely not a problem with McGuire and this series. We are seeing the payoff for every action these characters have taken in this series, in an explosive way. The chickens are coming home to roost, and it's effective. I was biting my nails.

My only criticism is that I need the next book. Right now. Immediately. What happens next?!

Beautiful book, and beautiful cover art by Lee Moyer.

I was incredibly excited to get the chance to read this book early, but was surprised by the choice of narrator. I would have assumed Mary would be a narrator of a Ghost Roads novel, if anything, but after her change in status, she is more entwined than ever with the Price family and their assorted branches, so it does make sense for her to get a book for herself. She is also one of the few people that could have narrated this book without a lot of people recounting exciting things that happen off page, though this book is so full of huge developments that a certain amount of that is inevitable.
When I say huge developments, I do mean that. I finished this book a week ago and I’ve been waiting for my thoughts on it to develop into anything other than !!!!! before I reviewed it, but even now I’m struggling to remember any generalities past the huge shocks that occurred in this book. While what happened was shocking, it wasn’t poorly foreshadowed. Neither was it predictable. I had an idea for how this book would resolve, but boy was I wrong. If you haven’t read the preceding twelve books you really shouldn’t read this one, you won’t follow it and you’ll spoil a great series for yourself. Actually, don’t even read this review. The blurb above already has some pretty major series spoilers, start at Discount Armageddon instead. I’ll stop saying how surprised I am now and try and give some actual analysis.
This book was similar to some of the Ghost Roads book in that Mary’s abilities did feature throughout, including several pivotal moments that occurred in the various levels of the afterlife. It was absolutely an InCryptid novel in the focus on the Price family, their mission to study and protect cryptids, and their struggles against the Covenant. I was surprised that Alice, Thomas and Sally returning didn’t actually get explored much in this book, but I do prefer the emotional-confrontations-interspersed-with-action that this series has always featured, so I’m not mad that we didn’t get more of Mary staying carefully neutral while other people emoted at each other.
I suppose that brings us to one of the only things I didn’t really enjoy about this book. Mary seemed to attached to everyone, but not truly close to anyone. This makes sense, she’s been dead for a long time, and unable to share much about herself for the entire time she’s known the family. That being said, it did make some very emotional parts of the book seem more told than shown.
I liked that Mary’s chapter-quotes drew from different sources than most of the other books up to this point, it makes sense that she would be more likely to quote people whose diapers she never changed, it was also a good way to hint at the future exploration of what happened to Laura Campbell, which I was surprised didn’t come up, but then again, there really wasn’t room for it to get the time I’m sure a decades long disappearance not related to the crossroads will need.
There was also a lot of drama surrounding Elsie in this book (hinted at in the very end of Calculated Risks, but very much added to in this novel), and I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a book from her point of view soon. Of course, there’s also a very good argument to be made for Alice, Verity, Arthur or maybe even some wildcard characters that Mary’s point of view firmly cemented as family in this novel.
The action in Aftermarket Afterlife is fairly non-stop, and some threats that may have seemed underpowered or inept in previous books really ramp up in this novel, and we get to see some of the inevitable consequences that have been foreshadowed for a long time in this series. The Prices have always been conservationists and scientists and also fighters in a guerilla war, and their role as combatants comes to the forefront in Aftermarket Afterlife.
The Healy luck, which has been getting explored a lot—especially with Alice as a narrator—is proved flawed in a fairly definite way. There are also hints at happier things to come, very tragic things to come, and some things to come that I suppose are bittersweet. The confirmation for one of my suspicions comes in the accompanying short story, Dreaming of You in Freefall that is so tied in with a major spoiler that I don’t really know what to say. It is a very sad story, but a satisfying one, with more hints at future books to come.
Which leads me to another point, this book really did seem like the InCryptid series may be wrapping up soon. Some definitely end stage things happened, so if the series doesn’t end, I would expect at least a big shift in tactics or focus soon. That’s already begun to happen, with the Price children marrying, having children, or adopting siblings in Antimony’s case. With everything that happened in this book, I expect the next InCryptid novel to be a big change in the status quo, as much as Verity revealing the family’s survival to the world in Chaos Choreography, Antimony infiltrating the covenant in Magic for Nothing (and defeating the crossroads in That Ain’t Witchcraft), Sarah becoming a full-blown superhero in Imaginary Numbers, or Alice finding Thomas in Spelunking Through Hell.

I'm excited to see how things change in whatever book comes next, and for the relationships forged in this book and the preceding twelve to continue to develop. I loved Antimony and Sally's interactions in this book (and Sally and everyone's to be honest, Sally is great, a Sally book would be awesome), and Greg was another bright spot. I also liked hearing a little about the Jorhlac children Sarah and Mark rescued in Calculated Risks.
All in all, Aftermarket Afterlife has some huge developments, as well as the action-packed plot and complicated family relationships the InCryptid series excels at, I’d recommend it to people who have read the series and can understand the book, fans of Rob Thurman’s Trickster series, Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid novels, Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series or just those who enjoy urban fantasy and series that have complicated family dynamics, and funny, clever and principled main characters.

Where previous novels were (mostly) focused on a single character and a relative discrete story that gradually expands the scope of this Incryptid world (which is our world, only there are magical creatures living around us and with us and hiding from us), Aftermarket Afterlife starts to blow up that formula. The novel is focused on Mary Dunlavy, a sometimes corporeal ghost and family babysitter (with a somewhat complicated backstory that is really changed by the Antimony novels).

Here’s what you need to know: There has been an ongoing and building fallout over the last few novels with The Covenant of St George (an organization of humans dedicated to eradicating the aforementioned supernatural creatures) after Antimony really pissed them off. This is after her older sister Verity let the Covenant know there were still Prices still around. Aftermarket Afterlife is an explosive novel - and that’s not even counting the return of Alice and Thomas to the family (see Backpacking Through Bedlam) after decades of Thomas being presumed dead. McGuire seldom lets her characters just sit in a moment without blowing something up. Or maybe it’s the readers who want more - but Seanan McGuire is a propulsive writer.

Seanan McGuire has been building to the Price family finally going to war with the Covenant. Or, more specifically, the Covenant is going to war with the cryptids of North America and with the Price family. Aftermarket Afterlife is for the long time readers (this is book thirteen in the series) who have been wondering when all of that mess is going to come to a head.

The choice of Mary as the focus is an interesting one as it continues the trend of the last four novels of allowing a small sense of distance from the core family while, at the same time, allowing for a wider breadth of family interaction. From Discount Armageddon through That Ain’t Witchcraft each novel has focused on one of the siblings of the youngest generation of Price children and their interaction with this world. That narrow focus would, perhaps, only mention the actions or existence of that character’s siblings. So - if this is an Antimony novel, there would be limited mention of Verity or Alex. Same with Verity or Alex’s novels, respectively. Even the Sarah Zellaby or Alice novels were limited in scope to the perspective of that character in that particular place.

Mary Dunlavy is necessarily different because she can ghost-travel to whichever family member calls for her (and sometimes if they don’t) - so even with a slight emotional distance, which is a statement that isn’t entirely accurate but is the best that I have to work with, we get so much more of the Price family than we have at any other time in the series. Mary can and does bounce between Verity in New York, Alex in Ohio. and Antimony in Oregon. The scope of the war with the Covenant can be shown beyond phone calls of an action that we don’t get to see because it’s somewhere else. Functionally, Mary can be everywhere and McGuire makes good use of Mary as plot device.

If most of this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, that is because McGuire is pulling a LOT of threads together and really assumes that readers are well familiar with the first twelve books of the series. I have no idea what it looks like jumping into this fresh to the Incryptid series and even though Seanan McGuire is frequently very good at introducing and reintroducing characters and story beats and dropping exposition, Aftermarket Afterlife truly requires the emotional equity of having been on this Price Family Journey.

With all of that said, for those readers who have been on this Price Family Journey, Aftermarket Afterlife absolutely delivers the goods. The awkward and painful reunions are earned, the desire to take the fight to the Covenant is earned, and the ultimate resolution of the novel is absolutely earned. Seanan McGuire has been building to all of this and she truly pays it off - and there is certainly going to be more, which makes me incredibly anxious and I cannot wait to read what’s next.

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.