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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
francestea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Very reminiscent of Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children and The House in the Cerulean Sea. If you like the boarding school for odd/creepy children trope this story is also for you! The book is so short and the plot moves quickly so you’ll be picking up the second book the next day, plan accordingly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Blood
Minor: Medical content, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
forrestalexander's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
From a brief glimpse at the description and the cover art, I knew I was going to love this book - and I'm so happy I was right. I listened to the audiobook, and I could not put it down.
This book has so many elements I love - boarding school, complex queer characters, mysterious deaths - and it was all woven together well.
Kade was one of my favorite characters, and I love how his storyline incorporated him being transgender and his experiences directly related to that - but he is a well-developed character and there is so much more to him than his being trans. Beyond that, the main character, Nancy, is canonically asexual - which is incredible! Seldom is there any ace / aro representation in media of any sort, so it was fantastic to have that in this book.
Cannot wait to read the rest of the series, and to read more from this author as a whole.
This book has so many elements I love - boarding school, complex queer characters, mysterious deaths - and it was all woven together well.
Cannot wait to read the rest of the series, and to read more from this author as a whole.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment and Transphobia
Minor: Deadnaming
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
livvyandlattes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am aware this book isn’t as wonderful as I am rating it, yet I have never discovered a story crafted so perfectly for my brain. Reminiscent of Christina Henry, McGuire captures the dark magic of a twisted retelling and makes something new in the process. Yet she captures the childhood longing to escape into another world, something Henry does not, as well as the complicated feelings of never fitting in. This book intertwines a mix fairytales, horror, mystery and yearning that speaks to my soul. I cannot explain how much the content of this novel appeals to me so. It contains everything I love, transcribed in a way that soothes my brain. This book feels as though it was written for me, containing all my favourite things.
I loved the characters, their struggles, their desperation to return. Most of all I loved Kade and how McGuire included such pressing issues like transphobia. Kade is a beautiful human being and he deserves a better than his world gave him. I would die for him.
Having said this, I can see how this short story won’t please everyone as it did me. Context is sparse and lacking, and McGuire relies on previous fairytale knowledge. The story is quick and split in two as though the authors decided on two plots and included both, or changed idea half way through. The transphobia in this book should have been either stressed more or resolved better.
I am also open to the common perspective that these characters are not headed back to their personal wonderlands, but desperate for suicide and are grappling their mental illness, instead of recovering from departing a fantasy. This is hinted through Nancy’s conscious habits, mirroring an eating disorder, Jacks’s agoraphobia etc. everyone is so desperate to ‘leave’ it is an easy mirror for suicide. However, I would rather take this book at face value and imagine they truly do wish to go back to underland and have somehow managed to escape this world through their door, just how I have always, desperately, wished to escape through my own.
I loved it. I love this so much.
I loved the characters, their struggles, their desperation to return. Most of all I loved Kade and how McGuire included such pressing issues like transphobia. Kade is a beautiful human being and he deserves a better than his world gave him. I would die for him.
Having said this, I can see how this short story won’t please everyone as it did me. Context is sparse and lacking, and McGuire relies on previous fairytale knowledge. The story is quick and split in two as though the authors decided on two plots and included both, or changed idea half way through. The transphobia in this book should have been either stressed more or resolved better.
I am also open to the common perspective that these characters are not headed back to their personal wonderlands, but desperate for suicide and are grappling their mental illness, instead of recovering from departing a fantasy. This is hinted through Nancy’s conscious habits, mirroring an eating disorder, Jacks’s agoraphobia etc. everyone is so desperate to ‘leave’ it is an easy mirror for suicide. However, I would rather take this book at face value and imagine they truly do wish to go back to underland and have somehow managed to escape this world through their door, just how I have always, desperately, wished to escape through my own.
I loved it. I love this so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Death, and Abandonment
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
angieinsp26's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Death, and Bullying
12nyoi's review against another edition
mysterious
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? It's complicated
2.5
creo que tiene un concepto bastante interesante y que si hubiese sido escrito y desarrollado de diferente manera tal vez hubiera sido mejor. la escritura no es tan buena.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment
i_mina_i's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Transphobia
oliverreeds's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
really good. why wasn’t it longer. i liked it a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Bullying, Gore, and Transphobia