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A review by atlas_shruggs
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Reread 2025:
Yeah this is still absolutely amazing. Cora is amazing and she's such a strong character. I reread this a) because I wanted to and b) for a project at school where I had to present a monster. I immediately thought of the Drowned Gods and how they utilized Cora's pain and loneliness to get inside her head and use her for their own gain, as vague as that gain is. Her journey is incredible and the story of the Whitethorn institute is so interesting. 10/10 I love it. Also still waiting on Kade's book...
2023 review: If there's one thing I've learned in my years of reading this series, is that if you don't love a character or storyline, you just haven't gotten to know it well enough. Reading this book made me have a new appreciation for Cora as a character, and made me genuinely interested in reading Across the Green Grass Fields again, even though it has been my least favourite book so far. Cora also bugged me a bit in Beneath the Sugar Sky since it seemed like her entire character was being fat, but reading this book definitely changed my mind on that. As a fat person myself I've always had a hard time finding a good depiction of fatness in media, but this book did it beautifully; Cora's past issues with her body were written so well and so realistically. It also wasn't her biggest personality trait in this story which I liked, though of course her struggles with body image issues were still a central point in her story.
I also loved seeing the effect the Moors had on Cora. So far we've only seen the effect the Moors had on Jack and Jill, who are both already morbid personalities who clearly belong there. Cora however is scarred by her short stay there, and I felt that really emphasized the fact that the doors are not necessarily doors to good or perfect places but rather to your perfect place.
Overall I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out, and I'm still holding out hope for Kade's story to be published soon.
Yeah this is still absolutely amazing. Cora is amazing and she's such a strong character. I reread this a) because I wanted to and b) for a project at school where I had to present a monster. I immediately thought of the Drowned Gods and how they utilized Cora's pain and loneliness to get inside her head and use her for their own gain, as vague as that gain is. Her journey is incredible and the story of the Whitethorn institute is so interesting. 10/10 I love it. Also still waiting on Kade's book...
2023 review: If there's one thing I've learned in my years of reading this series, is that if you don't love a character or storyline, you just haven't gotten to know it well enough. Reading this book made me have a new appreciation for Cora as a character, and made me genuinely interested in reading Across the Green Grass Fields again, even though it has been my least favourite book so far. Cora also bugged me a bit in Beneath the Sugar Sky since it seemed like her entire character was being fat, but reading this book definitely changed my mind on that. As a fat person myself I've always had a hard time finding a good depiction of fatness in media, but this book did it beautifully; Cora's past issues with her body were written so well and so realistically. It also wasn't her biggest personality trait in this story which I liked, though of course her struggles with body image issues were still a central point in her story.
I also loved seeing the effect the Moors had on Cora. So far we've only seen the effect the Moors had on Jack and Jill, who are both already morbid personalities who clearly belong there. Cora however is scarred by her short stay there, and I felt that really emphasized the fact that the doors are not necessarily doors to good or perfect places but rather to your perfect place.
Overall I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out, and I'm still holding out hope for Kade's story to be published soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting