Seanan McGuire

Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Quests Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children. Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the Home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of things. No matter the cost. PRAISE FOR EVERY HEART A DOORWAY "Seanan McGuire has long been one of the smartest writers around, and with this novella we can easily see that her heart is as big as her brain. We know this story isn't true, but it is truth." — Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series (TV's True Blood) "Seanan McGuire once again demonstrates her intimate knowledge of the human heart in a powerful fable of loss, yearning and damaged children." — Paul Cornell, author of London Falling and Witches of Lychford

Every Heart a Doorway

Mari

Sarah Sammis

If I were to classify this novel according to my road narrative, spectrum, the traveler would be a metaphorical orphan (orphaned in the sense of having been removed from her family for a long time in the fantasy world, and now a second time at the the school). The destination would be utopia in that the school is explicitly outside of time and space. Finally the road would a blue highway as the school can be reached by conventional means when it needs to be and it is via a car that Nancy arrives at the school. Thus it falls into #FFFF33, a bright yellow, at the far end of the fantasy spectrum for two of the three axes. Thus thematically it is tucked between Orphan Island and novels such as The Vacation and The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart.


http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comm...

Sunny

I will never ever E V E R doubt the ability of novellas to put forth and wrap up an entire story ever again. Every Heart a Doorway is kind of outside the usual thing I read, but I've heard literally nothing but amazing things about it, so I figured "hey, why not?". 
This novella has opened my eyes to the magic that is possible in day to day life, and has me eagerly keeping my eyes open for that Door that seems just a little out of place when everything else is Just So. 

I listened to it on Audible and let me just start by telling you that the narrator, Cynthia Hopkins, is amazing. She provides unique, distinct voices for each character, to the point where I was /convinced/ that it couldn't just be her. Well, I suppose it makes sense for a book so magical to have an equally magical narrator!

This novella is, putting it simply, whimsical and enchanting from the get-go. I adored it from the moment the introductions began. I fell in love with each character and felt like I knew them deeply. I knew them and their individual worlds. The loss and hurt each character feels from being kicked out of their Home really hit me hard, and I felt my heart aching right alongside Nancy for how much she missed her Lord.

My favourite characters were of course, Nancy, Jac, Kade and Sumi. They are all such unique and amazing individuals that have so much depth to them, that as the story progresses you can only grow to love them more and think of them as dear friends. Also, Nancy is asexual! I was so thrilled when it was blatantly stated and even discussed! It was broached with the anxiety a teen would have about that topic, that she was worried she would be seen as strange, but not once did she question this - she was so certain. It was refreshing and wonderful to see. As well as this, Kade being revealed to be trans is so beautifully handled, in that he is made the Heir to the Goblin Kingdom, when the Goblin King "saw him as he truly was - a boy". 
However, if I had to pick an ultimate favourite, I would choose Jacqueline. Her love for her sister is so plain to see and as an elder sister, it's always nice to see that translated well into a story. But other than that, her personality is so intense and her preoccupation with biology - death, dissection, how things work, all that good stuff - makes me think there would be no end of amazing conversations to be had.

So, the story. It started out as I expected, a new student (Nancy) is admitted to the school for Wayward Children, in a modern time period. There the headmistress and some students are slowly but timely introduced, as well as the Doorways and their unique worlds being explained in time. If the reader struggles to understand the magic/physics/explanations behind the Doors, they are not alone, as Nancy will ask questions or express confusion regarding the subject. This I found a nice change, as it always tends be characters being confused in their internal monologue and suffering in silence, or grasping the concept immediately, leaving the reader a little lost.

The few worlds we learn about are intriguing and unique and so varied from one another, that even those which are closely located on the compass - for example, Sumi and Loriel's worlds are both High Nonsense - there is nothing even remotely similar between them. Nancy's Grecian Land of the Dead, Jac and Jill's Moors, Kade's Fairyland and all the other children's worlds are so varied and vast and I would love for whole novels on each just to explore them in more depth. 
Most importantly, it seems that each world leaves their mark on each child and in some cases, they are even able to perform some of the magic/skills they learned in their world here on earth. In some cases, the magic is subtle and could easily be viewed as the normal, such as Sumi's amazing ability to work with her hands, and this made me extremely happy. It reminded me that even the mundane, if enough time and love is applied, can be magic too. 

Being as popular as it is, upon finishing EHaD, I was extremely surprised that the main plot twist HADN'T been spoiled for me, considering that almost the entirety of the story was based on this. So either everyone is keeping it a closely guarded surprise or I'm as ditsy as I think I am (let's go with the former, okay guys?). Therefore, I won't be discussing this twist outside of informing you that, once I realised what was going on, my jaw hit the floor. It was revealed so naturally and passively, almost as if we were learning about another one of Eleanor's crafts, that it took me a tick or two to be like "... Wait a minute... Did that really... Oh my god that really happened." and, dear reader, it really DID happen. 

Overall, I was blown away by this novella. I highly highly /highly/ urge everyone who's even slightly interested (and even if you're not!) to go and listen to the audio book for this immediately.

Vicky  Nuñez 

I heard a lot of buzz surrounding this novella and as someone who does not usually read this type of books I didn't expect much. Let me tell you, everyone was right.
Seanan McGuire managed to accomplish in such few words this rich story.
It is a dark and weird sort of book that will appeal to all of those who always have felt like they didn't belong.

[Rating: ★★☆☆☆]

Jan 13, 2023 - Jan 17, 2023 

This book is not a complicated read. Easy and short. You can even finish it in one sitting. But if I'm being honest, I got nothing out of reading this. I expected more from the plot, but maybe I was asking too much for such a small book? I learned nothing but three murders in a short span of time and a lot of terms without explanations. The different worlds beyond the doors weren't even explained properly, just threw it out in front of your face and let you figure it our on your own. I guess it might be thoroughly explained in the next books, but still a little bit more introduction wouldn't hurt. 

I read the excerpt from the second book of this series, but I realized the characters there are all unfamiliar. So I guess what I've read from other reviews that every book has different protagonist is true. And I've also seen that this first book is the weakest among other books in this series. I wish it is. I still want to continue venturing this series because the premise of having different worlds is actually quite interesting, the reason why I started this in the first place. 


[ 
  2019-2020 READING SPREADSHEETS
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[ 
  NEW READING SPREADSHEETS
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graelihn

I was never big on Narnia and I think that's what really attracted me to this book. Every Heart A Doorway is what happens on the return trip. Seanan McGuire created something special with this story on how this trips to distance, magical world effect those who visit them. It's just a fresh take on these types of stories with a lot of uniqueness added into the mix. Every character has their own story and motives. I found myself finding favorites every chapter. The inclusion of positive gender and sexuality representations was a MAJOR plus for me. I honestly didn't know how this book would end or even how a chapter would end. I appreciate it for not being predicable. All around, fantastic take on a subject we know well. I will definitely recommend this book to others!

this scratched an itch I didn't know I had and it was gorgeous. the slightly off-kilter, ensemble cast, dark school esque murder mystery also reminded me a bit of gideon the ninth and it hits every time. also, jack

Zahra

Mel 

Just in time for 2020.
I need the next one!

Ryan 

i definitely need a reread soon because i'm confused, yet i want to continue on reading the other books

shru

t'was a very short book and kept me wanting more. the idea of these worlds is so cool and neat, something i would like to read about, but i think the murder-mystery storyline was much more interesting to me. the entire book had an old school, gloomy feel to it and it was wonderful. the only downside was the lack of character development, they felt very one dimensional and i would have loved to know more about nancy, kade, jack and christopher.

fatru tamzil

"You are nobody's rainbow. You are nobody's princess. You are nobody's doorway, but your own, and the only who gets to tell how your story ends is you." 

I am. So glad. I discovered Seanan McGuire last year. This book is magical and perfect in every sense. In a sense of belonging to your realities and owning yourself, in a sense of found family and making choices of your own. 

SO. 

Imagine that you are a kid. You go through adventure. You found some doors. You found magical worlds. But for some reason, it kicked you out. Now you are changed. Devastated. People think, your parents think, you are losing something. You need therapy but where do people who comes into magical worlds get therapy?

To Eleanor West's school of Wayward Children, of course. And we follow Nancy, who had gone to the Underworld, who desperately wanted to come back (like everybody else in that school) and we follow....murder. And found family. And making your own destinies. 

And in the end, we lived. 

(also! ace rep! ace rep alert! nancy is an asexual and it is stated so on the pages.) 

okay i will go. read the entire series now. 

for book riot read harder challenge 2022: read a book with asexual and/or aromantic main character.

Geoffrey Froggatt

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children. Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter. No matter the cost. I loved how whimsically dark and magical this book was, and how it’s very reminiscent of fairytales and stories like Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. I love the exploration of what happens to these kids after they have adventures in other worlds. I love the concept and the world-building made by the author, and the mini murder mystery of this book. I highly recommend fans of portal fantasy books read this series before it is adapted into a television show.

Jule

Ich bin sehr froh, diese Reihe gefunden zu haben. Eine Novelle im Bereich des magischen Realismus, dessen Inhalt ich einfach bezaubernd fand. Man kann nicht wirklich viel sagen, ohne dass man etwas Spoilern würde, schließlich ist das Buch auch nur ca. 170 Seiten lang. Dennoch kommt ihr Charme aus genau dieser Länge hervor, wäre sie länger würde die Geschichte nicht mehr dieselbe Wirkung haben. Diese Reihe werde ich auf jeden Fall weiterlesen.

Jeremy Wang

no shade, but i'm really not sure how this series managed to win the hugo over the green bone saga...

i do think the idea is a great one! it was really great to see the back half of children's adventures, beyond c.s. lewis' vague handwaving about susan vanishing and peter/edmund growing up, etc. but the book was far too short to fully explore the premise or any of the dozens of ideas that mcguire shoveled into the characters and the plot. i regularly found myself with whiplash after a scene in which eleanor was magically close with kade or angela transformed from random npc to face of the bigoted right. plus, the target audience was definitely a little muddled, and that lent itself to some oddly stilted dialogue; mcguire's (teenaged and uneducated for plot reasons) characters often speak extremely frankly on modern societal issues in a voice that reads rather academic. not enjoyable. 

there were some interesting moments, particularly when jack, christopher, and nancy gather around the corpse and blend their unique experiences with death, and i think the whole world categorization system was pretty fascinating (if slightly too hard-magic for the rest of the book). i just wish i cared about the characters enough that all their experiences would actually mean something.

at the end of the day, magical realism/fantasy needs to be either sparse enough to ensure the reader accepts the mystery, or rich enough to totally immerse them, and this book was neither. if mcguire or her editor had given the story and characters room to breathe, i think it could have been a compelling plot with meaningful social commentary, but as is, the book simply jars. plus, some totally uncalled for roasting of narnia smh

Lacy W

This was part of Jamison's Marvel-a-thon, which is being held from June 1 to July 1. 
The challenge was Iron Man: Read the first book in a series. 

tw: some intentional misgendering but it's always challenged

Why oh why did I sleep on this book for so long? I am absolutely kicking myself. This book was absolutely bloody amazing and I could find nothing wrong with it in the slightest. And apparently I can't find another word to use besides absolutely. 

The diversity was out of this world. Nancy was asexual. Sumi was Japanese. Kade was transgender. I mean the list goes on and on. And the best part? It was natural. I always look for that when I read book with deiversty. The fact that Seanan McGuire was able to fit everything divers in a short book was incredible and every single writer needs to take note of this. 

Nancy and Jack were my favorite characters. Be assured though, I loved them all. But these two held my heart. I connected with Nancy on a such a deep and spiritual level. I understood her need for stillness and wanting to return to her world. I loved Jack's wit. I could listen to her talk all day. Honestly the things she said had me rolling on the floor. Plus, she loved science which is great. We need more girls in STEM. 

This was the perfect length. Not to short, not too long and this surprised me. I am known for loving those really long books. I thought for sure, when I started, I would have issues with the length. But nope, I didn't and I am heckin amazed! The concept with the different types of worlds was incredibly intriguing and highly unique. It's something I never read about I want to read more. And I think it worked for the shortness of the book. 

Overall, this was absolutely fantastic. I want to rush to my library and find the rest of the series and binge read them. This book more than deserves the hype it has surrounding it. Without a doubt. Everybody needs to take a day and just read this book and the series. Granted, I haven't read the rest of the series but I know I will love it!

Sarah Pino

the perfect followup to The House in the Cerulean Sea. with gore and gothic elements and creepy childhood stories. i liked it so much.

magical realism is turning out to now be one of my fav genres.

Alexa M

THIS WAS SO FUN! Why is it not longer!! Rushing to read the next 2 books

menna

nothing is sadder than the fact that i'm older than 18 and my perfect door would never open for me now

This was beautiful and brutal and upsetting and I am obsessed with it. This was everything I hoped for and nothing I expected at the same time. The concept was so unique and well executed and it was just…wow…the writing was so beautiful and descriptive and just…no words oh my god I am in pain, I need more

"Children have always disappeared from Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere ... else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children. Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced ... they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the Home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter. No matter the cost"--Provided by publisher.

2.5*

great concept but very underwhelming execution... despite being so short, the book felt so slow and uneventful most of the time and i just got bored :/

i was really interested in some characters initially... but unfortunately, they fell flat and basically everything we learn about them is through monologues of info dumping — i saw that the 2nd book centers around the twins' past experience with the doors though, so i think i might give this one a try at some point!

angie

Jamieson

“She was a story, not an epilogue.” 


I listened to this amazingly cute novella in audio format and I absolutely loved it. Story wise, and narrator wise. This novella has been getting a lot of attention lately - and in my opinion it is totally deserved. 

Every Heart a Doorway is a novella following Nancy - a girl who has been to another world, and then returned to ours. Unable to live in this world, and desperate to return to her discovered one - she begins to attend a school which houses children from a similar situation. The school helps the children reconcile with their reality and come to terms with never returning to their disovered worlds. 
And on top of all this, there is a little murder mystery going on at the school that Nancy and her new friends will need to unravel before it's too late. 


  
  

  
  

  

by yourlarajean on tumblr

MY FAVOURITE THING ABOUT THIS NOVELLA WAS THE CHARACTERS the characters are AMAZING. Unique people, all with such complexities considering how small this story is. I really enjoyed the different children who litter this world, and the different stories they had to tell. The whole book is also incredibly diverse. 

 - The main character Nancy is asexual
- Her friend Kade is a transboy and moc
- Sumi is an Asian woman
- Jack is a bisexual woman and has OCD

I thought each child had a unique and interesting story, and I could have honestly read 500 pages of Nancy just talking to them. Jack (Jacqueline) was my favourite character. She is a smart, capable no-nonsense woman who loves science and does her own thing. She was such an interesting character and she made the novella so interesting. I also really liked Kade's character, he was incredible sweet and wise and added a sympathetic dimension to the other characters hard edges. 

THE WORLDBUILDING was dynamic and interesting. The explanation of the different types of worlds and how each person had to act in them gave the world-travel element a unique twist, and the discrimination or judgement that came with being a part of each world was clever worldbuilding. I do think that if you weren't paying attention, however, the worldbuilding could err on the side of confusing. It is briefly explained in an info-dump moment. It wasn't terrible, but you better make sure you don't miss it. 

I actually enjoyed the murder element of the book, though I did find the culprit a little obvious so I was pretty let down by that "plot reveal". The murder mystery just adds another element to the story, but it doesn't make the story - and yeah, it's pretty obvious so don't go in looking for any great big reveals and shocks. 

Everything about this was GOOD

My main issue is honestly that it wasn't LONGER. I really would have liked a longer, more fleshed out book with more characters, more worlds, more stories. With just a little more the plot really could have been fleshed out, and the characters given greater room to grow. I am glad that Seanan McGuire wrote companion novels, but I still wish this one was a bit thicker. 

I was also a little unsatisfied with the ENDING. I understand why it went like that, but I just felt .... nothing? I felt like their needed to be more payoff in the end. 


  “It gets better. It never gets easy, but it does start to hurt a little less.“ 


Every Heart a Doorway is one of the most fun and unique novellas I have ever read. Seanan McGuire created such an interesting world and concept, and then littered it with beautiful unique characters. The sympathetic way the story deals with their children, and their abundant aspects that make them people was the highlight for me. I truly enjoyed this, think it was totally worth the hype. I highly recommend the audiobook as well, I listened to it in one sitting. 


  You’re nobody’s doorway but your own, and the only 
one who gets to tell you how your story ends is you.

Shay

Every Heart a Doorway gives me the same atmospheric horror vibes I got from 'Bird Box' and I can't put my finger on why. This book is creepy and endearing at the same time. On one hand you feel bad for the mc but on the other, it's what they want so who cares?

I love the characters, I love the concept, I love the prose and execution of the plot. This was a book I felt like I could escape into like it was *my* door.

I should have started this series in order, and I should have started it way sooner. Phenomenal!

brianna

Olivia

Rating: 3.75 stars 

I read this on audio and I can’t tell if it would have been better for me to read physically. I’m definitely going to continue in the series though because I find the concept of all these portal worlds so fascinating.

Every Heart a Doorway

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