Scan barcode
marieketron's review
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Now this I really enjoyed, and was a good pairing for [book:The Sleeper and the Spindle|23301545] that I happened to read at the same time. Both tales take a look at fairy tale patterns and tropes and use them for their own ends, combined with some really evocative visuals.
Review also featured on the Lesbrary For anyone not familiar with Seanan McGuire’s work, she is a veritable master of remixing fairy tale tropes and patterns (and other genres too), on the same level as someone like Neil Gaiman, while of course giving it her own twist every time. In this case, the main two characters are twin sisters Jacqueline and Jillian, who later take on the names of Jack and Jill. In this review, the name used for each character is the name they used at that time in the story. I personally am not familiar with the nursery rhyme and so can say with full confidence that you don’t need to know it in order to enjoy this book, but I expect many of its strands are woven in throughout. On top of that, McGuire draws from classic horror fare, as the main chunk of the story sees the two siblings in a world ruled by a vampire and a mad scientist facing off in a personal rivalry from across the Moors. And so the stage is set.
Review also featured on the Lesbrary For anyone not familiar with Seanan McGuire’s work, she is a veritable master of remixing fairy tale tropes and patterns (and other genres too), on the same level as someone like Neil Gaiman, while of course giving it her own twist every time. In this case, the main two characters are twin sisters Jacqueline and Jillian, who later take on the names of Jack and Jill. In this review, the name used for each character is the name they used at that time in the story. I personally am not familiar with the nursery rhyme and so can say with full confidence that you don’t need to know it in order to enjoy this book, but I expect many of its strands are woven in throughout. On top of that, McGuire draws from classic horror fare, as the main chunk of the story sees the two siblings in a world ruled by a vampire and a mad scientist facing off in a personal rivalry from across the Moors. And so the stage is set.
McGuire is excellent at invoking specific visuals and scenes we are all familiar with: the castle in the marshes, Dracula’s brides, the lightning coming down from the thunderous clouds to power the scientist’s experiments in his remote and ramshackle wind mill. She manages to ensure these classic elements don’t overpower the story by providing the two main characters with a very modern world background: their parents wanted a classic son and daughter. When they ended up with two daughters, they forced the twins into extremely strict binary gender roles. This means that both sisters could just embody half of their identity, with Jillian only being allowed tomboyish behaviours and Jacqueline always being dressed in extravagant dresses she is warned stringently against dirtying – to the point of developing germophobia and mysophobia.
When they fall through a portal into the world of the Moors, they are for the very first time offered a choice on this aspect. It shouldn’t surprise the reader that they choose the opposite of their experience so far, with Jack joining Dr. Bleak as his apprentice in resurrection and Jill staying with the Master to become his eventual daughter / bride. This still feels like a choice between two strict gender roles though, and it’s hinted throughout the text that the only way for both sisters to fully become themselves is to be allowed through their own choice to embrace their whole selves rather than mashing these two sides against each other.
Another way that McGuire manages to set this work apart from more traditional pastiches and celebrations of the horror genre is by humanising the genre’s traditional background stock characters: the villagers. During her apprenticeship under Dr. Bleak, one of the creatures Jack helps to resurrect is the inn keeper’s daughter, Alexis. During her second chance at life, the two grow close and form a romantic attachment to each other.
This is an important point in Jack’s character development, as it’s a type of love she hasn’t experienced before. One character does describe the relationship between the two girls as unnatural, but it isn’t made clear what their thought process is in context: instead of low-key homophobia (mixed with the usual worries around not being able to have children – an argument swiftly put down by Jack as she refers to her resurrection skills), they could also be referring to any type of love being unnatural in their eyes, or to the fact that technically Alexis is undead. This is the only overt negative comment directed at them – Jill quietly isn’t happy about the relationship either, but that’s mostly because she feels possessive of Jack’s attentions.
Jill’s unhappiness is an important counterpoint to the relationship between Jack and Alexis, because on top of the romantic upheaval their attachment also introduces Jack to Alexis’s village life. She meets the inn keeper and his wife, as well as other shop keepers and tradespeople as she accompanies Alexis on various errands. In contrast, Jill is denied this type of socialising during her education under the Master, who instead nurtures her jealous and possessive tendencies. It is this difference in upbringing that serves as the catalyst at the end of the tale, bringing the strands together.
This story really serves as a prequel to the first book in the Wayward Children series, which I will be re-reading to see how the relationship dynamic between the two sisters develops as they are forced to rely more on each other. As it stands, I would recommend Down Among The Sticks and Bones to anyone interested in the remixing of genre tropes and gender roles within the horror / SFF genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Blood
foreverinastory's review against another edition
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).
____________________________________________________________
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.
CWs: Adult/minor relationship, blood, child neglect/abuse, death, emotional abuse, mental illness (OCD, mysophobia), murder, toxic relationship, violence, sexual content (not graphic).
____________________________________________________________
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
megj23's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Blood
f18's review
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, and Violence
tqlikesbooks's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“The Moors were beautiful in their own way, and if their beauty was the quiet sort that required time and introspection to be seen, well, there was nothing wrong with that. The best beauty was the sort that took some seeking.”
A deliciously dark twist on fairy tales, Down Among the Sticks and Bones follows the story of Jack and Jill, who we first meet in Every Heart a Doorway (though this can be read as a stand alone story).
I loved the tale of the two sisters, who yearn to escape the narrow roles their parents have squashed them into and find themselves in the land of the moors. Seanan McGuire plays with classic gothic figure such like Dracula and Doctor Frankenstein, yet twists the stories in new and exciting directions.
This was a dark, magical and fascinating tale that sucked me into an entirely different world.
“She had tried to make sure they knew that there were a hundred, a thousand, a million different ways to be a girl, and that all of them were valid, and that neither of them was doing anything wrong.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Grief
angelareads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Less complex than the first book, but for me a slightly more enjoyable read. It all evens out to a 3.5 for both books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Pedophilia
bookwyrmknits's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed this story, partly because I always wanted more backstory for Jack and Jill, and partly because of the way it's told. It's somewhere between a novel and a fairy tale, somewhere between magical and cautionary. The storytelling style here is as worth reading as the story itself.
2024 reread notes:
The more books I read in this series, the more I've determined that this second installment is my favorite. I love the fairy tale feel of the story; I love the way the horrific things that happen are told as if from a distance so that they take on an almost dream-like quality which just fits the book's tone so well; I love the characters. Jack and Jill are both so much alike and so different, and they are so great in so many ways.
2024 reread notes:
The more books I read in this series, the more I've determined that this second installment is my favorite. I love the fairy tale feel of the story; I love the way the horrific things that happen are told as if from a distance so that they take on an almost dream-like quality which just fits the book's tone so well; I love the characters. Jack and Jill are both so much alike and so different, and they are so great in so many ways.
If you focused on these characters in book one, you will know the essence of this story before you start reading. However, there's a lot more detail here, and it was great to see the Moors in person, rather than just hearing about them. Based on book one, the "wicked" worlds like the Moors don't sound very nice; visiting them, like in this book, help you see what the children who went there would have found appealing about them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death