Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collections
Publication
Tor.com (2016), 174 pages
Description
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 things. No matter the cost.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member titania86
Welcome to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. You may think it would be filled with delinquents in need of some direction and structure, but you would be wrong. Each child (or young adult) in the school found a doorway to another world. Each world is different, but all of them are vastly
Every Heart a Doorway is under 200 pages long, but it contains one of the most memorable and heartfelt stories I've ever read. All of the children and young adults at the home just don't fit into their families anymore. They have experienced grand adventures, fantastic people, and worlds beyond imagining. Some of the worlds are whimsical and fun while others are dark and more sinister, but every person fit perfectly wherever they were. Their parents assumed they were abducted and want them to return to how they used to be, but it's just not possible. Some of the parents never knew their child at all and didn't even remember or understand them in the first place. They simply miss their own iteration of their child who doesn't actually exist. These families mean well, but trying to fit a person into a box they simply don't fit in is toxic. This can be translated to real life, where parents don't respect their children's life choices. The cast of characters is diverse with different cultures, gender expression, and sexuality. They don't belong anywhere in this world, so they build a home and a family of choice together. I know plenty of people alienated from their families for one reason or another and have done the same. The family you choose can be much more supportive because they know you as you are, not who they hope you would be.
Nancy, our has white hair with black streaks that everyone assumes is dyed. It isn't. She lived in the Land of the Dead for a while, standing still as a statue and eating tiny amounts of food to sustain herself to please the Lord of Death. Before she even went to another world, she knew that she wasn't interested in anyone sexually. Romance and flirting are fun and enjoyable, but anything beyond that isn't appealing. Asexuality isn't seen much in any sort of storytelling medium, so it was nice to see the world from her perspective. I felt for her when her parents just assumed she had an eating disorder and then sent her to the school with clothes they knew she wouldn't want to wear. She longs for her quiet, still life back in the Land of the Dead, but she befriends a variety of people at the school: Jack (Jacqueline) and Jill (twins) from a world ruled by a vampire, Sumi from a Confection world, and Kade who went into a fairyland but was returned because of his gender.
Although I liked Nancy, I thought most of the other ward's stories sounded more interesting. For example, Jack and Jill were raised with arbitrary expectations. Jack was expected to be the beautiful one while Jill would be the smart one without observing their actual interests. Everything they were given by their parents as well as how they were treated reflected this idea. Their world was the only time they were allowed to be themselves and be treated as such. Jill became the favored ward of the vampire lord and Jill became the apprentice of Dr. Bleak, who would bring the dead to life Frankenstein style and do other scientific magic. Kade's story is also interesting, if a little unclear. He went into his fairy world as a girl, killed the Goblin King, and was about to take over the throne when he was expelled. It's unclear what exactly happened, but his gender no longer aligned with what the fairies wanted. It doesn't matter what his physicality is; his gender expression is respected at the school except for one small incident. I would love another book telling the other people's stories or moving forward in time to new wards.
Every Heart a Doorway is incredibly dense. Seanan McGuire packs a lot into this short novella sized book. I would have been happy if it was just a slice of life type of book, but a murder mystery is added. The culprit was pretty predictable, but the journey was still enjoyable and suspenseful. This narrative puts into perspective how horrific fairy tale stories are. Most of them were familiar in some way, but we are used to Disney sanitized versions of them. These ones revel in their darkness and don't always come out with a happy ending. I wish the book were about 300 pages longer, but I will be satisfied picking up McGuire's October Daye or Indexing series in the meantime. I will write anything Seanan McGuire writes because she has a way of magnetic story telling that I can't get enough of.
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different from our own. Each child fit in perfectly there as if the world were tailored to them and all of them have been expelled for one reason or another. They all look for the appearance of a door that shouldn't be there and hold out hope for a return to their perfect world. Everything was going smoothly until Nancy arrives at the school. Suddenly, students and teachers are being murdered with body parts missing. This safe haven now houses an unknown murderer, which is suspected to be Nancy because she is new. So Nancy and her mismatched, misfit friends decide to do their own investigation and find out who the murderer is and why they are collecting body parts.Every Heart a Doorway is under 200 pages long, but it contains one of the most memorable and heartfelt stories I've ever read. All of the children and young adults at the home just don't fit into their families anymore. They have experienced grand adventures, fantastic people, and worlds beyond imagining. Some of the worlds are whimsical and fun while others are dark and more sinister, but every person fit perfectly wherever they were. Their parents assumed they were abducted and want them to return to how they used to be, but it's just not possible. Some of the parents never knew their child at all and didn't even remember or understand them in the first place. They simply miss their own iteration of their child who doesn't actually exist. These families mean well, but trying to fit a person into a box they simply don't fit in is toxic. This can be translated to real life, where parents don't respect their children's life choices. The cast of characters is diverse with different cultures, gender expression, and sexuality. They don't belong anywhere in this world, so they build a home and a family of choice together. I know plenty of people alienated from their families for one reason or another and have done the same. The family you choose can be much more supportive because they know you as you are, not who they hope you would be.
Nancy, our has white hair with black streaks that everyone assumes is dyed. It isn't. She lived in the Land of the Dead for a while, standing still as a statue and eating tiny amounts of food to sustain herself to please the Lord of Death. Before she even went to another world, she knew that she wasn't interested in anyone sexually. Romance and flirting are fun and enjoyable, but anything beyond that isn't appealing. Asexuality isn't seen much in any sort of storytelling medium, so it was nice to see the world from her perspective. I felt for her when her parents just assumed she had an eating disorder and then sent her to the school with clothes they knew she wouldn't want to wear. She longs for her quiet, still life back in the Land of the Dead, but she befriends a variety of people at the school: Jack (Jacqueline) and Jill (twins) from a world ruled by a vampire, Sumi from a Confection world, and Kade who went into a fairyland but was returned because of his gender.
Although I liked Nancy, I thought most of the other ward's stories sounded more interesting. For example, Jack and Jill were raised with arbitrary expectations. Jack was expected to be the beautiful one while Jill would be the smart one without observing their actual interests. Everything they were given by their parents as well as how they were treated reflected this idea. Their world was the only time they were allowed to be themselves and be treated as such. Jill became the favored ward of the vampire lord and Jill became the apprentice of Dr. Bleak, who would bring the dead to life Frankenstein style and do other scientific magic. Kade's story is also interesting, if a little unclear. He went into his fairy world as a girl, killed the Goblin King, and was about to take over the throne when he was expelled. It's unclear what exactly happened, but his gender no longer aligned with what the fairies wanted. It doesn't matter what his physicality is; his gender expression is respected at the school except for one small incident. I would love another book telling the other people's stories or moving forward in time to new wards.
Every Heart a Doorway is incredibly dense. Seanan McGuire packs a lot into this short novella sized book. I would have been happy if it was just a slice of life type of book, but a murder mystery is added. The culprit was pretty predictable, but the journey was still enjoyable and suspenseful. This narrative puts into perspective how horrific fairy tale stories are. Most of them were familiar in some way, but we are used to Disney sanitized versions of them. These ones revel in their darkness and don't always come out with a happy ending. I wish the book were about 300 pages longer, but I will be satisfied picking up McGuire's October Daye or Indexing series in the meantime. I will write anything Seanan McGuire writes because she has a way of magnetic story telling that I can't get enough of.
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LibraryThing member stephanie_M
I really didn’t enjoy this novel as much as I’d have liked to. I sincerely don’t know why this novel is so popular among almost all my friends.
I found the storyline rushed, the characters flat and uninteresting, and I kept confusing a couple of them because we hadn’t spent enough time with
This novel was also way too much like Miss Peregrine’s home for Peculiar Children, which I also didn’t really care for. But at least that novel was more fleshed out, and spent enough time with its characters before running off and murdering three of them.
Besides the repetition dialogue, the I found the narrative predictable. I also knew exactly who the murderer was from miles away. Most of the time this doesn’t bother me, but this time, it really did. Also, I had issues about how the death and gore was dealt with. There are a couple vividly described murders in EHaD that everyone seems fairly quickly to get over. Even for children and adolescents who have spent their happiest times in other realities, it did strike me as not quite fitting how a vast majority of people seemed to be fine with dead classmates. There are a few voices of discomfort, but they seemed to be the minority. These instances stuck out to me as odd, as did the immediate boxing up of a fellow classmate’s belongings like they did. Give the kids time to mourn their friend, please...!!
And you know, C.S. Lewis gets picked on because his Narnia adventures are a Christian allegory, but I don't recall a single moment in any of his books when a character decides to say something along the lines of "hey, did you realize that we are all living in some sort of Christan allegory...?”
Also, it all was a nice concept, but barely fleshed out enough to work as a proper story. Novellas are cool and all, but sometimes a novel is better, y'know?
The audiobooks are narrated by Cynthia Hopkins. I found her barely able to handle the roll of narrator, and she was sometimes even a little shrill. I didn’t like her voice at all. I’m glad to see that the next two audiobooks are not narrated by her, and I hope that Macmillan Audio gives her something else to do, there.
So anyway, my review is that I’m giving this novel 3 stars. And it *barely* gets three of them, at that. I highly doubt I’ll be reading, or listening to any of the other novels in this series, even though I have the next two audiobooks checked out already. I was going to treat myself, and I was let down.
I found the storyline rushed, the characters flat and uninteresting, and I kept confusing a couple of them because we hadn’t spent enough time with
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anyone at all. They just didn’t resonate with me, and I connected to NOone. The author kept repeating the words ‘still’ and ‘pomegranate’ so much so that I was about to start yelling at someone for this. None of the concepts were explained, like what made a land ‘high nonsense’, and why it was called this, not enough for me to get it. And suddenly, BOOM, a murderer is in their midst. And you know what? I really couldn’t have cared.This novel was also way too much like Miss Peregrine’s home for Peculiar Children, which I also didn’t really care for. But at least that novel was more fleshed out, and spent enough time with its characters before running off and murdering three of them.
Besides the repetition dialogue, the I found the narrative predictable. I also knew exactly who the murderer was from miles away. Most of the time this doesn’t bother me, but this time, it really did. Also, I had issues about how the death and gore was dealt with. There are a couple vividly described murders in EHaD that everyone seems fairly quickly to get over. Even for children and adolescents who have spent their happiest times in other realities, it did strike me as not quite fitting how a vast majority of people seemed to be fine with dead classmates. There are a few voices of discomfort, but they seemed to be the minority. These instances stuck out to me as odd, as did the immediate boxing up of a fellow classmate’s belongings like they did. Give the kids time to mourn their friend, please...!!
And you know, C.S. Lewis gets picked on because his Narnia adventures are a Christian allegory, but I don't recall a single moment in any of his books when a character decides to say something along the lines of "hey, did you realize that we are all living in some sort of Christan allegory...?”
Also, it all was a nice concept, but barely fleshed out enough to work as a proper story. Novellas are cool and all, but sometimes a novel is better, y'know?
The audiobooks are narrated by Cynthia Hopkins. I found her barely able to handle the roll of narrator, and she was sometimes even a little shrill. I didn’t like her voice at all. I’m glad to see that the next two audiobooks are not narrated by her, and I hope that Macmillan Audio gives her something else to do, there.
So anyway, my review is that I’m giving this novel 3 stars. And it *barely* gets three of them, at that. I highly doubt I’ll be reading, or listening to any of the other novels in this series, even though I have the next two audiobooks checked out already. I was going to treat myself, and I was let down.
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LibraryThing member thealtereggo
I loved this book! It was a very quick read for me, both because it was not very long (less than 200 pages) and because I couldn't put it down. I almost wish it were longer as I didn't want it to end! Where to begin? I love the premise of the doorways to other worlds and a school for the misfits to
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all band together. I love the diversity of the characters. There were several passages where I just felt the writing resonate with me so much so that I had to just stop for a minute and bask in it. Highly recommend this book for fans of fantasy and just fans of being different. Show Less
LibraryThing member flying_monkeys
For anyone who ever searched and searched for their secret door, or for those who still do.
Beautiful, macabre, diverse -- just a few of the reasons this book will capture readers.
4.5 stars
Beautiful, macabre, diverse -- just a few of the reasons this book will capture readers.
4.5 stars
LibraryThing member Carol420
I was underwhelmed. I'm not a big fan of fantasy novels to begin with but have read some fairly good ones over the years. It was not the writing. It was well written... but the characters were all flat and one dimensional not to mention mostly unlikable. The plot boiled down to little more than a
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murder-mystery with an unsatisfying ending. I just didn't get the "other worlds" aspect. Fans of fantasy novels will probably love it. Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
At a home for troubled children whose troubles stem because they traveled to fantasy worlds, came home, and were roundly disbelieved, Nancy arrives with the same aim as every other inhabitant—to return to where she was happy, a human servant to a dark lord. Not every child’s world is the same;
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some are logical and some chaotic, some just and some wicked; and each returnee has a certain amount of damage. Then someone starts killing the inhabitants. This very short and enjoyable book was about being kicked out of the place you thought was home, and about the terrible uncertainty of not knowing whether you’ll be able to get back. Show Less
LibraryThing member 2wonderY
Uh, no. Despite the frothy reviews by others, this story is just mediocre. People gotta read more widely, eh.
LibraryThing member fred_mouse
Beautifully creepy mix of horror and fantasy. I loved the way that the idea of going through a door into a different world was codified, that those doors lead different places. I was told a major spoiler before reading it, and I wonder whether the forewarning meant that I wasn't put off by the
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event warned for. Show Less
LibraryThing member Petroglyph
I liked this, I think. Every heart a doorway is set in a boarding school for lost teenagers, mainly girls. At some point they found a temporary door into a fantasy world where they fit perfectly, where they felt truly at home. Some visited a High Nonsense world with rainbows and distracted fae;
I don’t think I am all that willing to accept some of the core premise of this novella -- the “teen finds a whole world where she feels truly understood” thing is no longer for me -- but the quality of the worldbuilding kinda makes up for that. Also, the novella is lovingly tinged with horror elements, which appealed to me a lot more. So yeah, three stars.
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others spent time in gloomy or cruel worlds where strict rules have to be obeyed, on pain of dismissal. When these children return (willingly or not) to the real world after subjective years, only a few weeks or months have passed here on Earth, and the children have trouble adjusting to a world where they no longer really belong; their parents utterly fail to understand or believe them. The boarding school for wayward girls tries to provide support to these lost teenagers and reintegrate them back into the world, if they want to. I don’t think I am all that willing to accept some of the core premise of this novella -- the “teen finds a whole world where she feels truly understood” thing is no longer for me -- but the quality of the worldbuilding kinda makes up for that. Also, the novella is lovingly tinged with horror elements, which appealed to me a lot more. So yeah, three stars.
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LibraryThing member bibliovermis
This was so short, and everything but the descriptions of hidden worlds was given such perfunctory handling. You barely had time to get to know the characters and the world(s), for the plot to ramp up, or for the murder mystery to get started, before the whole thing was resolved and ended. Not very
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satisfying. Show Less
LibraryThing member nicole_a_davis
What was I supposed to get out of reading this? Rather uninspired and for a fantasy murder mystery, pretty boring.
LibraryThing member JamieBH
Loved the concept of this story, it paid homage to many fantasy stories while remaining original. However, I felt that both the story development and some of the character developed was incredibly rushed and the pacing was inconsistent. I would have enjoyed this book more if it had been longer and
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more thorough in its story and character development. Show Less
LibraryThing member norabelle414
Eleanor West runs a boarding school for children who have visited other worlds, returned to our world, and long to go back again. Nancy is a new student, recently returned from a world of the dead. She's barely been at school a week, and barely made friends, when one of her classmates is brutally
What an emotional wallop for such a slim book! Every student and teacher is fully realized and deeply empathetic. I can see how the worlds they traveled to shaped them, and feel their pain at being both rejected by the real world and unable to return to their others. It's beautifully written story about characters, despite also being a murder mystery. The only flaw in this book is that I wanted so much more. Luckily there are more books in the series. Highly recommended to anyone who likes fantasy that collides with our world.
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murdered. Most other students assume Nancy is to blame, since her world is so different from their lands of rainbows and kittens.What an emotional wallop for such a slim book! Every student and teacher is fully realized and deeply empathetic. I can see how the worlds they traveled to shaped them, and feel their pain at being both rejected by the real world and unable to return to their others. It's beautifully written story about characters, despite also being a murder mystery. The only flaw in this book is that I wanted so much more. Luckily there are more books in the series. Highly recommended to anyone who likes fantasy that collides with our world.
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LibraryThing member Shelby_Kuzma
Let me start this off by saying that while I used to read quite a bit of fantasy and science fiction, I have not done so much in the past few years. So, when a coworker recommended Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire to me, I was a little hesitant to pick it up. I’m not really in the mood for
Fortunately, I didn’t have to figure out what to say if I didn’t enjoy it, but I absolutely loved this story! Nancy is a teenage girl grieving over her return to the “real world” after stumbling into a fantasy land, which she considers to be her true home. In an effort to help her recover, Nancy’s parents send her to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, where everyone there is in the exact same position, including Eleanor West herself. As Nancy attempts to adjust to her new school while still searching for a way to return home, dark and strange things begin to happen around the school- and Nancy is at the center of the suspicion.
Part fantasy, part magical realism, part mystery- guys, this book was written for me. In under 200 pages, Seanan McGuire has crafted a fantastical world that is just beyond our reach, which only makes me want it more. Complete with well-developed characters (including a transgender character as well as an asexual character), a murder or two, and fairies, this book has something for everyone.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning about all of the different fantasy worlds. From the vampire lord, to a mad scientist, to a literal candyland, to the Hall of the Dead, it was fascinating to discover not only what each of these worlds contained, but also how the children were changed by their experiences.
Overall, I give this book 4.5/5 stars. Every Heart a Doorway reminds me of how I felt the first time I read Harry Potter, which is probably the biggest compliment I can give a book. If you are hunting for a new fantasy series, I highly recommend this novel! And at under 200 pages, what do you really have to lose?
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fantasy- What if I didn’t like it- do I tell her? Do I lie and say I did like it? Do I just hope she forgets that she ever mentioned? But, I figured at 169 pages, it wouldn’t hurt to at least give it a try.Fortunately, I didn’t have to figure out what to say if I didn’t enjoy it, but I absolutely loved this story! Nancy is a teenage girl grieving over her return to the “real world” after stumbling into a fantasy land, which she considers to be her true home. In an effort to help her recover, Nancy’s parents send her to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, where everyone there is in the exact same position, including Eleanor West herself. As Nancy attempts to adjust to her new school while still searching for a way to return home, dark and strange things begin to happen around the school- and Nancy is at the center of the suspicion.
Part fantasy, part magical realism, part mystery- guys, this book was written for me. In under 200 pages, Seanan McGuire has crafted a fantastical world that is just beyond our reach, which only makes me want it more. Complete with well-developed characters (including a transgender character as well as an asexual character), a murder or two, and fairies, this book has something for everyone.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning about all of the different fantasy worlds. From the vampire lord, to a mad scientist, to a literal candyland, to the Hall of the Dead, it was fascinating to discover not only what each of these worlds contained, but also how the children were changed by their experiences.
Overall, I give this book 4.5/5 stars. Every Heart a Doorway reminds me of how I felt the first time I read Harry Potter, which is probably the biggest compliment I can give a book. If you are hunting for a new fantasy series, I highly recommend this novel! And at under 200 pages, what do you really have to lose?
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
Every once in a while, a child finds a portal to another world, a place of magic and adventure. But when they return to our world, things can be difficult. Nancy went through a door to the Underworld, where she served in the court of the Lord of Death. She learned about stillness, and the
I love the concept of this book, though the actual details of the plot are a bit more disturbing than I usually like. The writing is delightful, though. I might try more by this author eventually. Highly recommended if you enjoy a good riff on the tropes of portal fantasy and have the stomach for a little bit of horror.
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particular beauty of darkness. He sent her back to our world, just to be sure that she understood the choice she was making. Her parents sent her to Eleanor West's school. There, she is surrounded by others like herself, who have tumbled into other worlds, and would give anything to go back. It's disorienting, being in this bright, quick world, with its colorful characters and unique lingo. And then, terrible things begin to happen...I love the concept of this book, though the actual details of the plot are a bit more disturbing than I usually like. The writing is delightful, though. I might try more by this author eventually. Highly recommended if you enjoy a good riff on the tropes of portal fantasy and have the stomach for a little bit of horror.
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LibraryThing member dreamweaversunited
Very good concept, uneven execution. Also, painfully Tumblr-y at several points.
LibraryThing member elenaj
Not really for me. At times too repetitive and simple in terms of the prose, other times too flowery. Way too much time spent in the characters' heads , which was exacerbated by POV issues. Very intriguing concept, but questionable execution.
LibraryThing member Beamis12
3.5 Every once in a while I like to try something a little different from what I normally read. Vampires, zombies and shapeshifters are out, so different lands, secret places, the Fay, the underworld, the faire are occasionally in. This was fun, could be read as a metaphor for all the children who
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do not fit in the world they inhabit. A school for children who have made unusual journeys, who found a stairway at the bottom of a chest or a small door in the corner of their room, took a trip and want only to go back, can not adjust to being back. Add a little murder mystery and you have a very imaginative and interesting read. Show Less
LibraryThing member chaiya
This story is not about Alice in Wonderland. This story is about how society has abandoned the Alices in Wonderland, once they've returned from their adventures beyond the looking glass. How do children who've experienced the impossible reintegrate with our society, or should they even do so? What
This book is a work of fiction, perhaps, but based in real problems. Any child who's returned from a Fairie Land can relate to the events described.
Personally, I also super appreciate the appearance of characters in this story who are non-gender-binary, non-heterosexual, non-white. Seanan McGuire is great for inclusion and diversity. A++, would read again! :)
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horrors do they perhaps perpetuate in the process? When children are being murdered, where might the culprit lie?This book is a work of fiction, perhaps, but based in real problems. Any child who's returned from a Fairie Land can relate to the events described.
Personally, I also super appreciate the appearance of characters in this story who are non-gender-binary, non-heterosexual, non-white. Seanan McGuire is great for inclusion and diversity. A++, would read again! :)
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LibraryThing member Kellswitch
What happens to the children who disappear through magical doorways, especially when they accidentally find their ways back home?
This is an interesting, eerie and slightly unsettling story about what it is like to have to leave your magic land and what it's like trying to re-acclimatize to
Considering this is a novella I found all of the characters felt fleshed out and believable and I got a very strong feeling for what their magic worlds were like, and why they fit in them so perfectly...and in our world so badly.
The ending of the book felt just a little rushed but not unsatisfying, and it did feel appropriate to the characters and the rules set up for this universe.
I was actually sad to have to leave this world behind after so short a visit, but then I found out at least two more books in this universe are planned so I am very excited about those.
An excellent start to a new series.
This is an interesting, eerie and slightly unsettling story about what it is like to have to leave your magic land and what it's like trying to re-acclimatize to
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“reality”.Considering this is a novella I found all of the characters felt fleshed out and believable and I got a very strong feeling for what their magic worlds were like, and why they fit in them so perfectly...and in our world so badly.
The ending of the book felt just a little rushed but not unsatisfying, and it did feel appropriate to the characters and the rules set up for this universe.
I was actually sad to have to leave this world behind after so short a visit, but then I found out at least two more books in this universe are planned so I am very excited about those.
An excellent start to a new series.
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LibraryThing member Strider66
Pros: brilliant characters, great premise
Cons: underdeveloped, mystery’s fairly easy to solve
Seventeen year old Nancy is starting at a new boarding school. But this isn’t just any school, it’s a school for kids who have found doorways to other worlds, kids who can’t forget their experiences
I loved the premise of this novella, that kids who went to other worlds (fairylands, underworlds, nonsense realms, etc.) would come back changed, and would want to return to those places. I also liked how their parents weren’t too happy with the changes, and how society viewed their ‘odd’ stories, assuming mental illness.
The characters were fantastic. What a fun bunch of misfits. You’re told that a particular type of person finds these doorways, and that shows in how these youths act. They tend to be older than their years, speaking with a refreshing frankness. They’re a diverse bunch with several sexualities and genders represented. Having an asexual protagonist was neat, as it’s a perspective not generally used.
While interesting, the murder mystery is fairly easy to solve. And the shortness of the book meant that things wrapped up pretty quickly.
I really enjoyed this story. It was a fast read, and while I’d have loved for it to be a full length novel, the author made some great observations about humanity.
Cons: underdeveloped, mystery’s fairly easy to solve
Seventeen year old Nancy is starting at a new boarding school. But this isn’t just any school, it’s a school for kids who have found doorways to other worlds, kids who can’t forget their experiences
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and adventures and who want to return to their real homes in those worlds. And one of them is willing to kill to find their doorway.I loved the premise of this novella, that kids who went to other worlds (fairylands, underworlds, nonsense realms, etc.) would come back changed, and would want to return to those places. I also liked how their parents weren’t too happy with the changes, and how society viewed their ‘odd’ stories, assuming mental illness.
The characters were fantastic. What a fun bunch of misfits. You’re told that a particular type of person finds these doorways, and that shows in how these youths act. They tend to be older than their years, speaking with a refreshing frankness. They’re a diverse bunch with several sexualities and genders represented. Having an asexual protagonist was neat, as it’s a perspective not generally used.
While interesting, the murder mystery is fairly easy to solve. And the shortness of the book meant that things wrapped up pretty quickly.
I really enjoyed this story. It was a fast read, and while I’d have loved for it to be a full length novel, the author made some great observations about humanity.
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LibraryThing member anneb10
Set in Evelyn West's School for Wayward Children, the children in question are not your typical troublemakers - they are the children who found the doors to other worlds, go walkabout in them, and then come back and must learn to deal with all that entails.
Nancy, a recently enrolled student, is
I read this in less than a day, and it speaks to everyone who ever looked for one of those special doors to anywhere else. It's also for all those who feel different from everyone around them (Nancy is asexual, Kade is transgender, and there's more than one neuro-atypical person) and longs to be understood. It's a fantastic read, and I hope this is but the first foray into this world.
Nancy, a recently enrolled student, is
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having a tough time adjusting to the world of her birth. No longer truly "home" for her, she - and all the rest of the students - longs to find the door back to that other world. Bewildered at first, she does make some friendly acquaintances who try to help her acclimate to the school. But then the murders start, and she's a suspect. It's a race to find the culprit before the outside world learns of the problem.I read this in less than a day, and it speaks to everyone who ever looked for one of those special doors to anywhere else. It's also for all those who feel different from everyone around them (Nancy is asexual, Kade is transgender, and there's more than one neuro-atypical person) and longs to be understood. It's a fantastic read, and I hope this is but the first foray into this world.
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LibraryThing member ronincats
Such an original concept! Such characters! Too short (it's a novella) with so much more opportunity to expand--it feels unfinished somehow, although it has a definite beginning and ending (albeit somewhat rushed). Paid too much for it just because it's a McGuire. Would have loved her to put the
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kind of development into it that she did into Sparrow Hill Road, but as much as she writes, I'm sure she has to prioritize her time. Show Less
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
First off, I'm compelled to say... this novella felt SO MUCH like Caitlin R. Kiernan's writing that if you had told me this was by Kiernan, I would have believed it. Not that it is in any way derivative - but I'd highly recommend it to Kiernan's fans (of which I am one).
Here, we're introduced to
The 'wayward children' are all odd, in their own ways. The biggest thing that they have in common is the feeling that they 'belong' in the world they're been ejected from. Nearly all are desperate to try to find the doorway that will lead them back 'home.'
The story here begins when Nancy arrives at the school, freshly arrives from a stern underworld of the dead, via her parents' house. At first, the adjustments she needs to make feel like any usual ones associated with arriving at a new school: getting to know a roommate, making the acquaintance of classmates, learning the rules and schedule. But soon after Nancy arrives, children start getting killed. No one is safe, and Eleanor West's haven is bound to be shut down if the worldly authorities start to investigate. Since Nancy is known to be associated with death, suspicion naturally falls upon her.
I loved the premise and setting of this story, but the plot itself feels like a bit of a standard murder mystery, with a too-abrupt neat resolution. I wanted a longer, more filled-out story with more strangeness to it.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
Here, we're introduced to
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"Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children." Ostensibly a reform school, Ms. West's establishment is actually something stranger: a refuge for young people who have sojourned in other worlds, and find it difficult to 'fit in' to our society once they return. West herself was once one of these children, and she's devoted herself to seeking out and helping those like her, and trying to find out more about the strange otherworlds that have been visited.The 'wayward children' are all odd, in their own ways. The biggest thing that they have in common is the feeling that they 'belong' in the world they're been ejected from. Nearly all are desperate to try to find the doorway that will lead them back 'home.'
The story here begins when Nancy arrives at the school, freshly arrives from a stern underworld of the dead, via her parents' house. At first, the adjustments she needs to make feel like any usual ones associated with arriving at a new school: getting to know a roommate, making the acquaintance of classmates, learning the rules and schedule. But soon after Nancy arrives, children start getting killed. No one is safe, and Eleanor West's haven is bound to be shut down if the worldly authorities start to investigate. Since Nancy is known to be associated with death, suspicion naturally falls upon her.
I loved the premise and setting of this story, but the plot itself feels like a bit of a standard murder mystery, with a too-abrupt neat resolution. I wanted a longer, more filled-out story with more strangeness to it.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
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LibraryThing member stormyhearted
It's a weird book, and while I am normally a big fan of weird books, this one just never quite clicked for me. The premise is awesome, and I love that the main character is explicitly asexual. I think this book would have been better served by being longer- spending more time with the main
As a note for other readers, there's a fair amount of blood, and while none of the characters have eating disorders, there's enough talk about food in a way that could be upsetting for people dealing with disordered eating.
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character, getting to know other students better, learning more about their worlds. As it was, the description was shallow enough and the pace fast enough that I never felt like I was really immersed. I was being told a story, and an interesting one at that, but it was always just a story.As a note for other readers, there's a fair amount of blood, and while none of the characters have eating disorders, there's enough talk about food in a way that could be upsetting for people dealing with disordered eating.
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Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novella — 2017)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novella — 2016)
Locus Award (Finalist — Novella — 2017)
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Long Fiction — 2017)
Alex Award (2017)
British Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novella — 2017)
Otherwise Award (Honor List — 2016)
ALA Rainbow Book List (Selection — Young Adult Fiction — 2017)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Fiction — 2016)
Language
Original publication date
2016-04-05
ISBN
9780765383877