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 the matter.

No matter the cost. 

I’ve been so anxious to get started on Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series, and this book…oof…Every Heart a Doorway was the exact-right book at the exact-right moment for me, and I just fucking adored it. 

This book succeeds on so many levels. It’s whimsical without being too cute, it’s dark without feeling grim or oppressive, and it introduces a world that is almost limitless in its scope. 

Every Heart a Doorway takes place at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, a special boarding school of sorts. Only, each of these kids has had the experience of finding & opening a magical door, and leaving their “normal life” for a time…in some cases, the time they spent there felt like many years to them, whereas only a small amount of time had passed in “the real world”. And each of the doors/worlds is unique…and many of these kids wish to go back. 

Our main character is Nancy. Nancy is somewhat awkward & introverted…a character a lot of book nerds can probably relate to. Her door led her to the Halls of the Dead, an Underworld. She loved it there, where quiet & stillness were very highly valued. So being at the Home for Wayward Children, surrounded by all these kids she doesn’t know…it’s a lot for her to adjust to. 

The plot starts to reveal itself as a murder mystery, but this book is a lot more than that. The characterizations in this book are just incredible…it’s such a diverse cast, too. Kids from all walks of life, of all races, genders, and sexual orientations. These are all kids who just fucking feel it…feel everything. There’s this achingly bittersweet quality to so much in this book…gah…I just loved it. This is something so unique & yet somehow oddly familiar. A beautiful start to a series I’m incredibly excited to continue!!