A review by mariebrunelm
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective 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

4.5

The Umbrella Academy meets The Starless Sea meets The OA in this improbable, dark fantasy that reads like YA with elements of horror.
Nancy is a teenage girl just back from a visit to the Underworld. Her parents don't understand what happened, and her only certainty is that home is no longer here, it's there. Then she gets sent to Eleanor West’s Home For Wayward Children, where she meets other students like her - who are only waiting for the day they can go back.
I had been warned that this book was strange, and it did not disappoint. It felt both familiar in the setting of a school for gifted students, but also highly weird and whimsical, thanks to the glimpses we get of the worlds waiting outside the doors. Then it got cute because the characters are mostly adorable, before dipping into murder mystery and that's where I stopped trying to define this book. The only thing I know is that I highly recommend it, and I'm ready for volume 2! Many thanks to @book.landish for the gift.
Rep: asexual MC, trans secondary character, Japanese secondary character.
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