Along the Saltwise Sea (Up and Under #2)

Along the Saltwise Sea by A. Deborah Baker

The Up-and-Under is Seanan McGuire's series written as Deborah Baker from her SFF masterpiece, Middlegame. I love that these books function on their own as a Middle Grade or YA level series that feels a bit like the movie Return to Oz, the The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making series, or the animated series, Over the Garden Wall. And at the same time, they add to the richness that is Middlegame.

In this installment, Avery & Zib along with their two new companions from the Up-and-Under, Niamh & Crow Girl, continue along the Improbable Road and find themselves at the Saltwise Sea, and get into a bit of a pirate ship adventure. The story doesn't have so much of a clearly defined beginning-middle-end, because the children's main story is definitely continuing on, but there is still a smaller arc that sees it's time finished. So I felt it was a satisfying read.

For me, the best bits of these books, in addition to all of the gorgeous imaginings, are moments when you see the children grow, when they recognize something about their reactions or decision-making and they make new choices - not necessarily better or worse choices, just new ones. It makes these books feel so hopeful, heartfelt and insightful all while telling a type of fairytale adventure. And it's a fairytale with claws and real consequences alongside the magic and whimsy, but a fairytale nonetheless.

I'd recommend this series for fantasy lovers, MGF/YA readers, and of course for fans of Seanan's Middlegame.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is an honest review.