Oh man, these were amazing reads. But I almost wish that I hadn't read them. Because they are game-changers, and most of those changes are pretty devastating. It was great to have all these characters that we've been getting to know coming together, I mean, they're related, but each book had a select number of characters, and so that was a high!

Aftermarket really gave us a look at what Mary's babysitting ghost job defines as family, and when you factor in that time has been running alongside when these books have been published, well, there's a member or two that we hadn't really met, which was really great!

That ending, though? I need to know what is going to happen next! I wonder if we're going to get a 2nd book narrated by Mary, since we usually get 2, and sometimes 3 through the course of the series. But that ending is a pretty big change and I need to know what is going to result from that!

Dreaming of You in Freefall, if you know anything about these characters, that one world should help you figure out who this is about. And after what happened in Aftermarket Aftermath, it was rough. That last line, I just wanted to give a hug!

Absolutely loved reading these books even when they hurt, and I need to know what's going to happen next!

Aftermarket Afterlife is the thirteenth installment of the Incryptid series. As such I recommend reading the previous books first. That being said I am quiet behind on them but was able to follow along and figure things out. Mary Dunlavy has been the Prices nanny for 3 generations now. Alice returning now with her long-lost husband an extra child in tow rocks the boat bit. To make matters worse The Covenant has returned to North America hellbent on drawing out the Prices.
I experienced a full rollercoaster of emotion. Seanan has been known to say that she doesn’t do happy endings, at best they are happy for now and she dances along that line. It was really great seeing things from Mary’s view point and it really filled in some gaps for me with in the series’ universe. Fans of the series will really enjoy this book and if you haven’t read it, what are you waiting for? Go pick up Discount Armageddon and hop on this train!
I received an arc of this and am leaving this review of my own volition.

I've really enjoyed the last few InCryptid books, but I've also felt like they've been splitting the family up a bit too much and kind of treading water on the issue of what the Covenant was up to. Well, after this installment I can't complain about either of those things anymore. On a related note, Seanan how dare you??

Aftermarket Afterlife is the first book narrated by Mary Dunlavy, the family's resident ghost babysitter. Mary has been around for longer then any other family member at this point, and her ghostly status means that she can teleport between family members in different locations, making her the ideal viewpoint character for the first book in a long time to feature the entire family. The Covenant is finally making their move, with simultaneous attacks on several family and cryptid locations. It's up to Mary to keep everyone connected, help when she can, and just maybe come up with a plan to kick the Covenant out of North America for awhile longer.

There are a few major developments in this book, and several things that made me remember that perhaps the biggest difference between InCryptid and October is that the characters in InCryptid are mortal and changeable in ways that the fae are not. I don't want to say too much so as not to give away plot, but this book did surprise me once or twice and there were a few hugely emotional moments. I also feel like we're finally seeing why the book series started out with Verity, despite her not always being the easiest character to sympathize with. Some of the exposition about different types of ghosts and the levels of the Twilight may seem repetitive if you've read all of Rose's books, but it may be necessary for those who aren't as familiar with all of the off shoots of this universe.

I was happy to see Alice and Thomas finally rejoin the family, as well as seeing the long awaited reunion between James and Sally (now both firmly members of the family). As always, it'll be interesting to see where the family goes from here and what their next moves are. Definitely an emotional and satisfying InCryptid story that furthers the main plot of the series and lets us visit with a huge part of the extended cast.

* The novella at the end serves as a sort of epilogue to Verity's part of the story and is told from her point of view. As always, it adds welcome depth to some of the story and character points that weren't able to be included in the main novel.

* I'm wondering if in the next book we might finally get to hear from Elsie. I feel like she's the family member who has gotten the least amount of screen time, and after this book especially there are a few different issues where I'd like to see her perspective.

Mary and metaphysics

The novels of the Incryptid series are told from the points of view of the members of the Price family in turn. Usually when your turn comes you get two novels, then the series moves on to someone else. We just finished two (Spelunking Through Hell and Backpacking Through Bedlam) about Grandma Alice. In Aftermarket Afterlife we move on to Mary Dunlavy (The Phantom Priestess, as the Aeslin know her). Mary is special in many ways. Most important for the reader is that she has seen more of the family's history than any living person. Notice that I did not say "than any other living person" -- that's because Mary is a ghost. Mary is the Price family babysitter, and has been for the many years of her death. She has responsibility for the children, or any member of the family who needs care, and she will come when they call with comfort and stern but kind discipline.

Mary is a splendid character, whom I have always loved. Mary's position in the Price family means that her novel is uniquely wide-ranging and intimate. They are all Mary's children. She knows and loves them all. Advice to readers: print out the Price/Baker family tree with which the book begins. Then scribble in the missing-because-recent family members: Verity's husband Dominic De Luca and their daughter Olivia, Alex's not-yet-wife Shelby Tanner and their daughter Charlotte, and Angela and Martin Baker's newest adopted child, Isaac*. Every person on that family tree (and even some more distant found family such as Uncle Mike) plays a role in this novel.

The plot, unfortunately, is the default Incryptid plot: a conflict with the Covenant of St George, a venerable villain that will be familiar to every reader of the previous novels of the series. But this one is bigger. The Covenant has decided that the time has come to sterilize North America of ungodly abominations and race traitors. And the stakes feel higher this time. One feels that it is not just one family member in danger this time, but the entire family. <spoiler>In fact, two family members are killed, really dead and gone. One of them has been with us since book 1 of the series, thus a major death.</spoiler>

Aftermarket Afterlife has one serious problem. Mary explains far too much. At any moment, even in the middle of a fast-moving action scene, Mary will throw in for the reader's benefit two paragraphs (if not pages) of not-really-necessary metaphysical explanations. I don't know what made Seanan McGuire lose faith in her readers' ability to suss things out. McGuire clearly understands the danger of explaining too much. She is a spectacularly good short-story artist, and you don't become that without knowing the importance of economy of expression.

So, in summary, great characters, good plot, flawed story-telling. I enjoyed Aftermarket Afterlife, but it could have been so much better.

DREAMING OF YOU IN FREEFALL

As usual, McGuire follows the novel with a novella, Dreaming of You in Freefall. I can't say much about it without major spoilers for Aftermarket Afterlife. But I can tell you that it's told from Verity's point of view, and is a kind of epilog for her part of the story. It's good, but also suffers somewhat from excess explanation.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an advance reader copy of Aftermarket Afterlife. This review expresses my honest opinions. Release date 5-Mar-2024.

*This review is based on an advance reader copy, and I hope the family tree will be updated before publication. I will correct the review as necessary on the release date.