Every Heart A Doorway, Seanan McGuire
I should probably have written a review the minute I finished this one, but I felt like I needed time to let things settle, and then life took over. For me, it was a really satisfying read, from the plot and setting to the diversity of characters, and it seemed like the perfect length too. Often I want more from novellas, but to me this told the story it had to tell and stopped — with plenty left to think about and wonder about, but not in an unsatisfying way.
My one issue is that there’s one scene that makes the mystery part absolutely obvious: I don’t know if it’s just the way I think, but that was disappointing, because the characters apparently took no notice and then a little while after, there was the actual reveal.
Still, to me the setting — even just the idea — is the central thing: what happens when the story is over, and fairyland spits you back out? I worried about it when I read Cat Valente’s last Fairyland book: how can you go back to normal after that? Wouldn’t normal life be a huge anticlimax — or even just completely baffling? And Every Heart A Doorway deals with that, and with all the different ways people might leave their fairyland, and how they might feel about it. There’s a gorgeously painful part where one of the returnees was trans, and when that was revealed, their world rejected them. And then there’s the way the various worlds fall somewhere on a spectrum between logic and nonsense; the fact that Nancy is (like me) asexual and how that affects her relationships with people; the different ways everyone relates to each other, despite a common background…
Overall, I found it really satisfying, and it emphasised how very much I need to get round to reading more of Seanan McGuire’s work.
I was super excited for this until I saw it was kind of on the short side. I have a tendency to avoid novellas because by the time I start to get into the book and the characters, it’s over. However, the plot for this really sounds intriguing so I might just pick it up after all. Great review!
Kelly @ Here’s to Happy Endings recently posted…Review: Down with the Shine by Kate Karyus Quinn
I really liked it; I think it’s worth a try! I felt like the character arcs were resolved well.
“My one issue is that there’s one scene that makes the mystery part absolutely obvious” Was it the skeleton pointing because that’s when I knew but I liked the book anyway. I gave it four stars as well.
Yep, that scene exactly. It was building up quite well to that point and then… whaaa. Why make it so obvious?!
I loved this book! The writing is so lovely, and I loved the different characters, who they were, and how their experiences in their different worlds were all so varied. Great review.
Agreed! I wanted to see all their worlds, really. (Just, most of them definitely wouldn’t suit me!)
Oh, glad to hear you loved this! I’m going to bump it up my TBR!
Yay! I was wondering if you were planning to read it!
Seanan will actually be attending ICON this year so I get to meet her! I hope to read at least ONE of her books before the end of October. I’ve heard good things about this one. 🙂
Terri M. recently posted…A Delightful Surprise I Was Not Expecting
Ooh, I hear she’s pretty awesome! I do recommend this book, definitely. It’s fairly bitesize, too, since it’s part of Tor.com’s novella line…
I will have to pick this up, for sure.
I loooved it, I definitely recommend. I thought about giving it 5/5 stars.