Tidal Creatures

I received an advance reader copy thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Tidal Creatures is the third book in the Alchemical Journeys series by Seanan Mcguire. This time out the focus is on moon gods and goddesses.  Chang'e, second in command of Berkeley's moon divinities, discovers that one of their own has been killed and it seems it's not the first time in the recent past. Chang'e and her human host Judy decide to investigate these deaths. 

Meanwhile, Kelpie, a lab assistant for the local alchemical lab learns that everything she thought she knew about herself and her lab is a lie.  She runs for her life and has to navigate her confusing new reality and try to stay alive. 

Of course, these two storylines are bound to intersect and things get very complicated before it's done. 

I loved this one so much! I don't think it's quite as good as Middlegame, but since that's one of my favorite ever, it's a hard bar to top. I did enjoy it much more than Seasonal Fears, which I found very predictable and anticlimactic. 

In additional to the mystery of who is killing the moons, it incorporated Roger and Dodger (and Erin) in a way that advanced their character arcs as well as the plot of this volume. While this was is very much the story of the Moons, the characters from Middlegame were incorporated into the plot in a way that didn't feel like a cameo/unnecessary inclusion.   I also loved that we got some insight that their journey is not done, just paused for now.