Warning for SPOILERS.
I had a bit of difficulty enjoying this one. I had forgotten some of the previous storyline, but sadly didn’t care enough to go back to my own reviews of the books to refresh my memory. Especially of all the side characters who for their various reasons are tracking down Alana’s family. Some of them die in this book. Even prominent side characters. Alana and the two kids- preteens now- are on yet another alien planet, living makeshift in a tent while Alana works a crummy job in a place obviously something like Amazon, while the kids busk (and try to resist the urge to just steal stuff).
Then they hear of a heart-stopping possibility: someone who can magic their father back to life. At a very steep price. Alana refuses- realizing it’s probably a scam- but the kids attempt to acquire the items- and when they get into dangerous trouble, discover that robot-boy has no qualms about using violence- and also he can now speak. There’s some heavy philosophical stuff in here about trying to break vicious cycles, behavior patterns of revenge than span and enwrap generations. And some good, subtle fun regarding the novel within a novel. I did like those parts.
Oh, and there’s an attempt at reconciliation between the blue-blood tv-heads and the horn people. Which doesn’t get anywhere yet, but at least it’s a start. We encounter another Lying Cat (not blue, and not as charmingly snarky, in fact downright mean). Alana and the kids get passage as workers on a ship leaving for yet another strange new alien world.
Borrowed from the public library.