After finishing the first four books in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series, I kept right on going with the final three books. This series is still in progress, so these aren't the last books ever, but they are all the ones that are out right now. I had really enjoyed the series up to this point, so I didn't mind powering through the rest to see how Eleanor West and her students continued their stories.
Book 5: Come Tumbling Down
Come Tumbling Down continues the story of Jack and Jill, the twin sisters that returned to their world under complicated circumstances way back in Every Heart a Doorway. The story picks up a little after those events when a young woman names Alexis appears in the basement of Eleanor West's school in flash of lightning with Jack's unconscious body in her arms. After Jack recovers, she explains that she was able to revive her sister Jill after returning to the Moor, but living in a revived body made Jill furious. She still wanted to turn into a vampire, and that is only possible for a person that hasn't died before. She found a way to switch bodies with her sister so that she could use that body to accomplish her goal. Jack, who struggles with OCD and can't abide being in a body that isn't her own, desperately needs to switch back before her condition drives her to destroy herself.
Kade, Sumi, Christopher, and Cora agree to travel back to the Moor with Alexis and Jack to help her get her body back. The journey is fraught with danger though, and everyone surviving the ordeal unscathed is not a guarantee. Together, the group must figure out how to survive in Jack's strange and deadly world and track down Jill before she does something to Jack's body that is irreversible.
I enjoyed this book just as much as the previous books in the series. The plot was creative and wonderfully weird, the characters were diverse and interesting, and the writing style was easy to read and very beautiful. While it's true that most of the books in the series don't need to be read in order, this one was different in that regard. I think reading Every Heart a Doorway before this one is pretty much mandatory, and Down Among the Sticks and Bones would be a good idea too. Otherwise, this story wouldn't hit the same way. In any case, it was another strong addition to the series.
Book 6: Across the Green Grass Fields
Across the Green Grass Fields focuses on a new character named Reagan. As the story begins, she undergoes a traumatic betrayal of trust from her best friend and stumbles across a door in the woods. It brings her to the Hooflands, a world full of unicorns, centaurs, and other hoofed mythical creatures. Her arrival is greeted with excitement, because humans are only summoned to the Hooflands when a hero is needed. Regan doesn't feel very much like a hero, but she instantly falls in love with the place and is willing to do what she can to protect it. After living among a herd of centaurs for a while, she discovers the quest she has been brought there to do and sets off to accomplish it. She quickly realizes, however, that the quest she thought she was on is actually something else entirely, and it is up to her to uncover what is going on beneath the surface.
Again, I enjoyed this novel as much as the previous ones in the series. I tend to prefer the standalone stories to the ones that directly connect to each other, so I liked that this story featured a new character and a new world to explore. As a bit of a former horse-girl myself, I could relate to Reagan's love of the creatures and delighted right alongside her in the magical world of the Hooflands. I liked the new characters and I thought the story was creative and intriguing. The themes in the text of truthfulness, freedom, and acceptance were lovely as well. This was another great entry in the series.
Where the Drowned Girls Go returns back to the current storyline and focuses on Cora. Ever since her adventure on The Moor in book five, she has been struggling with nightmares and has started longing to become "normal" again. She is so distressed that she receives permission to transfer to a different school which focuses on helping its students forget their experiences and assimilate back into society. When she arrives at her new school, however, she discovers that it is a difficult and deeply unpleasant place full of restrictive rules and deceptions. She tries to make the best of her situation, but her efforts are disrupted when Sumi suddenly appears to try and rescue her. Together, the girls discover a disturbing secret at the heart of the school, and must find a way to escape it.
While I liked this story well enough, I didn't love it the same as the other books in the series. The writing was still beautiful, the characters were still authentic, and the themes were still diverse and interesting. What was different for me was the clarity. Obviously, magic doesn't always function logically and consistently in stories, but I felt like McGuire's explanations for what was going on in this school were hazy and confusing. This story also contained a lot of realistic and dark elements, like mentions of suicide attempts, depression, and eating disorders. It was a bit of a bummer and I just didn't vibe with it as much as I did with the other books. That being said, I still enjoyed it--just not as much as the previous entries in the series.
Overall, I thought that the Wayward Children series was really fantastic. I love the consistent themes of people that don't quite fit in finding their place in the world. I love the crazy, imaginative, impossible places the characters visit. I love the diversity in characters. I even love that the books are short. I am definitely a fan and will be continuing on with future books in the series.
On a side note, this was the last series in my Finally in 2022 Challenge! I read a total of seven series throughout the first half of this year and I really enjoyed most of them! I'll continue to try and get through more of the series I have sitting on my shelves during the rest of the year and see how many more I can finish.
Challenge Tally
Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 28/28 - Finished!
Total Books Read in 2022: 59
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