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"Reality, it must sadly be said, has a way of complicating things, even things we might believe could never be that complicated."

This series is a heart-warming and out of this world visualization of how children see the world that they want to. It seems that the Wayward Children series is a story of children who want escapism to this world. To reality.

In an Absent Dream is the story of Katherine Lundy whom we read in the first book as Ms.Eleanor's second in command at the school and serves as an emotional helper for the children who became unstable after they go through their own doors/worlds.

The story revolves around an eight-year-old Katherine who've found a door to a magical and whimsical Goblin Market where she met Moon and The Archivist. Before she partakes the path towards Goblin Market, she was warned about this important rules:

a. Do not ask questions
b. Names have power
c. Always give a fair value

The Archivist explained to her that in Goblin Market, rules must be followed and every disobedience with it comes with a price or punishment. And soon, Katherine finds a riveting decision she needs to do that will change her life.


I am drawn to Katherine's story because of the emotional state she felt along her childhood that captivated me to be invested in her story that was so heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time.

"She understood now, that the other children weren't coming; that they would always be shadowy voices on the other side of a fence, refusing to let her through, refusing to let her in. She understood that she had, for whatever reason, been rejected from their society, and would not be readmitted unless something fundamental in the world chose to shift in its foundations, widening itself, re-birthing her into someone they could care for."

Everyone could relate to Katherine in the same way. The fact her story lets you realize that you need to be a thick skin around this world because if not you will be pondered by this overwhelming satisfaction of want from others. And sometimes that is the reason that we always find this fantasy for an escape.

"If the children in the yard next door or on the playground couldn't find her worth loving the same way, she wasn't going to change for them."

Every book in the series narrated by rich and vibrant worlds that each child had gone through. The characters and world building were so astounding. It drives you to also reminisce these thoughts being a child and having this same fantasy of escape.

I almost cried at the end because of the last rule Katherine needs to face and this haunted me. It portrays everyone of us that there would be a time that we are choosing our own decisions and these decisions could even break the hearts of our loved ones and even change our lives because we pursue this dreams, these things that would make us happy.

This story is so compelling and it will really move you. It will remind you that when the time comes that we've been away or too far, there is this home we could go back to.

"try to remember you want to come home."

I can't wait to read the final installment of this series and I hate to spoil myself and everyone to it but I feel that it would be the story of Ms. Eleanor's childhood and her own door!