Imaginary Numbers

January 1, 2020

It has been five years since Sarah Zellaby nearly destroyed her mind saving her cousin, Verity Price, from the Covenant of St. George. Five years of staying isolated with her adoptive parents, recovering, and reclaiming the telepathic power she holds as a Johrlac, a cuckoo, a predator from another dimension, one that is no more human than a parasitic wasp. Now, she is heading to Portland, OR, to see the rest of her family, especially Artie, the half-incubus adopted cousin she loves. Who probably loves her back. But she can't think about that now. For it seems that there are other cuckoos in the area, and the fierce territoriality of the species means that Sarah and her family could be in trouble. The cuckoos have come for Sarah--and they want her to send them home. Her telepathic, mathematical skills drive a high-stakes, high-action story with the fate of the world in Price family hands--as usual. VERDICT The ninth "InCryptid"novel is recommended for most collections. While not a good starting point for the series, it centers on series favorite Sarah and dives into a cryptid angle that fans have been waiting for with the Johrlac. Also included is the novella "Follow the Lady," about Antinomy Price's journey home after That Ain't Witchcraft.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2020
In the latest InCryptid novel (after That Ain't Witchcraft, 2019), McGuire shifts focus from the Price family's generational conflict with the Covenant of Saint George to Sarah Zellaby, a cousin?adopted and not human?of this generation of Prices. Sarah is a Jhorlac, colloquially known as cuckoos; despite looking human, they're more like wasps than mammals. She's finally recovered after a traumatic telepathic incident?saving Verity from the Covenant in New York?and is returning to the family compound in Oregon. She's traveling alone to see if she can manage the pressure of being around so many unprotected minds. As soon as she lands, she realizes that another cuckoo has moved into Portland. She knows this is going to turn into a fight, but she is absolutely unprepared for how big a fight. While there's a potential apocalypse brewing around her biological relations, Sarah is also dealing with some emotional baggage with her beloved adopted family. The relationships in this series really play to McGuire's strengths as she intertwines the complex Price family and a fantastic world of cryptids. Despite a bit of a cliffhanger, this is absolutely a satisfying installment in the series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)