Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

May 24th, 2018 Kimberly Review 31 Comments

24th May
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Down Among the Sticks and Bones
by Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children #2
Narrator: Seanan McGuire
Length: 4 hours and 4 minutes
Genres: Fantasy
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Narration: 4.5 cups

Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.

This is the story of what happened first…

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.

fantasy HORRIFIC UNIQUE well written

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire is the second story in the fantasy series Wayward Children. Imagine my surprise when the story was narrated by the author. Now, this can be a good or downright terrible. I am delighted to say it was magical.

In the first book, Every Heart A Doorway, we met twin girls named Jack and Jill at the school for Wayward Children. In Down Among the Sticks and Bones, we learned what happened before they arrived. The story begins when we meet an ambitious, selfish couple living in their tidy home where appearance is everything. When the husband sees other men in his company advancing because they have children he and the wife decide to have a baby. She wants a girl to dress in frills, and he wants a son to play sports. The two have twin girls Jacklyn “Jack” who he teaches to love sports and Jillian whom she dresses in frills. Neither twin is happy, and on a rainy day at the age of twelve the two open an old chest and discover a staircase to another world.

McGuire sucked me into this dark world as the twins faced decisions, changed, learned and encountered the strange residents of this dark world. The worldbuilding is outstanding and showcased all that I love about this author. Her imagination, imagery, and ability to pull the reader knows no boundaries. From the moment the girls enter this world each choice they made determined their fate. The girls frustrated by the molds created for them quickly cast them aside.

Secondary characters from the Master to the Professor completely enthralled me. I found myself wanting to scream as Jack made her choices and admired Jillian’s determination.

While entertaining,  the story delivers a clear message and it’s one I am fond of. My only regret is that the story wasn’t longer. The ending wasn’t a cliffhanger as we know what happens to the girls from book one, but it did feel a bit abrupt keeping it from a five-star rating.

Wholly original, engaging and brilliantly developed I hope you’ll grab Down Among the Sticks and Bones on audio and allow McGuire to tell you a bedtime story.

Wholly original, engaging and brilliantly developed I hope you'll grab Down Among the Sticks and Bones on #audio and allow McGuire to tell you a bedtime story. Share on X
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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31 Responses to “Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire”

  1. Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library

    Oh I need to start this series. I have the first book on my library list but I need to add this one as well. It looks amazing and I love the weirdness of it. I wouldn’t have been sure this was for me but you’ve definitely sold me on it!

  2. Stefanie

    What an entertainingly creepy title and cover. I have book one in my TBR. I’ll try to move it up.

  3. sjhigbee

    A lovely review, Kimberley:). This one looks great – I loved ‘Every Heart A Doorway’ and I’m glad the audio narration is so well done – as you say, authors reading their own work isn’t always a happy combination.

  4. Sophia Rose

    Now, that is neat that she went back and gave you the earlier story of how things started where they did for the girls. Poor Jack, but at least you know what happened to her after she made her choices.

  6. Heidi

    I really enjoyed this one too. I loved the dark world building and the message and I thought Seanan did a great job with the narration.

  7. Daniela Ark

    oh man! II DI kinda had gotten over the fact that I DNFd the first BUT now??? after this review?? I need to reconsider! I need to give it another try!

  13. kindlemom1

    I’ve been meaning to try this author and I think I want to start with this series. I’ll go grab book one. 😉

  14. cindy

    I just finished listening to book one and honestly was not sure if I wanted to go on with this series but after reading your review I definitely will. I love how we are getting the backstory of the twins . Great review Kimberly!

    cindy recently posted: Books From The Backlog #9