Mundie Moms

Sunday, March 11, 2018

EVERY HEART A DOORWAY, DOWN AMONG THE STICKS AND BONES, BENEATH THE SUGAR SKY / Book Review #WaywardChildren Series


By: Seanan McGuire
Published by: Tor
Released on: April 5, 2016 (Doorway) | June 13, 2017 (Sticks) | January 9, 2018 (Sugar)
Purchase from: publisher (Tor) | Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Add it to Goodreads
RatingsEvery Heart a Doorway: 4.5 stars
               Down Among the Sticks and Bones: 3 stars
               Beneath the Sugar Sky: 4 stars



Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests


Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.
 


- - - 


Sometimes, I think it's easier to binge read a series and then review it all at once, because all the pieces fit so well. Or that's my excuse for a series review, but you guys, I read these books one after another and now sadly, I find myself waiting for the next installment.

My daily perusals of BookTube channels made me pick up the first book, Every Heart a Doorway. It seemed to be getting a lot of buzz. And oh boy, is it ever well deserved. Let me preface the review by saying that even though this is about a boarding school of sorts, the reading level is definitely more upper YA-ish/New Adult. There are enough mentions of post-traumatic stress that it deserves a trigger warning as well even though no one I know has visited a portal world.

Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children helps children who have returned from fantasy worlds (by going through a doorway/portal) and now, their families cannot quite handle them. The families don't believe them or wish they would stop lying or hope they can somehow heal from their trauma. So, they send them away, believing they are safe and being helped.

The collection of young adults at Ms. Eleanor's is a motley crew. Some have come from highly logical worlds, some from very dark realms, some have arrived from illogical worlds. The Narnia-loving child in me loved how each of the characters talked about his or her world and the categories were fascinating. You could almost see these worlds mapped out in a giant fantasy map to end all maps.

This first installment of the series introduces Nancy and we see both the school and the new characters she meets through her eyes. But about half way through the story, a murder happens and what was an exploration of coping mechanisms and becomes a mystery. The mystery is easily solved, but that's not the point of the story. What you find yourself thinking about is the characters and their worlds.

Luckily the second book in the series, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, gives readers the very thing we craved -- the back story of two of the main characters from the first book. We live with them before their adventure and we travel with them to their world. We get a full 360-view of what happened. The world is so dark. The situation is so bleak. Seanan's writing is majestic as she brings us through their adventures, but the darkness seemed to envelop me, and I just didn't like the story as much. I did appreciate the facts I gathered, however, and it made me pick up the newest story immediately.

I am not posting the synopses of books #2 and #3 because they contain spoilers for the first book. So, book 3. WHOA. Beneath the Sugar Sky becomes a quest plot. I KNOW! How does Seanan do this? It was truly riveting. The main character in this is related to a character we met in book #1, and it just is all so very fulfilling to read. As the quest gathers speed, we find ourselves in an almost impossible situation, but we also find out that the worlds are linked. The fantasy nerd in me was just drooling at this possibility. Also, the resolution was so dark-fairy-tale-perfect. It reminded me of a Brothers Grimms' story. So so so good.

If you haven't picked up this series, please do. For fantasy readers, the logic presented is so fierce and lovely and yes, DARK. SO DARK. But, also, good.

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