Review | Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1) by Seanan McGuire | after narnia?
”You shouldn’t close doors just because you don’t like what’s on the other side.”FORMAT READ: Audiobook
GENRE: Magical Realism, Young Adult Fantasy, *LGBTQ+ rep, Urban Fantasy
PUBLISHER: Tor
PUBLISHING DATE: April 5, 2016
READ DATE: August 18, 2020
something I realized I didn’t mention in my initial review was the lgbtq rep. We follow an asexual protagonist and, if I am not mistaken, another transgender main character. That was an aspect I really enjoyed and it never felt forced into the story. The fact that this is sort of sold as a middle grade just ups the importance of this diversity.
┈ overall thoughts ┈ 3.5/5
To be perfectly transparent, I don’t exactly understand the hype around this book but it was still a great read. I kind of expected the ending... at the same time I didn’t since I didn’t know if it would go that route.
I knew that this series was about kids who go into other worlds through doors but I thought it was going to be narrating their journey while they were there but APPARENTLY it’s about what happens to them AFTER they’ve gone into those worlds and came back. (For this book at least)
That’s why I wasn’t expecting the boarding school setting (one of my fave tropes)
“Only by learning the journeys of others can we truly understand our own.”
The mystery aspect was a little predictable to me (except for that one thing that happened early one) but it’s fine. Although, I didn’t really like the voices when the narrator was switching between characters. It bothered me because I couldn’t separate much of the distinctions. (Kade’s voice bothered me a lot)
Nevertheless, this book had a lot of discussions of the story in terms of world-building to distract me and has set me into reading the rest of the series.
An additional aspect that I really loved was how each of the worlds were sort of customized depending on each person’s personality.
As children, one time or another, we probably have experienced a time when people told us what to do and what not to do. The idea that they could escape into a world that just lets them be themselves was so mind-blowing to me. It’s a simple idea but it just never crossed my mind in the way that Seanan McGuire wrote it.
“For us, the places we went to were home. We didn’t care if they were good or evil, neutral or what. We cared about the fact that for the first time we didn’t have to pretend to be something we’re not. We just get to be. That made all the difference in the world.”
I am writing this review right before I go to bed and this book was just the perfect way to end the day but I’ll probably update this tomorrow (I didn't). But this was thoroughly enjoyable.
“I’ve had rest enough to last a lifetime, and only a lifetime for the rest of what has to be done.”
plot: ★★★☆☆
writing style: ★★★☆☆
world building: ★★★★☆
characters: ★★★★☆
themes: ★★★★★
pacing: ★★★☆☆
page turner: ★★★★★
narration: ★★★☆☆
Thank you so much for reading!
What are your thoughts on this book?
Have you read any of the other books in the series?
