★★★☆☆ Up and Under and Out

Under the Smokestrewn Sky

A Deborah Baker

We left the Up and Under with our heroes escaping the Queen of Swords to enter the land of the of Queen of Wands. Our company now consists of five: Avery, Zib, Niamh the Drowned Girl, the former Crow Girl whose name was reclaimed from the Queen of Swords, therefore now known as Soleil, and Jack Daw. The classic element with which the Queen of Wands and her land are associated is Fire. Fire is the last element Avery and Zib need to traverse before entering the Impossible City. Avery and Zib hope that from the Impossible City they will be able to return to the suburban neighborhood that is their home.

As in the previous books of the Up and Under, the characters are less than totally engaging. Zib is out of action for much of the book. And it is obvious that A. Deborah Baker/Seanan McGuire does not love Avery. Most of the other characters are personifications of abstract ideas rather than full-fledged humans, and therefore have little depth.

Under the Smokestrewn Sky is the final book of the Up and Under, and it does indeed wrap the story up nicely. There is, honestly, not much more I can tell you that would not be a spoiler.

I thank NetGalley and Tor for an advance reader copy. This review expresses my honest opinions.

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