Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire: a review

Rating: 5/5, but I can't really quantify how much I enjoyed this book. It's a gem, and has great re-read value.

Review by: Sharvani

What do I say? Where do I even start?

This is a novella, but it gives me a lot to think about.

A paranormal urban fantasy featuring ghosts, it's its own kind of weird, but lovably so.

We are introduced to Jenna Pace, who grieves her sister:

Patty is going to be dead forever, because that's what dead means: dead is the change you can't take back, dead is the mistake that can't be unmade.

Jenna, who feels left behind:

The only face she sees is her own, skinny little Jenna, Jenna-left-behind. The absence of her sister is too much for this house to hold.

Jenna, who feels guilty, and is trying to make amends, while waiting to get to the other side:

I've done some good in this world. I've paid off a fraction of my debt I owe to Patty, for not hearing the things she never said to me.

Jenna, who is now a ghost:

I haven't been aging like a living girl for a long, long time. Not since the night I ran out into the rain. Not since the night I died.

Jenna, who saves the ghosts of New York City, as they get trapped.

All the ghosts of Manhattan are gone. You're alone, sweet specter, you're alone, and you shouldn't be. You shouldn't be anything.

What seems an extremely strange premise for a story has been beautifully executed by the author, talking about those left behind, and the choices they make, as the people they care about move on.

Why do we deserve to stay when everyone else is going?

Seanan Mcguire has a gift for writing short, compact stories that have a deep impact, and I believe that this is a great place to pick up her work. If any of her other books didn't sit well with you, this is one that might change how you feel about her as an author. If you're doubtful about the investment required to go through her Wayward Children series, this might just convince you to devour those. I have so much to say about this book, and so much to discuss, and so much to quote. She writes in prose that is gorgeous and almost poetic, making this book hard to put down.

Cons? I don't find any. This book ensured that I pick up anything she puts out, no matter how bizarre the blurb may sound.