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theaceofpages's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Have you ever wondered what happens when someone returns to the real world in a portal fantasy? What it's like to leave the world of wonder and return to our rather mundane reality? This book looks is set at a school for those who wish to return to the worlds that they have been ripped from and need to try to learn to let go of the lives that they have lost so that they can reintegrate into our world.
I have been aware of and interested in this book for a while (I will admit that the asexual representation is part of it!). I went in mostly blind since I wasn't aware of much (I knew there was an asexual character and there were portals to fantasy worlds). I finally got around to reading it and I accidentally finished it in a day (it is short, yes, but I wasn't expecting to rush through it quite this quickly). I had such a good time reading it. The writing was beautiful and I can definitely imagine the pain of being forced out of a fantasy world (look, I'm still homesick for a place I worked at last year and this wasn't even a completely different realm with magic!) The school seems like it would simultaneously be great (others get it and no one will stop you from going to what you now consider home if you get the chance) and awful (oops, you are stuck in the real world now and need to learn to deal with it). There's a bit of a murder mystery thrown in too and I enjoyed that, although I did guess who the killer was from one of the clues. That didn't take away from my enjoyment though!
I will definitely be continuing with the rest of the series. In fact, I'm already ready to dive into the next book! Unfortunately that will probably have to wait until next year since I have some other books I'd like to get through before the year ends. I'm very excited to get back into it soon and see where the other books go (at this point I have no idea and based off my enjoyment of this book, I think I'll be trying to go into the other books knowing as little as possible as well!)
I have been aware of and interested in this book for a while (I will admit that the asexual representation is part of it!). I went in mostly blind since I wasn't aware of much (I knew there was an asexual character and there were portals to fantasy worlds). I finally got around to reading it and I accidentally finished it in a day (it is short, yes, but I wasn't expecting to rush through it quite this quickly). I had such a good time reading it. The writing was beautiful and I can definitely imagine the pain of being forced out of a fantasy world (look, I'm still homesick for a place I worked at last year and this wasn't even a completely different realm with magic!) The school seems like it would simultaneously be great (others get it and no one will stop you from going to what you now consider home if you get the chance) and awful (oops, you are stuck in the real world now and need to learn to deal with it). There's a bit of a murder mystery thrown in too and I enjoyed that, although I did guess who the killer was from one of the clues. That didn't take away from my enjoyment though!
I will definitely be continuing with the rest of the series. In fact, I'm already ready to dive into the next book! Unfortunately that will probably have to wait until next year since I have some other books I'd like to get through before the year ends. I'm very excited to get back into it soon and see where the other books go (at this point I have no idea and based off my enjoyment of this book, I think I'll be trying to go into the other books knowing as little as possible as well!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Murder, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Eating disorder, and Transphobia
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, and Grief
matcha_cat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Murder
Minor: Transphobia
asparagushead's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Eating disorder, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, and Vomit
xosirenox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Eating disorder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Deadnaming, Kidnapping, Transphobia, Animal death, and Medical content
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.0
I liked this! A very quick read that I would’ve savored if I’d known it was so perfectly Halloween-y!
I will say that I guessed the baddie by accident very early on but said “no, they have to be a red herring”… Lol!
A tad predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. A really interesting zoom in on what fantasy worlds mean to children, and what they protect them from. Not sure what to make of Kade’s story to be honest; it’s much bleaker than the rest & I didn’t feel we got a satisfactory explanation for that.
I also feel that Nancy is overshadowed by nearly every other character; she felt like a shadow of a person there only to introduce us to the universe & experience shock on our behalf. this was a book where the main character was the least interesting person in it.
Halloween read 1/5(?) down!
I will say that I guessed the baddie by accident very early on but said “no, they have to be a red herring”… Lol!
A tad predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. A really interesting zoom in on what fantasy worlds mean to children, and what they protect them from. Not sure what to make of Kade’s story to be honest; it’s much bleaker than the rest & I didn’t feel we got a satisfactory explanation for that.
I also feel that Nancy is overshadowed by nearly every other character; she felt like a shadow of a person there only to introduce us to the universe & experience shock on our behalf. this was a book where the main character was the least interesting person in it.
Halloween read 1/5(?) down!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Transphobia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Child abuse, Murder, Bullying, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Deadnaming, Violence, Medical content, and Acephobia/Arophobia
proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
To Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children come children who have been visiting other worlds. They want nothing more than to go back to these worlds, because there they feel at home, whilst their families believe they’re mentally ill. Miss West knows that the worlds are real since she's been to one herself, but few manages to find the door back once they left. Meanwhile they can socialize with others like themselves at the boarding school.
I've been wanting to read this series for a long time and the first book didn't disappoint! The characters are odd in a good way and I enjoy the language. I don't fully understand all about the worlds with different parts of Logic, Nonsense, Wicked and such, and I would have liked to see more of that. I appriciate that McGuire has queer representation amongst the characters, and I'm really curious to see where the author takes us next!
"For us, the places we went were home. We didn't care if they were good or evil or neutral or what. We cared about the fact that for the first time, we didn't have to pretend to be something we weren't. We just got to BE. That made all the difference in the world."
I've been wanting to read this series for a long time and the first book didn't disappoint! The characters are odd in a good way and I enjoy the language. I don't fully understand all about the worlds with different parts of Logic, Nonsense, Wicked and such, and I would have liked to see more of that. I appriciate that McGuire has queer representation amongst the characters, and I'm really curious to see where the author takes us next!
"For us, the places we went were home. We didn't care if they were good or evil or neutral or what. We cared about the fact that for the first time, we didn't have to pretend to be something we weren't. We just got to BE. That made all the difference in the world."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Child death, and Emotional abuse
alyvia_jeane's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Violence, Death, Animal death, Transphobia, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
braveprincess11's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“You’re nobody’s doorway but your own, and the only one who gets to tell you how your story ends is you”
This has absolutely become a comfort read for me. There’s something about Seanan McGuire’s writing, where she’s able to take tough themes and dark content, and sprinkle in just enough magic and humanity that the book is calming, comforting and uplifting overall. I think Seanan McGuire just became one of my favourite authors of all time, from this book alone.
And the representation in this book… Kade being established as trans and never questioned on it, (almost) everyone accepting his identity immediately. Nancy being written as an asexual protagonist, who actually used the word asexual, instead of just hinting at it!
From the moment Kade was introduced, he stole my entire heart. I adore that child, and I will do anything to protect him. Kade deserves the entire world.
Jack and Jill presented such an interesting dichotomy of human experience. They both went through the same door, and yet they lived very different lives in the Moors, coming back almost as directly opposing forces tied together by a string. I’m so excited to learn more about their lives in the Moors in the next book.
I adore this ragtag little group of children, and I can’t wait to hear more about their adventures, both before and after their stay at Eleanor’s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Abandonment, Transphobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Eating disorder
amazelan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
j'ai ADORÉ, c'est un remix d'Alice au pays des Merveilles mais en beaucoup + sombre et intriguant, et juste en globalement mieux.
les personnages sont intéressants et très relatable, et c'est un peu frustrant de pas en avoir appris + sur elleux
l'écriture est incroyable aussi, c'est une nouvelle donc c'est court mais j'ai eu l'impression d'avoir lu un roman avec plus de pages tellement l'univers l'histoire et tout est bien ficelé
et puis juste l'ambiance du livre est incroyable, le mix fantastique-thriller version YA est parfait là
les personnages sont intéressants et très relatable, et c'est un peu frustrant de pas en avoir appris + sur elleux
l'écriture est incroyable aussi, c'est une nouvelle donc c'est court mais j'ai eu l'impression d'avoir lu un roman avec plus de pages tellement l'univers l'histoire et tout est bien ficelé
et puis juste l'ambiance du livre est incroyable, le mix fantastique-thriller version YA est parfait là
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Eating disorder, Animal death, and Torture
zosiablue's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
4.0
"It would be like opening the door that was supposed to take you home and discovering you couldn’t breathe the air anymore.”
Poignant small book about finding a door (literally) that takes you to a world where you fit in exactly, and then losing it. What a heartbreak. I'll definitely continue with the series.
Poignant small book about finding a door (literally) that takes you to a world where you fit in exactly, and then losing it. What a heartbreak. I'll definitely continue with the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death, Body horror, and Grief
Minor: Transphobia