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. … 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.
PRAISE FOR EVERY HEART A DOORWAY
“Seanan McGuire has long been one of the smartest writers around, and with this novella we can easily see that her heart is as big as her brain. We know this story isn’t true, but it is truth.” — Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series (TV’s True Blood)
“Seanan McGuire once again demonstrates her intimate knowledge of the human heart in a powerful fable of loss, yearning and damaged children.” — Paul Cornell, author of London Falling and Witches of Lychford
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One of my all time favorite books and series. LGTBQIA characters. Wonderful world for anyone who has ever loved a portal fantasy.
I will happily read more of this world as they are written.
I would just like someone to explain what this book is for and about. Idea seemed good but it, I don’t know, it didn’t ‘do’ anything. Odd incomplete ending.
Tired several times to get into this book, but it just didn’t happen for me
Extraordinary world-imagining
Highly original.
I don’t know what I expected, but this book is really different than what I usually read.
This book is about a place where children that met other worlds go, the children of Wayward had travel through different cracks (doors, mirrors, windows) to other worlds or dimensions, and they dream and aspire to go back to those worlds…. Until Nancy arrives and terrible and mysterious things start to happen.
Quick and entertaining read.
I’ve been working my way through every single Seanan Macguire book and she always writes these beautiful, kind, melancholy characters that are utterly unforgettable. In the darkness of her created worlds, the goodness at the heart of her characters shines all the brighter.
The ideas were good, but the execution was, well, I’d describe it as Tumblrish. There’s conflation of sexual preferences with sexual orientation and rambling about those to a point that goes beyond what’s relevant to people you aren’t interested in dating. Lots of Tumblresque social commentary written in a way that wouldn’t convince anyone who doesn’t already agree with it (I do mostly agree with it, but still). The social interactions aren’t very natural and read like fanfic. Everyone’s kind of morbid. Everyone talks like they’ve been to therapy.
My biggest complaint is that this book and the next book in the series mutually spoil each other. I’ve read the second book in the series (despite giving this one two stars- because they’re short and fast and easy I guess), and I liked it more than this one, but basically its entire outline is covered in this book as backstory. If you read it first though, the murder mystery of this book won’t quite work as such.
It’s not classified as YA because it has some mild sexual content and swearing and morbidity and gore. But that said, I know from the internet and from my youth that this is what teenagers actually talk about and like, so I think it’s really written for teens and the only reason it isn’t classified as YA is so that parents won’t complain. There’s always that contrast between what teens think about and talk about unsupervised versus what their parents are comfortable with them knowing, you know? Anyway, look, the kids are going to find ways to talk and think and read about this stuff no matter what you do, so just let them have it.
The descriptions were vivid, every world intriguing and enchanting in their own morbid way. Nancy was an amazing narrator; her quiet and observant demeanor immediately grabbed my attention, since I’ve never quite read about anyone like her. Every character was unique, and they had their own stories. It was a bit predictable, but the writing was enjoyable.
Resonates with my childhood+ yearnings.
Definitely a strange novella. More of a who-done-it mystery than anything else. I was definitely intrigued by the school and its students, but didn’t feel like I understood enough about the world to fully enjoy the story. I will try out Book 2 to see if it fills in the gaps more, but it looks like it may just be about 2 of the characters, not sure.