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books4em's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Loved this little book, will be picking up the rest of the series! My only complaint was there was a lot of high level vocabulary that I had to look up, and there were a few scenes or segways that felt very rushed through. That being said, it was a very interesting introduction to this world and series. I found each character unique and intriguing, and I appreciated that they all had different stories for the doors they walked into (whether I liked them or not). Loved the diversity too - ace/aro and trans main characters. Look forward to continuing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Murder, Torture, Gaslighting, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Outing
Minor: Deadnaming, Dysphoria, and Eating disorder
thebookpaiges's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Death, Acephobia/Arophobia, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Eating disorder and Dysphoria
Minor: Deadnaming and Vomit
cady_sass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Every once in a while a story comes along that is so insanely unique that it melts your brain when you think of the type of mind that must exist to have created it. This is perhaps the most unique story I’ve ever come across. It is then, almost by definition, a tad confusing. It’s short enough that re-reading chapters a few times didn’t completely drive me insane. It was more so that I would read a chapter and then a few chapters later realize I didn’t fully understand that other thing the way I thought I did… best to go back and go over it again. That makes this sound miserable but I swear it’s not. I can’t wait to read the stories of all the other wayward children for as long as Seanan will write them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Animal death, Body horror, Abandonment, Child death, Death, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Transphobia, and Vomit
parasolcrafter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
this book was so fast but so slow. so beautifully written but so devoid of substance. so deep but so shallow. so straightforward but so confusing. so unique but so bland. truly...a kind of masterpiece.
literally there are maybe 2 likeable characters (sumi dies too soon to really be a main character , nancy doesnt really seem to do much except get dragged around by the plot, jill is a fucking MURDERER , and jack is just...so straight cut) and even then cristopher seems like an add-on, if that makes sense? the ending was also so weirdly executed and i just...dont like how the deaths in the book were almost glossed over?? like i didnt feel any real emotion from the characters except eleanor :/
literally there are maybe 2 likeable characters (
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Transphobia, Violence, Child death, Murder, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Grief, Cursing, Body horror, and Child abuse
Minor: Deadnaming, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, and Vomit
tiredtori's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Murder, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Death, and Body horror
Minor: Vomit
tea_overload's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Transphobia
Minor: Vomit and Gore
anastasia_raf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.0
I truly liked this book! I found it fascinating to say the least. That book is what an original idea is, and I believe the execution of that idea was excellent.
It makes me wonder if it is a metaphorical way of presenting children scarred from familial expectations and traumatized by a parent's ambitions and ideas of a daughter, a son, a child.
Or if it bears the hope that imagination can be salvation to a child and to those prisoned in societal views and ways.
And still this book felt so magical, so surreal and yet so heavily rooted in reality.
I have so many thoughts about this book and so little to say. I decided that I'm going to let the book show you everything.
It makes me wonder if it is a metaphorical way of presenting children scarred from familial expectations and traumatized by a parent's ambitions and ideas of a daughter, a son, a child.
Or if it bears the hope that imagination can be salvation to a child and to those prisoned in societal views and ways.
And still this book felt so magical, so surreal and yet so heavily rooted in reality.
I have so many thoughts about this book and so little to say. I decided that I'm going to let the book show you everything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Transphobia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Acephobia/Arophobia, Gore, Death, Grief, Deadnaming, Child death, Child abuse, Body horror, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse
pastelkerstin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel like this story suffers from its short length, especially once shit gets serious and it seems like everyone is moving on way too fast.
Also, when this came out it was on every ace rep recommendation list. And I get it: The main character is ace and it's mentioned explicitly and this is (was?) a popular book.
But the ace rep in this seems contradictory at times? I don't really know what to make of it. One moment Nancy says it's important to draw a distinction between asexual and aromantic and that she has had boyfriends and has romantic feelings. But then in another scene she says she doesn't want to date anyone. The thing is, it's not like Nancy's experience couldn't be a real person's experience. Attraction is complex and confusing. To me, Nancy seems to be somewhere on the aromantic spectrum, but the narrative doesn't confirm that. It just feels underexplored and odd to me (as an asexual aro-spec person).
Also, when this came out it was on every ace rep recommendation list. And I get it: The main character is ace and it's mentioned explicitly and this is (was?) a popular book.
But the ace rep in this seems contradictory at times? I don't really know what to make of it. One moment Nancy says it's important to draw a distinction between asexual and aromantic and that she has had boyfriends and has romantic feelings. But then in another scene she says she doesn't want to date anyone. The thing is, it's not like Nancy's experience couldn't be a real person's experience. Attraction is complex and confusing. To me, Nancy seems to be somewhere on the aromantic spectrum, but the narrative doesn't confirm that. It just feels underexplored and odd to me (as an asexual aro-spec person).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Murder, Animal cruelty, Gore, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Deadnaming, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
Eye traumalaurel616's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Bullying
Moderate: Child death and Vomit
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
plantybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm fairly sure I am not going for the series. I read this book from the libby app using an audio book. I didn't like the narrator very well- she tried to do the voices and a few failed miserably (for me) and it did affect my enjoyment of the experience. Every time she would do a certain voice I would just be like, no, that is definitely not that character's voice.
This story tells the tale of a boarding school for unusual children, who have all slipped away through a doorway to a different world for a period of time. Once returned the children tend to want to return to the other worlds so desperately that parents - at their wits end- send them hopefully away to have their child returned to the prior, pre-doorway state. We follow Nancy, recently returned from the world of the dead, as she enters school. Immediately after she enters several gruesome deaths occur and she and her new found friends- all from different "door" situations join together to find the murderer.
I really didn't enjoy this book that much, it is well written and certainly sets a mood and tone, and the story moves along at a good pace. There is a comforting message- about how it is difficult for children to be "fixed" when they aren't actually broken, an as such parents may do well to accept their children for who they are, rather than who they used to be. The author includes a lot of diversity within the characters- without making them seem as if they were planted there to be the "diverse character" -- there is so much to love about this book. Despite that, I still didn't love it, unsure still if it was the irritating narrator, so I may give book 2 a try in print or... if the narrator is different...
This story tells the tale of a boarding school for unusual children, who have all slipped away through a doorway to a different world for a period of time. Once returned the children tend to want to return to the other worlds so desperately that parents - at their wits end- send them hopefully away to have their child returned to the prior, pre-doorway state. We follow Nancy, recently returned from the world of the dead, as she enters school. Immediately after she enters several gruesome deaths occur and she and her new found friends- all from different "door" situations join together to find the murderer.
I really didn't enjoy this book that much, it is well written and certainly sets a mood and tone, and the story moves along at a good pace. There is a comforting message- about how it is difficult for children to be "fixed" when they aren't actually broken, an as such parents may do well to accept their children for who they are, rather than who they used to be. The author includes a lot of diversity within the characters- without making them seem as if they were planted there to be the "diverse character" -- there is so much to love about this book. Despite that, I still didn't love it, unsure still if it was the irritating narrator, so I may give book 2 a try in print or... if the narrator is different...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Vomit, Child death, and Animal death