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emma's Reviews > Every Heart a Doorway
Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1)
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emma's review
bookshelves: fantasy, ya, diverse, fairytale, magical-realist-urban-whatever, mystery-thriller-horror-etc, recommend, that-setting-tho, 5-stars, favorites-2018, reviewed, owned, lgbt-plus
Jan 18, 2018
bookshelves: fantasy, ya, diverse, fairytale, magical-realist-urban-whatever, mystery-thriller-horror-etc, recommend, that-setting-tho, 5-stars, favorites-2018, reviewed, owned, lgbt-plus
THIS BOOK CHECKS ALL OF MY BOXES. Seanan McGuire may be...inside my very mind as we speak. (No but actually I kind of wish???)
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
First off, this book is teeny as all get out and oh MAN I love a short book!!!
Come to think of it...I really love a short book. Three five star ratings so far this year, and they’re clocking in at 173 pages, 181 pages, and a whopping 190 pages.
Maybe I just hate reading?
No no no no I will not get distracted from the fact that this is the literary equivalent of someone hacking my Ok Cupid profile to build my perfect match. (I do not have an Ok Cupid profile.)
In addition to being the perfect length (which is to say, just a touch above nonexistent), this is also my ideal genre??? Say it with me: WELL DONE MAGICAL REALISM BABY!!! (Sorry if the improvised “baby” prevented you from saying it with me.)
This book is about a boarding school for children who have fallen into other worlds (magical ones!) and been unceremoniously dropped back into our boring old magic-less one. (Boo! Can you imagine.) Think Wonderland (!!!), Narnia, etc.
Which brings up two MORE ways this book is perfect for me! One, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (my favorite book ever of all time, in case you’re new here) is canon in this world. Two, MAGIC BOARDING SCHOOL. Who doesn’t loooove that trope.
Another perfect thing: a touch of MURRRRDERRRR?!?!?!?! Yes! Murder! We have blood and mystery on our hands folks! (Hopefully not literally. That sounds unpleasant. You may want to hand sanitizer that sh*t. Except not actually because that cute lil keychain Purell you’re holding is CONTRIBUTING TO ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE YOU LOON.) (Sorry for all the caps lock in this one. I’m excited.)
And perhaps the most perfect thing of all: This book is so diverse it puts literally every other book ever to shame. In 173 pages, this story contained more solid representation than pretty much every YA fantasy I read last year COMBINED.
Our protagonist, Nancy, is asexual. A pal of hers is trans. Essentially every single character is of color or non-gender-conforming or non-straight and there is so much mental illness rep it makes me griiiiin EAR to EAR. Which is actually a very off-putting image. But don’t let the creepiness of my physically improbably smiling deter you from this book please.
To conclude: amazingly short + wonderful magical realism + Alice + boarding school + murder + mystery + effortless immersive diversity = I am one happy camper. Dare I say...the happiest camper.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
First off, this book is teeny as all get out and oh MAN I love a short book!!!
Come to think of it...I really love a short book. Three five star ratings so far this year, and they’re clocking in at 173 pages, 181 pages, and a whopping 190 pages.
Maybe I just hate reading?
No no no no I will not get distracted from the fact that this is the literary equivalent of someone hacking my Ok Cupid profile to build my perfect match. (I do not have an Ok Cupid profile.)
In addition to being the perfect length (which is to say, just a touch above nonexistent), this is also my ideal genre??? Say it with me: WELL DONE MAGICAL REALISM BABY!!! (Sorry if the improvised “baby” prevented you from saying it with me.)
This book is about a boarding school for children who have fallen into other worlds (magical ones!) and been unceremoniously dropped back into our boring old magic-less one. (Boo! Can you imagine.) Think Wonderland (!!!), Narnia, etc.
Which brings up two MORE ways this book is perfect for me! One, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (my favorite book ever of all time, in case you’re new here) is canon in this world. Two, MAGIC BOARDING SCHOOL. Who doesn’t loooove that trope.
Another perfect thing: a touch of MURRRRDERRRR?!?!?!?! Yes! Murder! We have blood and mystery on our hands folks! (Hopefully not literally. That sounds unpleasant. You may want to hand sanitizer that sh*t. Except not actually because that cute lil keychain Purell you’re holding is CONTRIBUTING TO ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE YOU LOON.) (Sorry for all the caps lock in this one. I’m excited.)
And perhaps the most perfect thing of all: This book is so diverse it puts literally every other book ever to shame. In 173 pages, this story contained more solid representation than pretty much every YA fantasy I read last year COMBINED.
Our protagonist, Nancy, is asexual. A pal of hers is trans. Essentially every single character is of color or non-gender-conforming or non-straight and there is so much mental illness rep it makes me griiiiin EAR to EAR. Which is actually a very off-putting image. But don’t let the creepiness of my physically improbably smiling deter you from this book please.
To conclude: amazingly short + wonderful magical realism + Alice + boarding school + murder + mystery + effortless immersive diversity = I am one happy camper. Dare I say...the happiest camper.
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Reading Progress
January 4, 2018
– Shelved
January 17, 2018
–
Started Reading
January 18, 2018
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 51 (51 new)
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rated it 5 stars
Jan 18, 2018 09:58AM
I binged this and Down Among The Sticks and Bones and adored both of them!! I can’t wait for Beneath the Sugar Sky to be returned to my local library so I can read it!! ☺️😍
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The second book is good too!
oliver wrote: "THIS. BOOK. IS. SO. FANTASTIC!!! So happy u enjoyed it!!"FANTASTIC IS RIGHT OH MAN
Jinan wrote: "The second book is good too!"Hailey (thebookishprincess) wrote: "I binged this and Down Among The Sticks and Bones and adored both of them!! I can’t wait for Beneath the Sugar Sky to be returned to my local library so I can read it!! ☺️😍"
OMG YAY thank god i am so thrilled
I need more short books too hahaha, this one sounds really good! :)
this sounds exactly like Miss Peregrines Home for peculisar children lol
McKenzie wrote: "I need more short books too hahaha, this one sounds really good! :)"good for your brain + heart + soul + reading challenge
marie wrote: "this sounds exactly like Miss Peregrines Home for peculisar children lol"it's actually nothing like that book at all! prime example: i strongly dislike that one and strongly like this one. but also it's not entirely child-focused and the magical realism is much more fantastical to me. (also much more fairytale-based.)
really the only similarity is that it's magical realism and there are children involved. (but honestly not really even children in this book??)
destiny wrote: "YAAAAAAAAY"THIS IS ALL THANKS TO YOU
emma wrote: "destiny wrote: "YAAAAAAAAY"THIS IS ALL THANKS TO YOU"
This is the best thing in all of goodreads' existence
Sooo excited you like it!!
destiny wrote: "emma wrote: "destiny wrote: "YAAAAAAAAY"THIS IS ALL THANKS TO YOU"
This is the best thing in all of goodreads' existence"
AGREED
Mel (Epic Reading) wrote: "Sooo excited you like it!!"ME TOO
You're letting me down - I expect bad reviews always!?! esp when I hate the book :-P I only just found out this writer is Mira Grant
@Marie I hated Miss Peregrin & this, so in that respect they're the same lol
Jake wrote destiny wrote emma wrote destiny wrote YAAAAAAAAAY
RIGHT?!?! THIS BOOK MADE ME CRY A TEAR OF PURE HAPPINESS AND THEN I WANTED TO LIVE IN THE BOOK. FOREVER. THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING.
I'm so mad. I've been wanting to read this SO badly and then every time I step into a bookstore and think "Hm. What should I look for today?" apparently this one just magically slips from my mind and I forget about it. I'm going to have to just order it. I can't deal anymore. 😂
PS: I feel it's rude of me to comment on a review that I enjoyed and not say "I loved this review!". So, I loved this review!
PS Barnes and Noble has the third book in stock, signed. So... an investment in your reading future. Or you know, a present for yourself because you are your own valentine?
If yOU DIDNT LOVE THIS I WOULD HAVE THROWN A TANTRUM RIGHT HERE IN YOUR COMMENTS SECTION BUT YOU LOVED IT AND IM SO HAPPY IM SCREAMING FROM THE ROOFTOPS
Clare wrote: "You're letting me down - I expect bad reviews always!?! esp when I hate the book :-P I only just found out this writer is Mira Grant"Clare wrote: "@Marie I hated Miss Peregrin & this, so in that respect they're the same lol"
i can't believe you hated this!!! although expecting consistent hate reviews from me is not...an unfair expectation
Jennifer wrote: "RIGHT?!?! THIS BOOK MADE ME CRY A TEAR OF PURE HAPPINESS AND THEN I WANTED TO LIVE IN THE BOOK. FOREVER. THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING."WHAT LIL DOOR CAN WE CLIMB INTO TO END UP IN THIS BOOK
Amber ☾♥ wrote: "I'm so mad. I've been wanting to read this SO badly and then every time I step into a bookstore and think "Hm. What should I look for today?" apparently this one just magically slips from my mind a..."Amber ☾♥ wrote: "PS: I feel it's rude of me to comment on a review that I enjoyed and not say "I loved this review!". So, I loved this review!"
IT IS A PERFECT BOOK. and will take like 15 mins to read. also THANK YOU THAT IS SO KIND i hope you enjoy this & am excited 2 hear your thoughts
Jennifer wrote: "PS Barnes and Noble has the third book in stock, signed. So... an investment in your reading future. Or you know, a present for yourself because you are your own valentine?"big fan of both of these concepts
maybelline™ wrote: "If yOU DIDNT LOVE THIS I WOULD HAVE THROWN A TANTRUM RIGHT HERE IN YOUR COMMENTS SECTION BUT YOU LOVED IT AND IM SO HAPPY IM SCREAMING FROM THE ROOFTOPS"the one upside of hating every book is that i get SO GODDAMN EXCITED WHEN I LOVE ONE THIS IS THE BEST
I really loved this review and it's making me antsy for reading it. THANK YOU
cait wrote: "I really loved this review and it's making me antsy for reading it. THANK YOU"no THANK YOU and i hope you love it or otherwise i will feel cripplingly responsible probably
Mary Rose wrote: "I loved this review!! I also have to say that I really felt for Nancy. I don’t know, she sort of reminded me of myself. I have a tendency to be able to just sit still, and go unnoticed. I also thou..."thank you!! i totally agree that nancy's world fascinated me most
So excited to read this one! Amazing review.💛
Gasp I was sure it was adult not ya! I never even considered reading it because of that!!
emma wrote: "marie wrote: "this sounds exactly like Miss Peregrines Home for peculisar children lol"it's actually nothing like that book at all! prime example: i strongly dislike that one and strongly like th..."
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children isn’t magical realism!
Oh I love a good wreck! This will be perfect in conjunction with Akarnae that I just started reading and I'm in love with so far. Okay I'm only on chapter 10 but so far so good
This book didn't *quite* work for me but I love your enthusiasm! HOWEVER, I *do* think McGuire has one hell of a winner for a series here. She's created an entire chart/guide to how chaotic/evil/silly/normal/good other Portal Fantasy worlds align and it ticks all my boxes. I definitely would like to read more of the series.
Dida wrote: "This book didn't *quite* work for me but I love your enthusiasm! HOWEVER, I *do* think McGuire has one hell of a winner for a series here. She's created an entire chart/guide to how chaotic/evil/si..."it's an amazing idea for a series! i hope it never ends
Lem◍nade wrote: "emma wrote: "marie wrote: "this sounds exactly like Miss Peregrines Home for peculisar children lol"it's actually nothing like that book at all! prime example: i strongly dislike that one and str..."
it's urban fantasy, i use the terms interchangeably sometimes, and also why did you read a four year old comment thread lol
Tanya wrote: "Oh I love a good wreck! This will be perfect in conjunction with Akarnae that I just started reading and I'm in love with so far. Okay I'm only on chapter 10 but so far so good"yay i hope you love it the whole time!
caitlín wrote: "UPDATE I LOVED IT"YESSSSSS
Mahnoor ⚯͛ wrote: "So excited to read this one! Amazing review.💛"thank you!!!!
yuuppp i’m sold!! a 5 star rating in emma’s book= me immediately-ordering-so-i-can-be-like-her
Even better than a great short book is a series of great short books that are all great!
Sara wrote: "Even better than a great short book is a series of great short books that are all great!"truer words!
gabbi ♡︎ wrote: "yuuppp i’m sold!! a 5 star rating in emma’s book= me immediately-ordering-so-i-can-be-like-her"blushing big time
Yesssss Im glad you loved this! When I got to the Alice nod I immediately thought of you haha
I loved this book! I have been making my way through the series ever since finishing it. So glad you enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed this one too. I am about 3/4 books into the series
s.penkevich wrote: "Yesssss Im glad you loved this! When I got to the Alice nod I immediately thought of you haha"it's the cherry on top!!!
Martha wrote: "I loved this book! I have been making my way through the series ever since finishing it. So glad you enjoyed it!"i have too! it's a fun ride
