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A review by vereadsbooks
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
RATING ★★★★ ½
“Some adventures require nothing more than a willing heart and the ability to trip over the cracks in the world.”
Seanan McGuire has beautiful and marvelous storytelling. I am incredibly fascinated with her writing and her incredible creativity. I thought this book would pick up after the events of the first book, but it hasn't. Instead, the book transported me to the Moors. Imagined my surprise.
“There are worlds built on rainbows and worlds built on rain. There are worlds of pure mathematics, where every number chimes like crystal as it rolls into reality. There are worlds of light and worlds of darkness, worlds of rhyme and worlds of reason, and worlds where the only thing that matters is the goodness in a hero's heart.”
In this installment, we follow two characters introduced in the first book (Jack and Jill). Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.
Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.
They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted.
They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.
“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.”
I couldn’t put down this story. I was so gripped by the Moors. This magical world is so intriguing, and I wish I could have another opportunity to explore this vast world.
“The Moors exist in eternal twilight, in the pause between the lightning strike and the resurrection. They are a place of endless scientific experimentation, of monstrous beauty, and of terrible consequences.”
The story is dark, eerie, whimsical, and atmospheric like Every heart is a doorway but different at its core. McGuire’s writing is beautiful and lyrical. In just a few pages she transports you into this delightful and unsettled 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.”
The book touches on themes such as forced gender roles, and I love how the twins are taught to be what their parents want and how the Moors made them grow up and become what they truly are.
“Give ten children a toy box, and watch them select ten different toys, regardless of gender or religion or parental expectations. Children have preferences. The danger comes when they, as with any human, are denied those preferences for too long.”
The book could read as stand-alone but it is worth the time to read the first book as well. I love this series!!
“Some adventures require nothing more than a willing heart and the ability to trip over the cracks in the world.”
Seanan McGuire has beautiful and marvelous storytelling. I am incredibly fascinated with her writing and her incredible creativity. I thought this book would pick up after the events of the first book, but it hasn't. Instead, the book transported me to the Moors. Imagined my surprise.
“There are worlds built on rainbows and worlds built on rain. There are worlds of pure mathematics, where every number chimes like crystal as it rolls into reality. There are worlds of light and worlds of darkness, worlds of rhyme and worlds of reason, and worlds where the only thing that matters is the goodness in a hero's heart.”
In this installment, we follow two characters introduced in the first book (Jack and Jill). Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.
Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.
They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted.
They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.
“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.”
I couldn’t put down this story. I was so gripped by the Moors. This magical world is so intriguing, and I wish I could have another opportunity to explore this vast world.
“The Moors exist in eternal twilight, in the pause between the lightning strike and the resurrection. They are a place of endless scientific experimentation, of monstrous beauty, and of terrible consequences.”
The story is dark, eerie, whimsical, and atmospheric like Every heart is a doorway but different at its core. McGuire’s writing is beautiful and lyrical. In just a few pages she transports you into this delightful and unsettled 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.”
The book touches on themes such as forced gender roles, and I love how the twins are taught to be what their parents want and how the Moors made them grow up and become what they truly are.
“Give ten children a toy box, and watch them select ten different toys, regardless of gender or religion or parental expectations. Children have preferences. The danger comes when they, as with any human, are denied those preferences for too long.”
The book could read as stand-alone but it is worth the time to read the first book as well. I love this series!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, Gore, and Murder