Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Down Among the Sticks and Bones

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Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

6 reviews

librarymouse's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Jack is such a stoic character in Every Heart a Doorway. It was really interesting to see the childhood glimpsed in the first book, in vibrant detail. While the book is about both twins, it's pretty hard to care about Jill. At the same time, her anger is justified. Jack being encouraged to be pretty, quiet, and nonargumentative let it seem like she was on the side of her parents, even though both girls were trapped in the lives their parents designed. It was interesting to see Jack being deemed the pretty twin, and Jill the sporty one of the two in their youth, and to watch those roles melt away as they acclimated to their respectively chosen roles in the moors. Jack is taught to be an individual with a responsibility to the community and a community to be a part of. Jill is molded into a selfish child of a monster, getting everything she's ever wanted and only learning to crave more. Jack left and chose Dr. Bleak to save Jill, knowing she'd never be able to measure up to the level of decorum expected of them as Jack would be able to - at least not as they were when they were young. She left because she knew Jill would grow to resent her, even as Jill yearned for a relationship with her sister. Alexis's death at Jill's hands, as the person who loved Jack and taught her to love and be loved in return, was also the final blow through which Jack realized she couldn't completely give up on her sister and watch her be rightfully killed by the mob of townsfolk. Jill's delusion that killing Alexis would reconstitute her relationship with Jack shows how much of an influence the Master had on her, and how far she's gone from humanity. I hope we get to see them again, back in the Moors and Jill having to learn how to live like a person again, now that she's dead and cannot be loved by the Master. The possibility of Alexis's second resurrection is something I still haven't given up on yet.
I also really enjoyed Jack's explanation for her masculinized look, as not hiding or dismantling her femineity, but preserving it from the dangers of her work.

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grace_b_3's review

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adventurous dark 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

5.0

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ellanarose's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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maeverose's review against another edition

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3.25

I wanted more from the gothic setting and the vampire and mad scientist characters. I wanted more atmosphere and worldbuilding. Ofc it’s a novella but not a lot happens in it. It focuses too much on their childhood before they find their door, and once they get there it felt like it sped through and summarized so much of what happened. There were even parts where the author said ‘This part would be dull/unnecessary to explain so let’s just fast forward’. It felt like she couldn’t really think of where to take the story up until the end we already learned about in the first book. My rating is mostly for the concepts and the pretty writing. We also learned a bit more about how the doors work,

and I’d really like to know how Dr Bleak figured out how to conjure them.

The setting was cool but we didn’t get to see enough of it. I’m hoping we do in the other book from this world.

I read the first book so I knew how it would end, but I didn’t like how they got there. I hate the message of ‘family is family and somewhere deep down you love them no matter what unforgivably horrible things they’ve done to you’, and this kinda had that. It made no sense to me how Jack could have any love for her sister after what she did, especially considering she never got along with her to begin with. The author tried to explain why Jack did it, but I didn’t feel like she really succeeded at that. It seemed like it was only written that way for the plot to go in a certain direction. Also because their abusive parents are never redeemed, it almost felt hypocritical.

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cady_sass's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

WOW this blew my mind! It’s the second book and it’s so short that I literally can’t say anything without risking spoilers. Jac & Jill were mesmerizing in the first book so I’m so glad that’s the story we followed here. Absolutely captivating, give me more.

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rep: Aromantic lesbian female MC with OCD/mysophobia, sapphic love interest.

CWs: Adult/minor relationship, blood, child neglect/abuse, death, emotional abuse, mental illness (OCD, mysophobia), murder, toxic relationship, violence, sexual content (not graphic).
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The author read the audiobook and omg she did a fantastic job!

So reading EHaD, I really loved the world that was made. I liked Nancy well enough, but Jack was my favorite character. Getting to see Jack become herself was magical in it's own way. So I didn't realize Jack was blonde and so I completely pictured her as like a shorter version of Ruby Rose, and I'm going to forever picture her like that.

I'm not sure if I wished I had read this before EHaD, but either way, I really enjoyed it. I loved seeing Jack being Dr. Bleak's apprentice and how she enjoyed her scientific work. The other amazing thing was the lesbian relationship Jack had. I absolutely loved it and I wish I had gotten to see more of it.

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