When lightning strikes, it can bring unexpected dreams to life. When Jack left the School for Wayward Children, she was carrying the body of her recently murdered sister, passing through the doorway to the Moors, their home. However, death in the Moors isn't as permanent as in other places, and now, the lightning has brought Jack back to the School. However, something is terribly, terribly wrong. Now, Jack must ask her friends to help bring the lightning back, and take them back to the Moors to set things right again. However, that doesn't mean all of them will survive.
In this deliciously creepy story, McGuire brings back one of the more complicated and interesting characters from the Wayward Children stories. Ever practical and deadly serious, Jack isn't without a sense of humor. However, in this story, when she is left with no choice to ask for help, there's no fun and games on this quest back to the Moors.
There's a nice balance of characters in this story. We have Jack, of course, but we also have other characters to give some different perspectives. One of my other favorite characters is Sumi, who can seem very heads-in-the-clouds . . . until she makes a devastatingly real statement. For example, when something awful happens in the book, Sumi makes the observation that "The world doesn't stop spinning because you're sad, and that's good; If it did, people would go around breaking hearts like they were sheets of maple sugar, just to keep the world exactly where it is." (p. 107). Quite so.
This is one of my favorite series, and selfishly, I hope McGuire doesn't run out of stories any time soon because these books are absolutely fantastic. I have suggested them to readers who enjoy dark fantasy, but also to younger readers who liked the "Miss Peregrine" stories. These are books for readers who enjoy fantastical and odds-defying characters, and who like an edge of danger to their storytelling.
LibraryReads summary: In this deliciously creepy story, McGuire brings back one of the favorite characters from the Wayward Children story. Filled with danger, viscera and blood, lightning and love, this beautifully written story is for lovers of dark fantasy, extraordinary characters and unlikely heroes.
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