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lauralintunen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia
queenpebbles's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Death
proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
"Some adventures begin easily. It is not HARD, after all, to be sucked up by a tornado or pushed through a particularly porous mirror; there is no skill involved in being swept away by a great wave or pulled down a rabbit hole. Some adventures require nothing more than a willing heart and the ability to trip over the cracks in the world."
Twin sisters Jack and Jill ended up at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children when they were 17 years old, but what happened before that? Their parents shaped them after their own ideals and never saw them as actual people. Jacqueline became her mother's perfect daughter: polite and quiet, always in beautiful dresses she's not allowed to get dirty. Jillian became her father’s perfect daughter: adventurous and brave, always playing with boys. Identical in appearance, total opposites in personality. When the girls were twelve they found a staircase at the bottom of a trunk...
We got to know Jack and Jill in the first book, "Every Heart a Doorway", and here we get their whole story, both their (rather tragic) childhood and their adventure in another world. I now understand them better, but I would have liked to read their parts in the first book again! It also gave me a better understanding about what’s behind those doors everybody seems to want to find again. The girl's upbringing almost made me shiver - and see that there are different forms of child abuse.
"Like bonsai being trained into shape by an assidious gardener, they were growing into the geometry of the parents' desires, and it was pushing them further and further away from each other. One day, perhaps, one of them would reach across the gulf and find that there was no one there."
It's really sad that the sisters' animosity towards each other follow them through the door to The Moors, even though in a slightly different way than expected. Now I'm curious to see what the next book has to offer!
Twin sisters Jack and Jill ended up at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children when they were 17 years old, but what happened before that? Their parents shaped them after their own ideals and never saw them as actual people. Jacqueline became her mother's perfect daughter: polite and quiet, always in beautiful dresses she's not allowed to get dirty. Jillian became her father’s perfect daughter: adventurous and brave, always playing with boys. Identical in appearance, total opposites in personality. When the girls were twelve they found a staircase at the bottom of a trunk...
We got to know Jack and Jill in the first book, "Every Heart a Doorway", and here we get their whole story, both their (rather tragic) childhood and their adventure in another world. I now understand them better, but I would have liked to read their parts in the first book again! It also gave me a better understanding about what’s behind those doors everybody seems to want to find again. The girl's upbringing almost made me shiver - and see that there are different forms of child abuse.
"Like bonsai being trained into shape by an assidious gardener, they were growing into the geometry of the parents' desires, and it was pushing them further and further away from each other. One day, perhaps, one of them would reach across the gulf and find that there was no one there."
It's really sad that the sisters' animosity towards each other follow them through the door to The Moors, even though in a slightly different way than expected. Now I'm curious to see what the next book has to offer!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Abandonment
nicolescottwv's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abandonment
astareads's review against another edition
I rarely DNF something when I'm already so close to finishing, but I just didn't care what happened to Jack and Jill or whatever their names were. McGuire's writing writhers my soul by chewing the simplest of ideas and spitting it out for the reader to digest, and when a book is less than 300 pages long it really doesn't leave much space for actual content. I hated the characters, cared for them even less than I cared for anyone in the Every Heart a Doorway, and rolled my eyes numerous times at the supposed rebellion against gender norms. How the hell this series has won awards, I will never understand.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
twistykris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This novella delves more into Jack and Jill's backstory, which was briefly mentioned in the first book.
It was interesting to hear how their personalities evolved when they were growing up around their parents vs when they were in Their World.
A very dark, compelling continuation of the Wayward children, and I can't wait to continue the series.
This bookmade me hate Jill even more because of what she did to Alexis, her sister's lover. I really wanted to empathize with her desire to be wanted and appreciated but UGH she's terrible..
It was interesting to hear how their personalities evolved when they were growing up around their parents vs when they were in Their World.
A very dark, compelling continuation of the Wayward children, and I can't wait to continue the series.
This book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Bullying, Fatphobia, and Medical content
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book focuses on the back stories of Jack and Jill - two characters from book 1. I really loved how gender roles were explored (and critiqued).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Fatphobia
Much of the book deals with Jack and Jill's parents forcing them into gender specific 'roles'. While neither character is trans, they are both girls who are not allowed to be true to themselves. Adult/minor relationship -destiny_jay's review against another edition
dark
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Blood
Moderate: Murder and Abandonment
Minor: Murder and Fire/Fire injury
francestea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? N/A
4.0
Really enjoyed this peek into Jack and Jill’s time in the Moors. It’s as dark -but also more beautiful- than I’d imagined. Similar vibe to the first book: hopeful yet tragic and incredibly readable. I’ll definitely continue with the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Blood and Murder
gayledayle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As an identical twin, there are several passages, especially in the first quarter, that made me nearly cry with a sense of recognition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, and Murder
75% of the book is spent in a world that is described as belonging in a classic horror movie, so while none of the 'moderate' warnings are main focuses, they are pervasive throughout the background. The emotional abuse is primarily in the first quarter, and is a main focus.