Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, 1)

Nice premise but it was a little too short for me. I couldn’t really connect to any of the characters. Also I guess it was too much fantasy for me - I was hoping for a thriller with fantastical elements. But I see how others could enjoy this!

Weird und gewöhnungsbedürftig

Ich habe eine wundervolle Welt erwartet in der ich eintauchen kann. Das war eher eine Mischung aus Fantasy und low Horror 🤷🏻‍♀️

Weird but so good

It's more like a 3.5 for me, maybe. I liked some stuff about it, like the different worlds these children explored, that it had some kind of mystery, and definitely some of the characters. I just really loved Christopher for some reason and I can't even say why, because we only get to know about him and his world in the last few chapters, but he made me laugh and I really appreciated him. Some things I disliked were how obvious the solution to the mystery was and how quickly it was all resolved. Furthermore Eleanor didn't strike me as the most competent head mistress - but I still liked her. Just don't approve of how little she was doing to protect her students. Nancy was a protagonist that didn't really interest me, but she wasn't annoying either. All in all it was a quick and enjoyable read but I kind of expected to like it a little more :)

Re-Read in 2023 Now it’s a full on 5

This was so weird, it's cute ♥ The story follows a bunch of kids, that all went through different magical doors and lived years and years in worlds that seem to be a part of a huge magical universe. Back in the real world they can't adapt, their parents have difficulties to cope with their weirdness, so they sent them off into a school that's supposed to fix them. Until one day someone murders Sumi, a girl who travelled the Candy World. Some suspect the new girl, Nancy, just back from the Undead Lands, others the creepy twins from The Moor. Even though this is a novella, the characters are well crafted and their pain genuine. I could connect to every one of them. The writing is simple and carries the story well. This book is about finding your identity. I loved how open it was to literally everything: gender, sexuality, social standards and taboos. Okay, maybe the boys are a little underrepresented but that's beside the point. It's a quick and fun read, with a beautiful cover on top ♥ I'm so glad there is a second and a third book., that will hopefully show some of the mentioned magic worlds.

If you're interested you can also find this review on my my blog. Well, the problem is that I did expect something different. This is the story of what happens to the children who go to fairy lands and underworlds and eventually have to return to our world. As you can imagine this is a hard situation to cope with. Once you've seen unicorns and ghosts and vampires why would you want to come back? Luckily there is a boarding school and therapy for such children! And this is where the novel takes place. A boarding school for the returned; part Hogwarts, part Asylum. I absolutely love that premise – especially because McGuire uses the various magical worlds she creates to talk about gender and mental health! However, there were a few things that threw me off. First of all I didn't know this was a YA book. Although I have to say that the creepy parts were VERY creepy, especially if this is aimed at a teen audience. Personally, I liked the creepy bits (some of which were positively gory…)! But the novel has its fair share of teenage trouble such as peer pressure and first love (or something like it). However, it also has murder and resurrection and ghosts and some really wonderful characters! Yes, the mystery is fairly short-lived. You can see the “Whodunnit” from miles away. Once the school and every character has been properly introduced, the plot becomes pretty rushed. And at only about 160 pages I was wondering about the longish exposition. So in terms of structure there is room for improvement. The second aspect that kind of annoyed me (though I'm not sure if this is the right word for it…) was that half-way through I found out that this is the first in a planned trilogy! I hate it when that happens because it takes away a lot of possibilities as to who is going to survive the whole thing. I loved McGuire’s writing; I loved the creepy bits, and the way she set up her world of many worlds. I love that she manages to talk about serious things without batting you over the head with them. I love how she clothes ugly, sad, and terrifying things into beautiful words and magic! I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the series hoping she will focus more on structure and plot balance in the next ones.

It was weird, a little bit creepy, and everything I hoped it would be. The writing style disappointed as little as the story itself, full of lessons to learn and quotes to note down. Nothing at all I expected from the cover (and no, I have not read the blurb, I rarely do), but nonetheless beyond great. I know this won't be for everyone, but it most certainly has been for me and I am very grateful for it. I can't wait to get to the other books in the series

I am not 100% in love like everyone else seems to be, but the concept of this novella was intriguing, and I can't wait to find out more about these characters and their stories/worlds.

I recommend this book for people who like dark fantasy with a little bit of horror mixed in. Great read! Real page turner!