Review: Down Among the Sticks and Bones

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Down Among the Sticks and Bones was a wonderful sequel to Every Heart a Doorway; acting as a prequel to some of the events in the first novel. Being able to learn more about Jack and Jill's story was awesome and was an interesting twist on the world that Seanan McGuire has created.


The Writing

The writing in DATSAB was even more fantastical and mysterious than the first, the way McGuire chose to tell this story was, to me, unique as there were points in the novel where the narration seemed to speak to the audience; rather than simply just detailing events. I thought the use of the fourth wall, the use of metaphors and subtext in this sequel worked well together as it allows the reader to feel as if they are witnessing the events themselves. Down Among's use of metaphors almost forces the reader to read between the lines to piece to gather the lore surrounding the Moor and the magic/world system within the Wayward Children's series. This is one aspect of the novel that I thoroughly enjoyed as it gave enough to the story that all your questions get answered but it also leaves mysterious surrounding the bigger picture; making you want to know more.

The world featured in Down Among is seemingly darker than the one in Every Heart as it isn't set on earth, but rather in the Moors. Despite being a gritter insight to the complex world system, it still maintained the charm of the first book and held a certain charm of its own. The wonderful thing about the novels in the Wayward Children's series is that they could just as easily be read as stand alone stories - each of them holds up their own standard and continues to be just as good as the previous one. I'm very excited to start Beneath the Sugar Sky.

The Characters

Jack Wolcott is precious and deserves nothing but happiness okay.
The development that Jack goes through in Down Among is wonderful, transforming from a quiet, timid girl to a headstrong, independent woman who can stand up for what she believes in. She has such a charm to her character, despite being taught to withhold her true self, Jack is equally as serene as she is tough and intuitive - not only is she a strong female character who is eager to learn and has a strong interest in science. Jack is also romantic and incredibly affectionate towards those she loves, even if it is in the subtlest of manners.

Jill is probably the reason I didn't give this book 5 stars, personally I felt like Jill's development was slowly and more stilted. As I progressed through the novel, I found her irritating and obnoxious - though that was how her character was supposed to be portrayed - her actions and attitudes made me want to scream sometimes. I do think Jill's character was well-thought out, I just think that she could've had more page time so that the audience were able to witness more of her progression.

Two characters that I would love to learn more about is the Master and Dr. Bleak, the world of the Moors intrigues me greatly and the friction between the two key characters is something that I think could easily be developed on.

Dr. Bleak's character was lovely to see as from when you first meet him, he comes across as a humble guy. As Down Among progressed he showed almost a fatherly affection towards Jack that was just incredibly heart-warming; making the events of the books more emotional than first implied.

The Diversity

This book features a pansexual-sex repulsed main character who struggles with OCD
It also a feature a side character who may be gay - they are involved in a same sex relationship, but sexuality is never specified.

Overall
Would highly recommend this book to anyone who either loved Every Heart a Doorway or is looking for a unique twist on a classic, fantasy tale. These novels speak volumes about the hearts and truths of today's children and the lives that a lot of youth live - Seanan McGuire has truly captured the spirit of what it is like to be a child for some and the metaphoric consequences of what happens if you refuse to listen and continuously ignore a child's desires.


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