Title: Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Fantasy, Mystery, Young adult
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2017

Jack and Jill absolutely intrigued me in Every Heart a Doorway, they were not quite evil, but not quite good. And both were able to surprise me again and again throughout their story – they were responsible for so many twists and turns throughout Every Heart a Doorway, so it was really fun to go back in time to their story. Their door. And their origin. And, as always with McGuire, it was everything that I absolutely wanted – dark, twisted and intense.

Everything about Down Among the Sticks and Bones was dark and unsettling. From the very conception of the story (and the girls) to the final moments, all of this wasn’t quite what I expected, but everything that I needed. It was dark, it was horrifying and it led perfectly back to the first book in this series and the darkness that follows.

Jill was always a creepy and sinister character, from the moment she showed up. But, her entitlement and decision making made her go from creepy to seriously sinister. Something about her just triggered all of my hell no flight instincts. Which is pretty impressive as all of her existed in my mind’s eye – McGuire is such a phenomenal writer to introduce that level of darkness in an otherwise entirely literary endeavor. I mean, I still shiver at the horrifying decisions Jill makes again and again…

Although I actually liked Jack, she definitely wasn’t a sane character either. She is just a little less vindictive and entitled. And a whole lot more relatable. Probably mostly because she is a whole lot more relatable than her twin. Being self aware and able to cope with the world helped to ground me a little more in this otherwise seriously uncomfortable (in all the best ways) story.

Image source: Goodreads

Title: Every Heart a Doorway
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Fantasy, Mystery, Young adult
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2016

This story was absolutely nothing like what I was expecting. It was kind of dark and twisty, without all of the feel good that I’ve been reading a bit much of in some of my young adult books. Plus, this was actually and truly about misfits. There are way too many YA stories which feature a “misfit” who is actually seriously cool. These kids aren’t. For that, I love them.

I’m always diving into tales of the fae. Tales that are a little bit uncomfortable and sweep you away to some incredibly unexpected places. What I loved about this is that a whole variety of alternate lands are featured. There’s not one doorway to go through, but a whole range. A different land for a different kind of person to fit in. It was nice that each of the characters in this story found their own lands to fit into. Their own places to experience a happily ever after.

This is a great reminder that we all fear death. And fear makes people do stupid things. Nancy may have come from a land of the Dead. But that doesn’t mean she causes death, or even desires it. I love how she is immediately looked upon with suspicion amongst people who know, themselves, what it is like to be a misfit. It’s a reminder that human nature tends to ostracise others, regardless of how we may have been ostracised ourselves. Particularly in instances when there is a whole heap of fear running rampant.

I was completely not expecting the ending of this story. It had such a wonderful Frankenstein, Dracula, Wuthering Heights feel. I might kind of hate Wuthering Heights, but I loved the other two, so it was a good feeling. A good feeling in a bad way…

Image source: Kobo