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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Fantastic fantasy book that is great for adults or young adults okay with gore and darker themes.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a nice fantasy book along the lines of Alice in Wonderland and Narnia but darker. I was a little confused about the intended audience of the book. It reads like YA/middle grade but it was dark enough to be adult. I like the concept but it felt like the book was trying to be everything. The murder mystery part could have been avoided. It should have been replaced by more world building. The representations felt a bit preachy -- it's great that the characters are diverse but I don't need dictionary definitions for each of them -- I can come to my own conclusions. I couldn't feel very attached to the characters themselves and they felt a bit one dimensional. I did like the concept of the book though -- accidentally falling into different worlds and dealing with the aftermath of it in the real world. I would like to see more about those worlds and their adventures there. Overall, this is great if you're looking for a short fantasy book to read in a few hours. I will be reading the rest of the series (mostly because it's short, and I already got the books from the library).
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
This was a quick and fun read, with interesting worldbuilding. I really like the concept of children falling into strange worlds, each of them different, but with doorways that sometimes open into ours. Adding a mystery element into this is fun as well, although ultimately it fell a bit flat for me. Like... the resurrected skeleton girl literally points at the empty space next to the one twin present in the scene, and then everyone just moves on like it's not immediately obvious that she was referring to the other twin as the killer??
My library only had this first book in the series, but I may give the next one a try at some point.
My library only had this first book in the series, but I may give the next one a try at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Gore, Transphobia
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
We've all heard fairytales of underworlds, worlds of sugar, worlds of faeries. But what about the people that return from those worlds and want to go back? At Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children each of her wards have gone through a door, found their true home, but unfortunately end up back in our world. Nancy has just arrived at the home, but strange murders start occurring and no one knows who the culprit is.
Very rarely do I read books about asexual main characters so I was extremely excited to meet Nancy as well as Kade, who is transgender. Every character (other than Eleanor) is between 12 and 18. However, that does NOT mean this is a young adult book by any means. There is creepy elements, mild horror, and goreish descriptions like dissolving a body in acid (though from a chemist, using a strong base works better). There are a few minor plot holes, but each character arc still made sense and I'm excited to jump back into this world.
Very rarely do I read books about asexual main characters so I was extremely excited to meet Nancy as well as Kade, who is transgender. Every character (other than Eleanor) is between 12 and 18. However, that does NOT mean this is a young adult book by any means. There is creepy elements, mild horror, and goreish descriptions like dissolving a body in acid (though from a chemist, using a strong base works better). There are a few minor plot holes, but each character arc still made sense and I'm excited to jump back into this world.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Such an odd little book, but I absolutely adored it. Very whimsical, but in a dark & twisty way. I’m excited to read about more of the Wayward Children
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense