Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Tordotcom (2022), 160 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Mythology. HTML: In Where the Drowned Girls Go, the next addition to Seanan McGuire's beloved Wayward Children series, students at an anti-magical school rebel against the oppressive faculty "Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you've already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company." There is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again. It isn't as friendly as Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. And it isn't as safe. When Eleanor West decided to open her school, her sanctuary, her "Home for Wayward Children," she knew from the beginning that there would be children she couldn't save; when Cora decides she needs a different direction, a different fate, a different prophecy, Miss West reluctantly agrees to transfer her to the other school, where things are run very differently by Whitethorn, the Headmaster. She will soon discover that not all doors are welcoming... A Macmillan Audio production from Tordotcom.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member hcnewton
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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And everyone knew that things from the other side of the door could absolutely leak through into this reality. Her hair had been brown, not aquamarine, before she found her fins. Christopher would die without his flute—literally die.
WHAT'S WHERE THE DROWNED GIRLS GO ABOUT?
Things have gone poorly for Cora since her return from the Moors, and things are getting worse for her. She's now afraid of getting a door—because it might not lead to the world she wants. So now that "other school" starts to sound appealing to her. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to feel at home in this world—it's certainly better than one of the alternatives. There's no way that she'll get those tools at this school (as much as she likes/loves her friends).
So she talks West into transferring her—and regrets the decision before the ink is dried. Still, she sets out to make the best of a bad situation—it's still going to get her the results she's been desiring, just not in a pleasant way.
Cora tackles the situation in a "no pain, no gain" manner. West's school wasn't helping (at least not the way she wanted), the Whitethorn Institute isn't going to save her, it's up to Cora to save herself.
WHITEHORN INSTITUTE
"You've always said that there was a second school."
Eleanor pulled her hands away. “The Whitethorn Institute. Cora, you can’t intend—”
“You said they steal your students sometimes. That when you're not fast enough, or when the children are having a harder time adapting to life in this reality, that sometimes Whitethorn gets there first.” She sat up straight, giving Eleanor a challenging look. “You said it was where students go when they want to believe that everything that happened on the other side of the door was just a dream, or a delusion, and not a real thing at all.”
We've known about "the other school" for children who come back through their doors into our world—one for those who didn't want to see their doors again, one for those who want to feel at home in this world. But this is the first time we've seen it.
It is not a nice place to be.
That's about all I feel comfortable about saying—you'll need to read the book to see how it's not a nice place to be. I get that (especially as the series takes a pro-Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children stance) it's not going to seem as nice, welcoming, and affirming as the school we're used to. I expected that this school would come across as wanting, not just in contrast, but objectively,
But I think McGuire approached that idea in a lazy manner. It's too obviously a bad environment. She had the chance to go subtle, and she didn't take it. I kept thinking, "Oh, she's making a commentary about X or Y" in the real world—but she was doing so with too broad a brush, and it'd end up applying to things she didn't mean to attack.
Still, if you're looking to make an establishment a villain, she did an effective job. I think it'd have been more interesting—and more fitting with the series—if there'd been more nuance to it. Give the readers a second school that has differing goals from the Home for Wayward Children, but let us respect them while disagreeing—then you've got something. Instead, we get an institution that might as well be twirling its mustache.
REAGAN
It's not just Cora that we see here, Regan's also came to this school after returning from the Hooflands. I appreciated that. I didn't think we had enough of Regan—but it didn't feel like the character would be showing up at West's.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT WHERE THE DROWNED GIRLS GO?
McGuire is simply one of the best around—and this world she's created in this series is just wonderful and I really enjoy all the time I spend in it. But this book seemed to be missing something. The previous books in the series all left the possibility open to revisiting the world on the other side of the door, the POV character, and so on—while telling a complete story.
This novel is also a complete story—but it feels (at least to me) too much like a Part One of at least a two-parter (if not three). And I think the book suffered from it. When we get to that second part, I might change my mind about this book, but now it just feels incomplete. Add in my problems with the presentation of Whitethorn and it makes for a less-satisfying read than I'm used to for this series.
I still recommend it as a read—you're instantly sucked into this world, it's fantastic to get a look at Whitethorn (if nothing else); the story of Cora, Regan, and the others is well-worth telling and reading; and McGuire's language and imagination in this series are always fascinating. I just wanted more of this good thing.
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And everyone knew that things from the other side of the door could absolutely leak through into this reality. Her hair had been brown, not aquamarine, before she found her fins. Christopher would die without his flute—literally die.
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Seraphina was the kind of beautiful that stopped hearts, and everyone who'd seen pictures of her from before her travels said that she hadn’t always been like that. She’d been attractive, not impossible. The doors made changes. The doors stayed with you.WHAT'S WHERE THE DROWNED GIRLS GO ABOUT?
Things have gone poorly for Cora since her return from the Moors, and things are getting worse for her. She's now afraid of getting a door—because it might not lead to the world she wants. So now that "other school" starts to sound appealing to her. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to feel at home in this world—it's certainly better than one of the alternatives. There's no way that she'll get those tools at this school (as much as she likes/loves her friends).
So she talks West into transferring her—and regrets the decision before the ink is dried. Still, she sets out to make the best of a bad situation—it's still going to get her the results she's been desiring, just not in a pleasant way.
Cora tackles the situation in a "no pain, no gain" manner. West's school wasn't helping (at least not the way she wanted), the Whitethorn Institute isn't going to save her, it's up to Cora to save herself.
WHITEHORN INSTITUTE
"You've always said that there was a second school."
Eleanor pulled her hands away. “The Whitethorn Institute. Cora, you can’t intend—”
“You said they steal your students sometimes. That when you're not fast enough, or when the children are having a harder time adapting to life in this reality, that sometimes Whitethorn gets there first.” She sat up straight, giving Eleanor a challenging look. “You said it was where students go when they want to believe that everything that happened on the other side of the door was just a dream, or a delusion, and not a real thing at all.”
We've known about "the other school" for children who come back through their doors into our world—one for those who didn't want to see their doors again, one for those who want to feel at home in this world. But this is the first time we've seen it.
It is not a nice place to be.
That's about all I feel comfortable about saying—you'll need to read the book to see how it's not a nice place to be. I get that (especially as the series takes a pro-Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children stance) it's not going to seem as nice, welcoming, and affirming as the school we're used to. I expected that this school would come across as wanting, not just in contrast, but objectively,
But I think McGuire approached that idea in a lazy manner. It's too obviously a bad environment. She had the chance to go subtle, and she didn't take it. I kept thinking, "Oh, she's making a commentary about X or Y" in the real world—but she was doing so with too broad a brush, and it'd end up applying to things she didn't mean to attack.
Still, if you're looking to make an establishment a villain, she did an effective job. I think it'd have been more interesting—and more fitting with the series—if there'd been more nuance to it. Give the readers a second school that has differing goals from the Home for Wayward Children, but let us respect them while disagreeing—then you've got something. Instead, we get an institution that might as well be twirling its mustache.
REAGAN
It's not just Cora that we see here, Regan's also came to this school after returning from the Hooflands. I appreciated that. I didn't think we had enough of Regan—but it didn't feel like the character would be showing up at West's.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT WHERE THE DROWNED GIRLS GO?
McGuire is simply one of the best around—and this world she's created in this series is just wonderful and I really enjoy all the time I spend in it. But this book seemed to be missing something. The previous books in the series all left the possibility open to revisiting the world on the other side of the door, the POV character, and so on—while telling a complete story.
This novel is also a complete story—but it feels (at least to me) too much like a Part One of at least a two-parter (if not three). And I think the book suffered from it. When we get to that second part, I might change my mind about this book, but now it just feels incomplete. Add in my problems with the presentation of Whitethorn and it makes for a less-satisfying read than I'm used to for this series.
I still recommend it as a read—you're instantly sucked into this world, it's fantastic to get a look at Whitethorn (if nothing else); the story of Cora, Regan, and the others is well-worth telling and reading; and McGuire's language and imagination in this series are always fascinating. I just wanted more of this good thing.
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LibraryThing member AmyM3317
After her run-in with the Drowned Gods while on the Moors, Cora is finding it difficult to get their voices out of her dreams. She knows that as long as they have her, she cannot go back to the Trenches as she wouldn't lead them back to the place that saved her life once upon a time.
Cora knows
I always look forward to these books. Where the Drowned Girls Go is like a converging of the storylines from [book:Come Tumbling Down|44804083] and [book:Across the Green Grass Fields|53205924]. Longtime readers will certainly recognize previous characters and will appreciate the pick-up of a previous storyline. I feel like the series, thus far, has kind of been divided up into multiple story arcs and I think this one could be the start of another one.
This one is definitely in my top favorites of this series. We've been to many fantastical places but I liked kind of seeing another side to the "real world". It definitely opens up other pathways for the series and I can even imagine this setup following the series until the end where I'm hoping a beloved character finally gets their story.
This series is always such a treasure in how it deals with traumas and friendships and all those difficult things that moving through life will bring. But most of all I love how it highlights heroes and strength and perseverance.
Cora knows
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that she needs to change the way things are progressing, so she decides to leave Eleanor West's and chooses to go to the Whitethorn Institute where they claim to be able to rehabilitate those whose doors have closed and help them get back into "normal" society. But Cora discovers Whitethorn is full of forgotten secrets. I always look forward to these books. Where the Drowned Girls Go is like a converging of the storylines from [book:Come Tumbling Down|44804083] and [book:Across the Green Grass Fields|53205924]. Longtime readers will certainly recognize previous characters and will appreciate the pick-up of a previous storyline. I feel like the series, thus far, has kind of been divided up into multiple story arcs and I think this one could be the start of another one.
This one is definitely in my top favorites of this series. We've been to many fantastical places but I liked kind of seeing another side to the "real world". It definitely opens up other pathways for the series and I can even imagine this setup following the series until the end where I'm hoping a beloved character finally gets their story.
This series is always such a treasure in how it deals with traumas and friendships and all those difficult things that moving through life will bring. But most of all I love how it highlights heroes and strength and perseverance.
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LibraryThing member Strider66
Pros: thought provoking, plus sized protagonist, interesting story
Cons:
Cora Miller is still having nightmares months after returning from the Moors and no longer believes Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children can help her. So she transfers to the other school for children who have found doors
This is the 7th novella in the Wayward Children series and relies on knowledge of the prior books to really work. You find out what happened to Regan after the events of Across the Green Grass Fields as Cora deals with the trauma of visiting the Moors in Come Tumbling Down.
Cora is a fantastic character and though it’s not her origin story (so no mermaid adventures in the Trenches) it was wonderful watching her grow and realize that she doesn’t need to be in a portal world to be a hero. And that sometimes you just have to deal with your problems head on.
I found the book thought provoking as it pointed out some of the daily horrors humans inflict on each other, especially towards those with larger bodies.
The story is engaging and the perfect length.
Cons:
Cora Miller is still having nightmares months after returning from the Moors and no longer believes Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children can help her. So she transfers to the other school for children who have found doors
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to other worlds, Whitethorn. Upon arrival she realizes she’s made a terrible mistake. But while it’s easy to enter Whitethorn, it’s very hard to leave.This is the 7th novella in the Wayward Children series and relies on knowledge of the prior books to really work. You find out what happened to Regan after the events of Across the Green Grass Fields as Cora deals with the trauma of visiting the Moors in Come Tumbling Down.
Cora is a fantastic character and though it’s not her origin story (so no mermaid adventures in the Trenches) it was wonderful watching her grow and realize that she doesn’t need to be in a portal world to be a hero. And that sometimes you just have to deal with your problems head on.
I found the book thought provoking as it pointed out some of the daily horrors humans inflict on each other, especially towards those with larger bodies.
The story is engaging and the perfect length.
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LibraryThing member benChroma
Absolutely delightful exploration of the larger universe these books are set in. The motivations of the character's were clear and compelling, even when it felt like choices I wouldn't make. I still absolutely love Cora as a character and she carries the story well. Getting to see the inside of the
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Other School left me wanting more in a good way. I continue to appreciate a cast of characters that is well rounded. Show Less
LibraryThing member tapestry100
There are schools other than Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, and in @seananmcguire’s latest from @tordotcompub, Where the Drowned Girls Go, we are introduced to the Whitethorn Institute and its staff of nameless matrons and a headmaster who is remarkably unmemorable.
After her journey
McGuire gives us our first true villain in the “real” world, and I’m here for him. There is so much mystery surrounding Whitethorn and his institute and he’s so damned unnerving. An excellent, if not slightly terrifying, addition to the cast of characters for these books.
After her journey
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to the Moors and her brush with the Drowned Gods there, Cora decides she needs a different path than the one Miss West’s school is offering her. She transfers to the Whitethorn Institute and quickly discovers there is something very wrong with this school. When Sumi also transfers to the Institute with the express purpose of bringing Cora home, the friends quickly discover that if they are to survive in this world or any other, they need to escape the seemingly impenetrable walls of Whitethorn. Turns out, sometimes all you need is a little inner strength and faith in yourself to defeat your demons.McGuire gives us our first true villain in the “real” world, and I’m here for him. There is so much mystery surrounding Whitethorn and his institute and he’s so damned unnerving. An excellent, if not slightly terrifying, addition to the cast of characters for these books.
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
Cora Miller, the girl who went through the Door to the world of the Trenches, became a mermaid, had the experience of being a true hero but overall very traumatic experience in the Moors, and returned home to our world, has loved Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. Unfortunately, it hasn't
The Whitehorn Institute is a very different place, very strict, very disciplined, very inflexible, aimed at making the students forget their alternate worlds and the doors that took them there. It's not a kind place, or a safe one.
CW: Fatphobia, suicidal ideation, bullying, and ableism. Mental and emotional abuse from the Headmaster and the Matrons.
Cora initially finds herself being beaten down, and perhaps letting go of some of her grip on her memories. She also meets girls very different from herself, including the Nameless Girl, and some months in, is surprised by a very familiar face as another new student--but who has a very different goal than Cora.
This is a novella, and I can't say anything more that's specific. It's a story about Cora finding her own inner strength, and figuring out what's really going on at The Whitehorn Institute. It's emotionally complex and rewarding, and thoroughly enjoyable, I will say it's even more enjoyable if you've already read Beneath the Sugar Sky and Come Tumbling Down, because events in those novellas are the background for Cora's trauma. However, I think you can follow and enjoy this book on its own, too.
Highly recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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been helping her in the way she thinks she needs. After much thought, she asks to be transferred to the other school for returning travelers, The Whitehorn Institute.The Whitehorn Institute is a very different place, very strict, very disciplined, very inflexible, aimed at making the students forget their alternate worlds and the doors that took them there. It's not a kind place, or a safe one.
CW: Fatphobia, suicidal ideation, bullying, and ableism. Mental and emotional abuse from the Headmaster and the Matrons.
Cora initially finds herself being beaten down, and perhaps letting go of some of her grip on her memories. She also meets girls very different from herself, including the Nameless Girl, and some months in, is surprised by a very familiar face as another new student--but who has a very different goal than Cora.
This is a novella, and I can't say anything more that's specific. It's a story about Cora finding her own inner strength, and figuring out what's really going on at The Whitehorn Institute. It's emotionally complex and rewarding, and thoroughly enjoyable, I will say it's even more enjoyable if you've already read Beneath the Sugar Sky and Come Tumbling Down, because events in those novellas are the background for Cora's trauma. However, I think you can follow and enjoy this book on its own, too.
Highly recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Good writing (of course), exciting action with quite a few scary bits (the truth behind Whitethorn School!)...but the story pretty much ends up where it started. Well, at least one new character - maybe Marian gets the next story? And this one was necessary to explain where she was coming from?
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Don't know. Some interesting insights into Sumi and Cora, too. And we get to see Regan again, and she gets integrated into the main line. Still - fun read, but there doesn't seem to be much point to it; hopefully, it's building up to the next arc. Show Less
LibraryThing member Verkruissen
These books just get better and better with each installment. Highly recommend to anyone who dreams of escaping the world through a magical door.
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
A story full of kindness, set in a place with little kindness to be found. I loved seeing Cora and Sumi and Ragen again, and we learned some intriguing things about the world. Loved the ending.
LibraryThing member rivkat
Cora, a former mermaid, is so haunted by the drowned gods she encountered in a previous book that she decides to transfer to the other school, the one where they encourage students to forget their experiences and see them as delusions. It doesn’t go well. At this point in the series, I think you
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know if you’ll like it. Show Less
LibraryThing member ladycato
I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.
Where the Drowned Girls Go is the 7th novella in McGuire's incredible Wayward Children series about children who slip through portals to other worlds and return, to various consequences. I rate a couple of these novellas as among the best things
Cora has suffered after the events of other novellas. She is haunted by other-worldly gods who will not let her go. Miss Eleanor and friends at the Home for Wayward Children try to help her, but she's only worsening. Therefore, she makes a drastic choice to switch to another school for children who have returned from other worlds. She finds a place that is disturbing, a place where everything is not what it seems.
This is a good read--good pace, good relatable characters (as someone who was obese in school, wow did I relate to Cora), good exploration of this fascinating world. I hope McGuire continues to write in this series, as I fully intend to read them all.
Where the Drowned Girls Go is the 7th novella in McGuire's incredible Wayward Children series about children who slip through portals to other worlds and return, to various consequences. I rate a couple of these novellas as among the best things
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I have ever read. This one falls into a middle ground. It's a good read, and features some incredibly profound moments, but can't match some of the other books.Cora has suffered after the events of other novellas. She is haunted by other-worldly gods who will not let her go. Miss Eleanor and friends at the Home for Wayward Children try to help her, but she's only worsening. Therefore, she makes a drastic choice to switch to another school for children who have returned from other worlds. She finds a place that is disturbing, a place where everything is not what it seems.
This is a good read--good pace, good relatable characters (as someone who was obese in school, wow did I relate to Cora), good exploration of this fascinating world. I hope McGuire continues to write in this series, as I fully intend to read them all.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
I continue to love this series, and to appreciate all the unexpected places the storyline takes us. Much like the wayward children, we never know what door is going to open next. Cora is fantastic, and I love to see her come into her own, even if the ways she travels are toxic.
Advanced Reader's
Advanced Reader's
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Copy provided by Edelweiss. Show Less
LibraryThing member readinggeek451
There is another school for children who have returned through their doors: Whitethorn. Unlike Mrs. West's School for Wayward Children, it is a rigid, dismal place, designed to brainwash students into accepting this world as their best, right, true, proper home. Cora, once a mermaid, doesn't know
A worthy entry in the series.
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that when she requests a transfer; she just knows that she needs to forget.A worthy entry in the series.
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LibraryThing member fred_mouse
Here, in book 7 of the Wayward Children series, I'm suddenly getting a more nuanced feel for how the stories fit together. Having just finished it, I think it is the best, but also the darkest of the series so far.
The story loops back to Cora, who has been one of the ensemble in a previous story.
There are a lot of fascinating bits of world building, with the focus being on the common 'mundane' world that the children have all come from. Very interested in seeing how this adds together.
Up to now, I'd say that we have very much had a child/adolescent viewpoint on the doors, the alternate worlds, and the lives of the children who return. This one takes a step back, and while the story is still told from the younger viewpoint, the larger story it is telling is much more adult -- much more recognition of what is at stake beyond family, familiarity, and home
content warnings: emotional abuse, school based trauma, identity theft
The story loops back to Cora, who has been one of the ensemble in a previous story.
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Here, we get a clear stage for Cora to shine, and shine they do. But we also get to see an alternative path for those who return through their doors -- an alternative school, with a very different treatment focus for the students. I found the pedagogy of the school really difficult to read, and it is part of why I say it is dark. There are a lot of fascinating bits of world building, with the focus being on the common 'mundane' world that the children have all come from. Very interested in seeing how this adds together.
Up to now, I'd say that we have very much had a child/adolescent viewpoint on the doors, the alternate worlds, and the lives of the children who return. This one takes a step back, and while the story is still told from the younger viewpoint, the larger story it is telling is much more adult -- much more recognition of what is at stake beyond family, familiarity, and home
content warnings: emotional abuse, school based trauma, identity theft
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LibraryThing member tuusannuuska
The Wayward Children series is pretty inconsistent for me, and over all it falls into the "good but not great" category.
This novella takes place mostly in a second institution for children who have visited alternate worlds. And I actually found it much more interesting (if far less pleasant) than
The best part about these books is the varied representation, and the concepts of the different worlds. However, I always feel like McGuire attempts to fit a novels worth of plot and character arc into less than 200 pages, and they always end up feeling too rushed and watery for me. I don't want watery, I want full bodied and rich.
This wasn't my favorite in the series, but it wasn't my least favorite either. The short length works in favor of these less than stellar installments, because at least they go by quickly.
This novella takes place mostly in a second institution for children who have visited alternate worlds. And I actually found it much more interesting (if far less pleasant) than
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our usual boarding school.The best part about these books is the varied representation, and the concepts of the different worlds. However, I always feel like McGuire attempts to fit a novels worth of plot and character arc into less than 200 pages, and they always end up feeling too rushed and watery for me. I don't want watery, I want full bodied and rich.
This wasn't my favorite in the series, but it wasn't my least favorite either. The short length works in favor of these less than stellar installments, because at least they go by quickly.
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LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
The latest in this line of novellas is better if you have read the previous two. It isn’t necessary to have read all of them but the previous two have people that are featured in this one. Cora isn’t dealing well with coming back from the Moors. She wants to go back to the Trenches but the
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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Drowned Gods in the deep waters of the Moors want her more. Cora can’t take the calls in her dreams leaving her with sleepless nights she begs to go to the other school for Wayward Children. The one for kids that don’t want to travel back to their worlds but the slam the door shut and live here forever. But once she is there it is not what she thought, and she is desperate to escape. And one day she gets a new roommate, someone she knows very well and then the reader finds out just what the Whitethorn Institute is doing. Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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LibraryThing member Herenya
I’ve skipped the Wayward Children novellas that sound too dark for my tastes, but I met Cora in Beneath the Sugar Sky (and Reagan in Across the Green Grass Fields). Cora decides she needs a different approach in the aftermath of her most recent portal-world adventure and transfers to Whitethorn
This had the potential to explore how different education environments suit different people, because people have different needs… but instead goes for something that's less subtle, less nuanced and more politically pointed. And I'm not really surprised.
Otherwise, it's a well-written and tense episode. I'll keep being selective about which ones in this series I read.
Sometimes she felt like the world where she’d been born was the most nonsensical of them all. Sure, gravity always worked and clouds didn’t talk, but people told lies big enough to block the sun, and everyone just let them, like it was nothing to revise the story of an entire world to make yourself feel better.
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Institute, where things are run very differently.This had the potential to explore how different education environments suit different people, because people have different needs… but instead goes for something that's less subtle, less nuanced and more politically pointed. And I'm not really surprised.
Otherwise, it's a well-written and tense episode. I'll keep being selective about which ones in this series I read.
Sometimes she felt like the world where she’d been born was the most nonsensical of them all. Sure, gravity always worked and clouds didn’t talk, but people told lies big enough to block the sun, and everyone just let them, like it was nothing to revise the story of an entire world to make yourself feel better.
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LibraryThing member tornadox
Another lovely entry. This one mostly takes place at the other school for wayward children, the one for children who don’t want to return to their lives beyond the Doors.
Oddly enough, this is the first one where I haven’t cried buckets of tears. But it is sooooooo good.
Oddly enough, this is the first one where I haven’t cried buckets of tears. But it is sooooooo good.
LibraryThing member KallieGrace
I loved moving to the dark side of this universe with the school for kids who want to forget, or maybe are being forced to forget. I wish these were just a bit longer though, it gets interesting right when it's about to end!
LibraryThing member AngelaJMaher
Another enjoyable read. I feel this one delves more into the inner conflict characters feel about their experiences. A change to being set at the other school was another good aspect.
LibraryThing member lexilewords
Be Sure - words that, if I had the audacity to do as much, tattoo on my body in flowing gothic calligraphy.
I'm never SURE about anything. Oh I can be certain, based on knowledge and experience. I can even know, based on the information in front of me.
But sure? No, that's a bone deep belief.
McGuire's Wayward Children books explore how being sure is both positive and negative. The consequences of trying to both be sure and not trust that surety. More then a promise, Be Sure is a warning because once you're are, there is no going back.
Cora is a different kind of student. She begins her entrance into this series like the others - struggling to find just what her Door wants from her to Be Sure, but after the events of COME TUMBLING DOWN (when our merry band of misfits break the one rule Eleanor hopes will protect them - that is, they go on a Quest), Cora hasn't been able to feel...safe.
The shadows haunt her, whispering and terrible. They seek to steal her and she is terrified she will bring ruin to the world beyond her door. So she chooses instead to let go. Unlike Kade who can't return, or Sumi who won't return until its time, or Jack who exiled herself to protect her sister, Cora decides it would be better if she forgot and never returned.
This, friends, is where the OTHER school that has been alluded to comes into play...and where Cora learns that "Be Sure" isn't just a promise or a warning, its a foundation to anchor yourself and find who you truly are.
I'm never SURE about anything. Oh I can be certain, based on knowledge and experience. I can even know, based on the information in front of me.
But sure? No, that's a bone deep belief.
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Something central to who you are. A trust you follow because it feels right.McGuire's Wayward Children books explore how being sure is both positive and negative. The consequences of trying to both be sure and not trust that surety. More then a promise, Be Sure is a warning because once you're are, there is no going back.
Cora is a different kind of student. She begins her entrance into this series like the others - struggling to find just what her Door wants from her to Be Sure, but after the events of COME TUMBLING DOWN (when our merry band of misfits break the one rule Eleanor hopes will protect them - that is, they go on a Quest), Cora hasn't been able to feel...safe.
The shadows haunt her, whispering and terrible. They seek to steal her and she is terrified she will bring ruin to the world beyond her door. So she chooses instead to let go. Unlike Kade who can't return, or Sumi who won't return until its time, or Jack who exiled herself to protect her sister, Cora decides it would be better if she forgot and never returned.
This, friends, is where the OTHER school that has been alluded to comes into play...and where Cora learns that "Be Sure" isn't just a promise or a warning, its a foundation to anchor yourself and find who you truly are.
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LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Cora decides that she needs to find a way to keep the monsters away so she transfers from Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children to Whitethorn where things are different and where the regime is designed to normalise you, no matter how much damage that might do to your psyche. But beneath the
Regan is also in this story and plays a pivotal role.
This series keeps getting darker but you can see themes stay the same. Personal choice and freedom of expression are at the heart of each of the stories and finding a place that allows you to be more wholly you being important for everyone.
I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
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numbing regime there's something else lurking, some plotting that when it meets Cora and later Sumi who has decided to rescue Cora, it fails to break them.Regan is also in this story and plays a pivotal role.
This series keeps getting darker but you can see themes stay the same. Personal choice and freedom of expression are at the heart of each of the stories and finding a place that allows you to be more wholly you being important for everyone.
I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
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LibraryThing member LynnMPK
This book was great! It gave me ominous boarding school vibes, and even though Sumi usually grates on my nerves she miraculously wasn't annoying in this book. I really like how Cora has grown as a character and while you could argue that this book has an ensemble cast we really only follow Cora
Seeing Whitethorn Institute, the other home for Wayward Children, was interesting and revitalized the series in a way. Eleanor has been uninvolved and distant in the last few books and, honestly, she's beginning to annoy me as well.
Overall, I'm enjoying this series and am excited to read the next book.
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closely, so it makes sense that I would enjoy it more than some of the other books in this series.Seeing Whitethorn Institute, the other home for Wayward Children, was interesting and revitalized the series in a way. Eleanor has been uninvolved and distant in the last few books and, honestly, she's beginning to annoy me as well.
Overall, I'm enjoying this series and am excited to read the next book.
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Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novella — 2023)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — Hall of Fame — January 2022)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2022-01-04
Physical description
160 p.; 8.5 inches
ISBN
1250213622 / 9781250213624