Down Among the Sticks and Bones - by Seanan McGuire

Title: Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children #2
Published: 13 June 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis:
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.

I listened to this as an audiobook. It was read by the author which I found a nice little touch. I'm loving these covers though!

This book is a prequel and follows Jack and Jill from the previous book, showing that their home life wasn't all rainbows and daisies. Their parents essentially wanted the "perfect family".

These two sisters manage to stick together throughout their childhood and their slight sibling rivalry. The book also shows why children should be able to choose who they are for themselves and what they do and don't like. This book shows you that there's a million ways to be a girl, but none of them are wrong.

Some adventures require nothing more than a willing heart and the ability to trip over the cracks in the world.

Having to earn a vampire's name is an idea I hadn't thought about before too.

I like that Dr Bleak lets Jack try and work out the bath for herself. She's never had to do that before but she wants to learn new things. He gives her all the tools to do what's needed, but lets her work out how - better than her real parents were.

Finding out about Mary was definitely a bit of a shock.

Time keeps moving through the door too which is interesting. I would have thought that if you go through the door at twelve years old, then you'd go back to your original world still being twelve. But that's not how it works. Jack and Jill managed to go from twelve to seventeen - having to go through periods, hormones, friendships or lack of them, and relationships, all while in The Moors.

A single revelation does not change a life. It is a start.

Spoilers!

I don't think Jack's sexuality is stated for sure, but Jack having a relationship with another girl didn't feel like it was forced on the character or like it was an afterthought to the story as it flowed well.

End Spoilers!

__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

    1 | Every Heart a Doorway
    2 | Down Among the Sticks and Bones
    3 | Beneath the Sugar Sky
    4 | In an Absent Dream

4.5 | Juice Like Wounds
    5 | Come Tumbling Down

    6 | Across the Green Grass Fields

    7 | Where the Drowned Girls Go