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A review by anna_hepworth
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
Here, in book 7 of the Wayward Children series, I'm suddenly getting a more nuanced feel for how the stories fit together. Having just finished it, I think it is the best, but also the darkest of the series so far.
The story loops back to Cora, who has been one of the ensemble in a previous story. Here, we get a clear stage for Cora to shine, and shine they do. But we also get to see an alternative path for those who return through their doors -- an alternative school, with a very different treatment focus for the students. I found the pedagogy of the school really difficult to read, and it is part of why I say it is dark.
There are a lot of fascinating bits of world building, with the focus being on the common 'mundane' world that the children have all come from. Very interested in seeing how this adds together.
Up to now, I'd say that we have very much had a child/adolescent viewpoint on the doors, the alternate worlds, and the lives of the children who return. This one takes a step back, and while the story is still told from the younger viewpoint, the larger story it is telling is much more adult -- much more recognition of what is at stake beyond family, familiarity, and home
The story loops back to Cora, who has been one of the ensemble in a previous story. Here, we get a clear stage for Cora to shine, and shine they do. But we also get to see an alternative path for those who return through their doors -- an alternative school, with a very different treatment focus for the students. I found the pedagogy of the school really difficult to read, and it is part of why I say it is dark.
There are a lot of fascinating bits of world building, with the focus being on the common 'mundane' world that the children have all come from. Very interested in seeing how this adds together.
Up to now, I'd say that we have very much had a child/adolescent viewpoint on the doors, the alternate worlds, and the lives of the children who return. This one takes a step back, and while the story is still told from the younger viewpoint, the larger story it is telling is much more adult -- much more recognition of what is at stake beyond family, familiarity, and home
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse