Velveteen vs. The Consequences of Her Actions

Velveteen vs. The Consequences of Her Actions by Seanan McGuire, 608 pages.

This book collects the second half of Seanan McGuire's Velveteen Vs stories. Velveteen has defeated Super Patriots, Inc. and now she has to live in the changed world she's created. Or rather she doesn't, since first she has to fulfill her promise to the Seasonal Lands. But trouble keeps brewing while Vel is away, and happy endings are often not as simple as they look.

This book was definitely weaker than the first volume for me (which I reviewed here last year). There is so much playing with altered timelines, reality warping, and memory modification that it became extremely hard to keep track of what anyone knew or thought they knew. The rules of reality didn't seem that consistent, especially in regards to the seasonal lands which are presented as sort of a global average of ideas about seasons, but which in reality seem to have no real influences outside of America. I also found that the many omniscient musings on superheroes was more disruptive than enriching. All that being said, I do still really like these characters, and McGuire does a really good job exploring all of the things they could be. This collection manages to be a take on superheroes that is somehow both conventional and original. Overall, I definitely have criticisms, but it is still a good option if you're looking for a modern superhero novel. 

*This book is scheduled to be released on 5/31/26.