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    Down Among the Sticks and Bones
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    Down Among the Sticks and Bones
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    Down Among the Sticks and Bones
    Ebook167 pages2 hours

    Down Among the Sticks and Bones

    By Seanan McGuire

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Winner: 2018 Alex Award
    Winner: 2018 ALA RUSA Fantasy Award

    Seanan McGuire returns to her popular Wayward Children series with Down Among the Sticks and Bones—a truly standalone story suitable for adult and young adult readers of urban fantasy, and the follow-up to the Alex, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award-winning, World Fantasy Award finalist, Tiptree Honor List book Every Heart a Doorway

    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.

    The Wayward Children Series
    Book 1: Every Heart a Doorway
    Book 2: Down Among the Sticks and Bones
    Book 3: Beneath the Sugar Sky
    Book 4: In an Absent Dream

    At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJun 13, 2017
    ISBN9780765392046
    Author

    Seanan McGuire

    Seanan McGuire is the author of Every Heart a Doorway, the October Daye urban fantasy series, the InCryptid series, and several other works, both standalone and in trilogies. She also writes darker fiction as Mira Grant. She was the winner of the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and in 2013 she became the first person ever to appear five times on the same Hugo ballot.

    Read more from Seanan Mc Guire

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    Reviews for Down Among the Sticks and Bones

    4/5

    603 ratings65 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Read for #Spookathon 2017 spooky setting challenge.I loved reading about Jack and Jill; and what their portal world was actually like. I have to admit that I thought the first book was better even though this one was still a great read. The backstory of the twins seemed to take forever to get through even with the book being so short. It probably won't end up being a favorite in the series but I still recommend it.
    • 4/5
      I was really excited to read this book, I had heard so many great things, and a lot of people liked it more than Every Heart A Doorway. I found that I liked it just the same. It still had that slightly detached feel to it, I think because of the narration and writing style, but I liked it. It was interesting to see Jack and Jill's portal fantasy world. It was so twisted and yet it worked for them. I liked seeing their home lives and the events leading up to their entrance into The Moors. I found the discussion of gender stereotyping well done, if not a little overdone. I felt like maybe if we had gotten into Jack and Jill's heads more it wouldn't have seemed this way. We may have gotten to see more of how they thought and how their parents' actions effected them.Overall, I really enjoyed the world we got to see and getting to know the backstory of Jack and Jill, and really getting some clarification and an idea of what was going through Jill's head in Every Heart a Doorway
    • 3/5
      Good story a little weird but good
    • 5/5
      Twin sisters Jacqueline and Jillian have parents who never expected the messy reality of having children. They only wanted to compete with their friends. The facade of perfection and fulfilling social expectations are their only motivations. Their mother has no idea how to care for them and calls in their Grandma Louise, who stays as their caregiver for years. The two girls are stuck into two randomly chosen roles: her mother expected Jacqueline to wear frilly dresses, be the proper girl, sit quietly, and stay out of trouble and dirt. Her father, who wanted a boy, expected Jill to be a tomboy with an affinity for sports and less stereotypically girly things. Louise tries to tell the girls to be whoever they want to be, but they feel competition with each other and suffocated by their parents' expectations. One day at twelve years old, they play together in the attic and find a door to another world with more opportunity and more darkness than they ever imagined.These twins were first seen in Every Heart a Doorway and Down Among the Sticks and Bones tells the story of their lives before any doors and the world that Jill tried so hard to return to. The other world Jack and Jill travel to is called the Moors, which offers them a chance at a new life with a whole new set of problems. Jack (who was always Jacqueline) was jealous of her sister's freedom to be less feminine, get dirty, and run around. Jill was jealous of her sister's beautiful dresses, long hair, and refined nature. This jealousy keeps them from forming a true friendship and keeps them at odds. This new world gives them the chance to be who they truly want to be, but their relationship is no better. Jill chooses to stay with the Master, the cruel vampire ruler of the land, as his doll-like, pampered daughter. Jack chooses to become a mad scientist's apprentice, submitting herself to backbreaking work and science that would turn others' stomachs. Both girls' desire to go after their own interests whether it be stereotypically feminine or not is seen as completely valid. Especially in YA novels, there is a dismissive or outright hostile view towards feminine women and girls with an "I'm better than those other girls attitude." I'm so happy to see an author I especially respect giving validity to differing gender roles.The latter part of the story focuses mostly on Jack, her coming of age, and her first love. She lives near a village of peasant people and loves every bit of her humble way of life. However, throughout everything, there's an undercurrent of threat. If someone offends her, they might suffer a painful, bloody fate at the hands of Jill or the Master. After one such incident, the people take care what they say around her and keep her at arms length. Everyone except for Alexis, who loves her deeply. They hide the extent of their relationship in public, but Alexis is the only person Jack can truly be herself with. Jill, on the other hand, aspires to become a vampire and be next in line to rule the Moors. Her heart withers until she becomes just as ruthless as the Master she is so obsessed with and views death as an amusement. Their journeys run parallel each other until they meet in a heartbreaking tragedy.Down Among the Sticks and Bones isn't quite as good as Every Heart a Doorway, but it provides a context for the twins and their dynamic. It's a pretty short novella. Seanan McGuire imbues each page with such masterful writing and detail that it seems much longer. I am eager to read further stories in this series that allow us to get to know those memorable characters better.
    • 4/5
      This book was provided to me free of charge by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.Seanan McGuire returns to her popular Wayward Children series with Down Among the Sticks and Bones—a truly standalone story suitable for adult and young adult readers of urban fantasy, and the follow-up to the Alex Award-winning, Nebula-nominated Every Heart a DoorwayTwin 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.This is my first experience with Seanan McGuire, but definitely not my last. Down Among the Sticks and Bones is a stark, poignant, and beautiful story. There’s not much joy to be had in the lives of Jacqueline and Jillian, and what little joy they have is consistently snuffed out by either the adults in their lives or (sometimes intentionally, but mostly unintentionally) each other. The personalities of the two main characters are richly developed and complex. Jack and Jill have never been comfortable in their own skins, and when given the chance to be someone else, they leap at the opportunity. While this is a good, engrossing book, the beauty of it lies not in the words themselves, but in the way those words keep you thinking long after the story is over. The question that keeps me thinking the most is “Who is/are the true villain(s) of this story”. I have gone around and around with that one. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well-written, character driven novels. If you need a truly happy ending in order to be satisfied with a book, just walk away.
    • 3/5
      This book starts slow and almost humorous (for an adult, not sure if a teen would think it's funny), but becomes increasingly darker. Maybe teens are so used to blood and vampires and evil in books that it won't bother them, but I'd still recommend it for more mature high schoolers. There's not a lot of action for readers who need page-turning thrillers. It's more introspective, seeming to comment on the human condition and the harm we can do to one another when raised to conform and raised without love. It's the second in a series and the way it ended makes me think there will be another.
    • 3/5
      I think I like novellas, at least right now. (Is this technically a novella? Isn't that based upon word count?)
      Picked this up mighty quick, after saying "Hmm, dunno" upon completing the first of the Wayward Children.
      Again I say, I dunno... will likely read more.....
      Some of this, the beginning, Jack & Jill's history in the house where they were born, is very sad; I hate to think of children forced to live that way: unable to be themselves - whomever that might be.

    • 4/5
      This is the story of Jack and Jill from the Wayward Children series. I liked this, but I do not think it would be very good if read on its own.

      I loved Dr. Bleak.
    • 3/5
      A very interesting read - I'm not sure if coming to this series in the middle has affected my experience of the work as a whole, but I'm quite interested in reading the first in the series. At times this tale was utterly expected, but I also found myself desperately attached to one of the characters and needing to know what would happen. The ending was all too sudden and I had to scroll back and forth to convince myself that it was indeed the end. I'm torn! Enjoyable, but strange, and I want more.
    • 4/5
      Jacqueline and Jillian—never Jack and Jill—are raised by parents who see them as accessories, not people, and when they find a set of stairs where no stairs should be, they end up in a fairy-tale land of vampires and mad scientists. McGuire’s trademark repetition works for the fairy-tale morals and settings, and we learn more about the world from which Jack and Jill (met in a previous book) came, though I’d like to see more of them reentering mundane reality.
    • 4/5
      This is the prequel to Hugo winning Every Heart a Doorway which I have still to read. But I was able to get my hands on this easily and was assured that it can stand alone, too went ahead. Wow. Seanan McGuire (by whichever pen name she chooses) sure can write. This had moments where I almost thought I was reading Neil Gaiman instead, which is a huge "good thing" in my mind since he is one of my FP(aa)OE*, and hopefully no author minds being likened to him. This is a short tale, but well drawn, with fantasy, creepiness, and hope all twined together.*Favorite People(and authors) On EarthFrom the publisher: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.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book! It's a solid edition to the series. And second in the series are usually hard to live up to. Learning Jack and Jill's backstory was great and I was so excited to read it. The pacing is good, the characters are good. My only complaint would be the use of the word 'bracken' a lot, but hey, if that's all, it must be a great book, right?! I would recommend it and this series. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
    • 4/5
      An interesting contrast to Every Heart a Doorway - this one is rather more...abstract? Distant? This is partly because there's quite a long section at the beginning that explains the background, how Jacqueline and Jillian were molded by their parents and how that early shaping led to later events. But even the later parts, where we see their actions close up (close omniscient, I think - in everyone's head), they seem a little abstract. More like fairy tale characters than real people. Now I want to reread Every Heart, and see how they were written there - see if my new knowledge of them changes the meaning of what they do and say in the earlier book. By the end of Every Heart we knew _what_ had happened to them - the vampire lord and the mad scientist - but now we know a lot more.
    • 3/5
      I didn't enjoy it as much as Every Heart a Doorway. The writing style left me too removed from the characters and events, and knowing the endpoint didn't help.
    • 4/5
      This book is amazing, but you read the first book, Every Heart a Doorway first. While this is a standalone book, I think that this book will give away some of the spontaneity of the first book.So, onto the review. I didn't know Every Heart a Doorway had a sequel, so when I saw this in the library, I immediately checked it out. And its an amazing story, in some ways better than the first, but definitely different. This is the story of Jack and Jill, characters from the first book, and their time in a nightmare world (werewolves, vampires, mad scientists, etc). The characters were well developed, and felt like real kids - kids pigeon-holed into stereotypes of girlie girl, and tomboy, to the point that they aren't allowed to be anything else. So, in a fit of bored silliness brings them to their grandma's old room, they find a stairway, one that leads them to a world where a choice has to be made - and they have to make it mostly uninformed. Jack, being raised as a girlie girl who spends a lot of time listening and sitting still, understand the situation better her sister, Jill, and makes a choice for both of them, leaving Jill behind. Both girls are in a world that on the outside, seems unsuited for them, but being part of the other side of the stereotype, they both thrive, or so it seems. This is a coming of age story, of expectation vs individuality. And it gets teenage girls - its not often a book manages to make two very believable teenagers, but manages to keep sterotypes. The world itself is also interesting. It doesn't cover anything new and it will be familiar to most people. Where the book shines is the characters in that world - they are fully realized, even secondary characters like Alexis, Jack's Girlfriend. And outside of disappointed parents over grandchildren, this lesbian romance was done as part of the story. Not to make a statement, it was done naturally, and in the way of two teenagers in love. I highly recommend this story - but please, read the first book first!
    • 4/5
      “Some adventures require nothing more than a willing heart and the ability to trip over the cracks in the world.”

      Once again, I really enjoy this book. It is a great follow up in the world of the Wayward Children. I loved seeing the lives of Jack and Jill, and more of the door they lived in. However, as with the first book, it felt too short, like it was always just shy of a more developed story.

      I can say, as far as character development goes, she creates wonderfully, complex people. I really like the her characters. They never feel too Mary Sue, or overly edgy for the sake of angst. As in the first book, Jack has developed an OCD/phobia of germs, and in this story you can see how she develops it through her childhood. This book also touches on LGBT elements (like with the first book), and weaves these elements in naturally, not like a token or quirk.

      So I it seems that Seanan is able to create some really interesting characters and worlds, but it's almost like she's not fully sure what to do with the plot (so it ends up feeling rushed). I enjoy her writing style, it's almost like being relayed a tale by a narrator. I think Seanan's strong suit is definitely her creativity.

      “There are worlds built on rainbows and worlds built on rain. There are worlds of pure mathematics, where every number chimes like crystal as it rolls into reality. There are worlds of light and worlds of darkness, worlds of rhyme and worlds of reason, and worlds where the only thing that matters is the goodness in a hero's heart.”
    • 4/5
      Jacqueline and Jillian Wolcott are identical twins whose parents have always wanted them to be the perfect children they imagined themselves having. But one day when they're twelve, the girls go up into the attic to play and discover that instead of the dress up clothes that have always been in the large trunk there is instead a set of stairs that go down for what seems ages. When the twins go down the stairs they enter a world that is far darker than anything they had ever imagined.Labelled as a stand alone novel set in the world McGuire established in [Every Heart a Doorway], this is in many ways a prequel to that first novel. McGuire explores how Jacqueline and Jillian become Jack and Jill and once again takes a very dark twist on fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and those large cultural narratives that have permeated the general consciousness. The novel does include some rather dark and gruesome details although nothing beyond what one might find in a Grimm tale or something from Edgar Allan Poe. Recommended for those who like a dark twist on childhood tales.
    • 3/5
      I adored Every Heart a Doorway. I related strongly to it, and judge it to be one of the best novellas I have ever read. It's fair to say that straight up, because it would have been hard for Down Among the Sticks and Bones to live up to its predecessor. And it doesn't.It's a good story, going deep into what happened to twin sisters Jack and Jill when they found their portal and entered the realm of the vampire called the Master. McGuire's writing, as always, is evocative, and the voice of the piece sets the mood so well. These are sisters raised in abusive circumstances, cultivated as props for their well-to-do parents, and when they enter this other-realm, they immediately rebel against the tight gender constraints they were raised under. But once they find their new roles, I found myself less engaged as the story falls into a good twin-bad twin dynamic and there's a major death that is easy to predict and a major trope.
    • 5/5
      “There are worlds built on rainbows and worlds built on rain. There are worlds of pure mathematics, where every number chimes like crystal as it rolls into reality. There are worlds of light and worlds of darkness, worlds of rhyme and worlds of reason, and worlds where the only thing that matters is the goodness in a hero's heart.”Jacqueline and Jillian are twins born to parents who never really understood or wanted children, parents who believe children are objects to be shaped to their desires. But the world is full of doors to other worlds and Jacqueline and Jillian find their way to a place of darkness and death, where they suddenly have the ability to choose. Seanan McGuire seems to be getting better and better with every book she writes. The writing in this book is beautiful, often taking on the "fairy tale" tone of an outside narrator as a separate character relating the story. Down Among the Sticks and Bones is a standalone story in the Wayward Children series, and as such, you can read the books in the series in any order. Although if you really want to know what happens to Jack and Jill, then I recommend reading Every Heart a Doorway, which chronologically comes after this one (even though its the first in the series).In general, I'm hoping there are many, many more books in this series, because I'm loving it.
    • 5/5
      "SOME ADVENTURES BEGIN EASILY. It is not hard, after all, to be sucked up by a tornado or pushed through a particularly porous mirror; there is no skill involved in being swept away by a great wave or pulled down a rabbit hole. Some adventures require nothing more than a willing heart and the ability to trip over the cracks in the world."This tale is not such an adventure...This was one quick read that happened to be richly written, starring robust characters within world(s) that were expertly crafted!! It fits snuggly into Every Heart a Doorway... so neatly and effortlessly that I quite frankly was in a constant state of awe. This story is phenomenally molded and magically delicious."
    • 5/5
      This is the second book in the Wayward Children series and I enjoyed it quite a bit. This is a fairly short and quick read (~180 pages) and packs a lot of the story into that space. I actually liked this book a lot more than the first Wayward Children book; I just felt like I connected with the characters better and was drawn into the story faster.This is a retelling of Jill and Jack and I enjoyed it a lot. The mysterious Doors feature in the story as well. Aside from the vampiric fairy tale themes in here, there is a also a theme of finding one’s identity and some LGBT themes as well.My only complaint about this book is a small one, the ending felt really rushed and the story stopped abruptly without much resolution. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.Overall this was an excellent addition to the Wayward Children series. I was sceptical that a whole book could be done as a Jack and Jill retelling; but this was beautifully done. I would recommend to those who enjoy dark fairy tale retellings. This was beautiful written and incredibly engaging. I definitely plan on continuing the Wayward Children series.
    • 4/5
      This is a story about what happens if you force a child into a specific gender role, not allowing for any variation from the performative platonic ideal, teach the child that love is only possible when conforming to those unrealistic and impossible standards, and then accidentally send the child to a magical realm where they have the opportunity to break out of the assigned role and reach for the things they felt they were missing.It's a morality tale, basically, but also a fantasy story about identical twins and vampires and mad scientists. The first half explains the strictures forced on the girls, the second half shows what happens when they're given the option to change.I found it a little slow reading at first because the narrative is told in a children's bedtime story tone, and while I often enjoy that style and I fully agreed with the lessons in the morality play, it was a little wearing. I may have just not been in the right mood for it. But in the second half, when Jack and Jill actually begin to choose and live for themselves, the pacing and interest picked up quite a bit, and I was disappointed to see the story end.I really liked the queer rep and the weird Moors setting. This was the first book by Seanan McGuire that I have read, and I think I will try more of her stories.
    • 4/5
      A prequel to Every Heart a Doorway, giving Jack and Jill's backstory. For someone who has read the first book, there are not a lot of surprises here; the pleasure is in the details of their lives before and after finding their way to the Moors. In some ways, their parents were bigger monsters than the vampire and mad scientist they were apprenticed to on the other side of the portal.This can be enjoyed on its own terms, without having read the other book, but Every Heart a Doorway will read quite differently to someone who starts with this one.Effective and affecting. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      Pros: brilliant characters, unique narrative style Cons: Chester and Serena Wolcott decided to have children after seeing the impeccably behaved offspring of his work peers and her social clubs. They were not prepared for the real thing. Which is why Jacqueline and Jillian, their twin girls, are so rigidly forced into the roles their parents intended them to fill. So when the twelve year olds discover a strange doorway, they enter it, and find a strange world, one that finally allows them to be who they choose. While this is the second Wayward Children novella, its events are a prequel to those of Every Heart a Doorway. I REALLy liked this story. The narrative style was unique, with the narrator occasionally addressing the reader during interludes of storytelling. I greatly enjoyed this and it gave a bit of distance from the text, which was helpful as the story went in dark directions. It doesn’t quite line up with the narrative of their history from Every Heart a Doorway, but most of the details carry through. The world is really interesting, with just enough fleshing out to feel alive, but not enough to make you question how it all works in practice. I enjoyed the characters, who had a level of depth to them that was wonderful to read. While it’s short it packs a punch. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      This fills in the backstory for two characters from Every Heart a Doorway, but it really stands on its own. A haunting fairytale featuring two girls who are more complicated than the world wants them to be.
    • 5/5
      Read it.Every time I think Seanan can't write a character more perfectly aimed at me, she outdoes herself. If you liked the first one, or you like classic horror, or you know what it means to stumble into home long years after growing up with parents who don't see you, yes, read it.
    • 4/5
      Dark fantasy novella that takes the twin sisters from the previous book in this world, and explores how it is that they came to be the people that we saw in the first book. A subtlety developed portrait of a dysfunctional family turns into a dark portal fantasy where each of the twins comes to serve a different master.
    • 4/5
      2018 Hugo Awards Best Novella Nominee

      I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but in a different way than I enjoy the others in the series. This was atmospheric and eerie and I liked it for that, and for the few moments of happiness Jack managed to have for herself.
    • 4/5
      This series has been a blast to read. This is the story of the twins from the first book and could be read before or after the first. They do stand alone but this explains some of what happens in Every Heart a Doorway.Twins are brought up with rigid stereotypes and then they find a doorway to another world and discover that choices can be complicated.I recommend this series.Borrowed from Irish Public libraries
    • 5/5
      WOW. Just wow. I can't even explain how much I loved this, it's definitely my favorite so far in the series, and I am so happy I decided to continue on. Jack and Jill are two completely different people who had a pretty crappy upbringing and were sent to a world that's also pretty crappy but somehow perfect for them. Children are definitely products of their environment and that's never been more evident than in this book. I may have hated her character but Jill is so interesting and her motives are fascinating. I ended up feeling bad for her even though she's such a shitty person. I will say that, considering this book is usually labeled as an adult fantasy series, I didn't really understand why at first because the writing style is... almost childlike in a way. Not that it isn't good, Seanan Mcguire is a fantastic writer and I highly enjoyed it, but it was fairly simple. I liked that aspect of it though and it made sense to me that the story was told in that way. To sort of sum up my thoughts on this, I generally don't like highlighting or writing in my physical books but this is the first one in a long time that I really felt the urge to annotate because I loved what I was reading so much. For anyone looking for an interesting take on a portal fantasy, I highly recommend you read this.