This isn't a bad book but I'm really done with this series.

I'm really bored with this series now. For me, every single book in this series is the same. When I'm listening or reading, I struggle to actually understand what is different from the other books in the series.

I find the whole series very repetitive and would perfer them to be much longer books, than five separate novellas.

I think the whimsical world is fun and different but it is difficult at times to follow and to understand what is happening.

I didn't think this book actually went anywhere and I found the ending to be very underwhelming.

The series is fun and the first book was good but after that, I got bored. It just feels like I'm reading the same thing over and over again without much progress.

There is nothing keeping me captivated in the series and I really struggle to remember what these books are about when I'm done. I'm done with this series for sure

My Thoughts:
From the moment I read Every Heart a Doorway, I have been addicted to Seanan McGuire's writing. I have read most of her books in a single sitting because I love her writing so much. I thought for some reason that her Wayward Children series had ended with the previous book that was released, In an Absent Dream. Therefore, you can imagine how excited I was to find out that there was a fifth book in the series that was recently released. As soon as I found out about Come Tumbling Down, I knew I had to read it right away. I thought it was an excellent addition to one of my favorite series.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones was definitely my favorite book in the Wayward Children series. When I found out that part of Come Tumbling Down took place within the same door, I was excited. It felt great to be reunited with some of my favorite characters that I had really missed. It almost felt like coming home after being gone a really long time. I especially loved that we got to see more of Jack. She's always been one of my favorite characters in this series.

Another thing I loved about Come Tumbling Down is that the reader gets to explore more of my favorite door. In this book, the reader sees a completely new side to this door that's never been seen before, and I loved every second of it. I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil it for those that haven't had a chance to read the book yet, but it was something that I never expected, and it added so much to the world. I hope that Seanan McGuire does that for other doors in other books in this series too.

Come Tumbling Down was an almost perfect addition to the Wayward Children series. My only complaint that I have is that I would have liked to see a little more of Jill, and her perspective on things. Otherwise, I absolutely loved this book. It held all of the magic and wonder from the previous books in the series, and was a fantastic display of Seanan McGuire's addictive writing style. I hope she continues to write even more books in this series, and expands even more on this universe that I love so much.

I give Come Tumbling Down. 4.5/5.

**** Huge thank you to Tor for providing me with a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ****


Trigger Warnings: Panic Attack (mentioned and show but in a very sensitive manner), Death, and some Gore


Trying to review these books never gets any easier because they are just so unimaginably good that the words to properly describe it never come to me. But here I am, trying my best! This is another fantastic installment in the series and it might just be my favorite one so far. I mean seriously when can we start getting full length novels with these? That would be the only way to make them even more amazing than they already are. (Though it goes without saying they are still perfect, I'm just greedy)


I'd first like to mention that the characters briefly recap events prior to this book within dialogue, so it helps to refresh the memory if it's been a while between reads! Much appreciated by me, that's for sure!


This book manages to pick up the story after the endings of both "Every Heart a Doorway" as well as "Beneath the Sugar Sky". The events in the third book stand but Jack and Jill's characters come back essentially where the first book ended, it sounds a bit confusing but I honestly loved it this way. It takes place in the Moors, the world Jack and Jill call home. I personally find the Moors to be fascinating as its a very horror based world with terrifying creatures, death not being permanent, and yet it is always in balance with no one being in absolute power.


I LOVED how much more world building Seanan blessed us with in this novella, the Moors are explored a bit more and yet there's so many more mysteries waiting there. When I read "Down Among the Sticks and Bones" there was a brief mention of the ocean domain ruled by the Drowned Gods and that had me SO curious, it about drove me crazy with curiosity. I was beyond ecstatic to see them shown and elaborated more in this book! I could read multiple books about this world alone.


Apart from the story the pacing is even, the story pulls you right along, and the writing (as always) is absolutely beautiful and fantastic.


The characters are just as amazing as the story, well-developed and complex in their own ways. I'll never get over how invested in these characters I am, with all of their quirks and stories.


The representation (as with the other books) is still fantastic as well. Jack's OCD is shown a bit more and she does show some related anxiety as well, the OCD rep is also own voices. There's also the F/F romance between Jack and Alexis that is also adorable. Then we have Cora and Alexis who are two gorgeous fat girls that were absolutely killing it in this story, those two are my personal favorites especially with the fat rep. It makes my heart so unbelievably happy.


I usually put my break down of what I loved and didn't love in the book here, but to be perfectly honest there isn't a single thing in this book that I was not totally in love with. Everything in this story (and the other stories) was absolute perfection.


Overall I would say if you have already started this series, "Come Tumbling Down" is just as amazing as the previous installments. I would recommend this series to each and every single one of you, I really think there's something that will appeal to everyone.

It’s interesting to me that this series is far and away Seanan McGuire’s most well-known work, because I don’t think it’s at all close to her best.

This series has been a mixed bag the whole way through, with some installments being far better than others.

To me, Down Among the Sticks and Bones was by far the best of the lot, a 5-star book in an otherwise 3-star series. I thus had high hopes for this book because it was a return to the Moors, easily my favorite of the worlds chronicled in Wayward Children.

Certainly, I liked this book better than, say, Beneath the Sugar Sky, but it lacked the atmospheric marvels that the last book set in this particular world boasted, and the plot suffered as a result of having one foot in one world and one foot in another.

That the book focused primarily on Jack and Jill helped, but I think the schtick of this series (well-conceived but never all that well-executed to begin with) has run its course.

McGuire has written loads of other great books and I’m certain she’ll continue to write loads more, but this will be the last I’ll read of this series.

Boy oh boy, have we got a treat for y’all this week. We’re so excited to bring you this next review, so hold onto your hats. This week? We’re talking COME TUMBLING DOWN by Seanan McGuire.

(Yes, this book jumped ahead of the queue. No, there’s no real “good” reason for it beyond me reading the book in one day and going, “Welp, this gives me time to catch up on other stuff as well as podcast stuff.” No, I do not want to talk about it.)

So let’s talk about COME TUMBLING DOWN.


When Jack left Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister–whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice–back to their home on the Moors.

But death in their adopted world isn’t always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome.

Eleanor West’s “No Quests” rule is about to be broken.

Again.

–

COME TUMBLING DOWN takes place (chronologically) after BENEATH THE SUGAR SKY. A door to the Moors is opens up and Jack is carried through by the lovely Alexis (whom we met in DOWN AMONG THE STICKS AND BONES), and we discover the terrible fate that befell her after returning home. It’s only through the help of her friends (both old and new) at the school that she can right the wrongs that befell her, and stop her sister Jill once and for all.

I’m not going to spoil too much for you. I wanted you to know that Alexis is back because that warmed my stupid gay heart, but everything else is going to be on the DL. Hush-hush. You know the drill.

But oh my god. Just oh my god.

The writing, of course, is impeccable – it is Seanan, after all – and I enjoy the different flow of narratives that we get from each installment. While the narrator played a large part in the story, the focus was ever so much on each character that you forget that there’s only a limited time in which the conflict needs to get resolved. (Like, here I am with 20 pages left, and my only thought is, “Oh god that is not enough time.”

In regards to how Seanan writes siblings, I once again have to say “yes, this is correct.” I have been both blessed and cursed by having siblings (mostly cursed at this point, but what can you do) – one older, and three younger. So I’m well aware of what siblings act like, and how they can (and are) portrayed in media. And as far as media appearances go, we’ve got some well-written siblings here.

This book for me is a 10 out of 10, a 5 out of 5, a 12 out of 7 because numbers aren’t real. I loved this installment of the Wayward Children, and it’s delicious tension meant that I literally read it in one sitting while foregoing breakfast and whispering, “Oh no, oh no what have you done to yourselves?” It’s absolutely spectacular, and you definitely need to experience it for yourself.

–

Remember to check out the podcast episode out now on your favorite podcatcher!

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

Firstly, that cover is freaking awesome! Have to give some love for all the Wayward Children covers really, they are all so bomb.

Even though this book is a Novella it is not lacking in the slightest! There is always tonnes of world building and even though we have seen this world specifically before in Down Among the Sticks and Bones there was still heaps to learn about the world & magic system. I love learning about new worlds, so this book is just perfect for that.

The story was also super fast paced and action packed basically the entire time which makes it really fast and easy to read as well as very gripping. I read the book in I think 2 sittings as I just didn’t want to put it down.

I also really enjoyed seeing characters from previous stories again. It’s really interesting to see how they have developed & grown since the events of the previous books. The Multi POV was really good as well as you saw all sides of what was going on in the story and learn a little more about each of the characters.

Overall, I really enjoy the Wayward Children series and I can’t wait to see what will happen in the next story!

In the fifth book of Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series we revisit characters from earlier books. Twins Jack and Jill had escaped to the Moors, the fantasy land where they belong at the end of the first book. Jack, who is now inhabiting Jill's body, unexpectedly reappears at Eleanor West's school. She is consumed with anger and determined to prevent the psychopathic Jill from causing more damage. She heads back to the Moors with a small posse for backup.

Whenever I read one of Seanan McGuire's books, I'm surprised by the beauty of her writing. She conveys sadness and joy effectively in short sentences that leave me breathless.

In order to appreciate this book, a reader needs to read the previous books in the series but I've regularly recommended the first book Every Heart a Doorway, many times--and even made a few converts.

I found this book a very satisfying end (if it is the end) to the story of Jack and Jill.

Now. I've been having mixed feelings about this series. I enjoy the ideas, the writing, how diverse the characters are but I always feel like "something is missing". Probably because the books are so short so there's a lot of "And after they saved..." aka we miss on all the fun adventures.

This book was different since we do get to see what happens when we go back to The Moors. If you enjoyed Jack and Jill from book 2, you'll be happy to get more here. It was a fun and quick read but I didn't connect to it as much as the previous one. Let's be real though, nothing will compare to the fourth book for me... ever!

The ending leaves some opening for another books... that'll I'll definitely read!

Jack is one of my favorite characters in the Wayward Children series, and this title definitely did not disappoint! Now we get to see what happened after Jack took Jill back to the Moors, so we are treated to more detail of Jack's life whild also learning more about some of the other students in the process.

One of the things I appreciate about this series is that Seanan McGuire could write 500 pages and the books would still be read and popular and enjoyed. Instead only the important parts are written-no fluff or filler bits. Everything we read is just enough.

Lastly, thank you to NetGalley and Tor for letting me read this!

4.5

Jack and Jill went up a hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke her crown and Jill came tumbling after.

When last we saw twins Jack and Jill at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, Jack had killed her sister after Jill had murdered a fellow student. Jack was taking Jill back through their Doorway to the Moors – where death isn’t necessarily quite so lasting.

But their story has yet another chapter, as Jack is once again brought back to Eleanor West’s in a storm of lightning very fitting for a mad scientist. Jack needs the help of her fellow students in order to keep order within the Moors where monsters dwell and the red Moon oversees all, and if Jill has her way it will all Come Tumbling Down. They’re about to throw that whole “No Quests” rule right out the window.

Come Tumbling Down is another quest entry in the series much like the lovely confection that is Beneath the Sugar Sky which, for me, means that it moves at a quicker pace than I’ve found the prequel stories tend to be more languorous. After all, we’ve already learned Jack and Jill’s history and saw their previous future, so it’s only valid that we would get the ending as well.

I think my review of In Absent Dreams stated that the series pivots around the first book of the series Every Heart a Doorway, but I’d like to amend that slightly by saying that each book revolves around Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children School – like a waystation as they wait for their doors to open once again – but the stories pivot around and have been so influenced, at least up to this point, by Jack and Jill. Without the events that transpired (because of Jill) in Every Heart we wouldn’t have necessarily needed, or gotten, the backstory in Sticks and Stones, and there would have been no quest in Sugar Sky.

I feel like it’s rightful that there’s a finality to their story. Come Tumbling Down definitely provides that, for now. I say for now because really Seanan McGuire could turn all of this on its head in the next book. But it feels pretty final while also showcasing some of our students who have yet to get their own stories told such as Kade, Christopher, and Cora – I’d include the every delightful Sumi, but she already knows where her story is going so she just gets to be along for the sugar-coated sweet ride.

You can’t go wrong with this series ever. Although the past books have been pretty good standalones and technically this one could work too, this time around it’s more beneficial to have all the details behind the Wolcott twins.

I have been waiting for this book for a full year (since the previous one came out). This is by far my favorite fantasy series, and this book added another spectacular story to the series.
This book brings us back to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children where Christopher, who traveled to Mariposa- the land of the skeletons, is living in the basement. When a doorway appears and lightning starts flashing everywhere, two figures step into this world. It's not long before the whole gang is back on another quest to help someone fix their world. The group travel to the Moors to try and fix what has been broken.
This book brought back many of the beloved characters we have seen in the previous books. These books continue to have a lot of representation and do a great job exploring other world. Seanan McGuire is so creative and does a great job of creating so many amazing worlds.
However, while these are supposed to be standalones, it may be difficult for a reader to jump in to this book and really appreciate everything that is happening.
I will now patiently wait for the next book which will hopefully be released next year.

I liked this better than the last one but I wish we got to explore a different character's world. I feel like Jack and Jill and the Moors had their time already.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series has been one of my favorites for a couple of years now, and I leaped at a recent opportunity to check out Come Tumbling Down, the 5th novella. Warning: Some spoilers for earlier books in the series follow.

*************************************************************************************

Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children is a school for children who have ventured to other worlds and come back again. The school has three rules. No solicitation. No visitors. No quests.

Rule #3 gets broken a lot.

Some time ago, Jack Wolcott killed her twin sister, Jill, in order to protect the other students at Eleanor's school. With Jill in her arms, Jack returned through their door to the Moors, where Jack intended to resurrect Jill and maintain the balance of power there. At the outset of Come Tumbling Down, Christopher (a fellow student, and a bit of a musical necromancer), has moved into Jack's old room in the basement, and is suddenly interrupted by a lightning storm that generates a door from the Moors. Through the door steps Alexis, Jack's beloved, bearing a Wolcott twin in her arms. Which Wolcott twin is slightly more complicated, and where our quest begins.

With the aid of Cora (a mermaid doomed to life ashore unless her own door returns for her), Christopher quickly rallies Kade (the Goblin Prince in waiting) and Sumi (the future savior of the world of Confection) to travel to the Moors. There, they plan to defeat Jill and her vampire Master, save Jack, and restore the now-disrupted balance of the world. That is, of course, if they all survive the many other monsters that dwell there.

Seanan McGuire continues to weave an incredible tale across the many worlds of the Wayward Children series. Come Tumbling Down is no exception to the brilliance. This latest novella is just as tightly paced, filled with a diverse cast and McGuire's signature snarky humor. I loved this book just as much as I've loved the rest of the series to date, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

"New things are the best kind of magic there is."

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor.com for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

COME TUMBLING DOWN is the fifth novella in the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire, and it’s just as fantastic as the first four. And it’s ANOTHER JACK AND JILL STORY. I was so excited to find that out when I started reading it.

For those of you who are not familiar with McGuire’s Wayward Children series, Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children was founded by Eleanor West to give…different…children a home when their parents couldn’t (or wouldn’t) understand the experiences they’d had in other worlds.

"The children Eleanor sought for her school were, by and large, the sort whose parents wanted them swept away as quickly and quietly as possible. They had already disappeared once, only to come back…changed. So let them disappear again, with the proper paperwork in place. Let them go and hope that if they happened to come home a second time, they’d come back the way they’d been, and not the way that they’d become."

The doors into these other worlds come for the children “when [they’re] young enough to believe [they] know everything, and toss [them] out again as soon as [they’re] old enough to have doubts.” I’m not going to try to explain these worlds in detail, because I don’t think I can do it succinctly enough. It is enough to say that this is a fantasy series with magical doors that transport children to worlds in which they feel they really belong, and most times, they end up being heroes in those worlds. These are stories about finding oneself and about these children finding ways to be comfortable in their own bodies.

The reason why I was so excited to find out that this is another story about Jack and Jill is that Jack is the character I most relate to in the Wayward Children series. Jack is OCD and has a very hard time with dirt and germs, and while my issues with the same aren’t nearly as serious, they’re serious enough that I feel a kinship with Jack. I know exactly how she feels when she thinks:

"Her mind–brilliant, traitorous, prone to devouring itself–did not stop fretting, but at least she was in control again. It was odd, to think of one’s own mind as the enemy. It wasn’t always. The tendency to obsession and irrational dread was matched by focus and attention to detail, both of which served her well in her work."

That part about her mind being the enemy? Bingo. Irrational thoughts and obsessions are just that–irrational. We know those thoughts aren’t logical or reasonable, but we still can’t help thinking them. It can be a real bummer (understatement). Jack also doesn’t like the idea of giving birth (nor do I). She finds the idea “abhorrent” and describes it as a “messy, dangerous process” that she wants nothing to do with. Jack and I are alike in so many ways.

Another thing I love about McGuire is her worldbuilding ability. She is so good at creating and describing worlds that I can imagine in detail. When I’m reading her books, I feel like I’m there in the story, a bystander watching everything go down.

And there is SO MUCH REPRESENTATION in this series; the characters are different races, one is asexual (but not aromantic), another is transgender, another is gay. But the characters never, ever feel like tropes or tokens. These aren’t stories ABOUT their queerness. The stories are about the experiences of these children, some of whom also happen to be queer. It’s so nice to see this kind of representation in young adult books.

I could go on and on and on about this series, but I’d really love for more people to read it for themselves. All of the books in the series are novellas, so they’re quick reads. I read the first four in the span of a few days. If you enjoy YA fiction/fantasy, and you haven’t read these, you’re missing out. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire is the latest novella in the ongoing Wayward Children series. It’s another ensemble story, but as you can probably guess from the title, the story is mostly about Jack (and to a lesser degree, her sister Jill). While I have enjoyed all of the Wayward Children books, only a couple of the prequels are needed, in my opinion, to enjoy and make sense of Come Tumbling Down. The first Wayward Children novella, Every Heart A Doorway, can be thought of a direct prequel to Come Tumbling Down, and Down Among the Sticks and Bones is a prequel to both, giving the origin story of Jack and Jill. The other novellas are great and provide background on the side characters in Come Tumbling Down, but aren't as essential to following the story.

When Jack left Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister--whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice--back to their home on the Moors.

But death in their adopted world isn't always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome.

Eleanor West's "No Quests" rule is about to be broken.

Again.

This was a pretty dark story. But that's true of this entire series, so if you've come this far (even if you only read the prequels to this book), you should have some idea of what to expect. Come Tumbling Down engages more directly with what it means to be a monster and about becoming monstrous. As the blurb suggests, there is also a quest, which a band of heroes sets out on. Although Jack's story is the most central in this book, I enjoyed the way in which the narrative jumped around to follow different characters as they stepped into or out of the action. It was Jack's book, but Christopher and Kade and Cora and Sumi were important parts of it, and they all had a little bit of character development.

It seems that this marks the end of Jack's story (for now, anyway), which seems fitting after playing a central role in three books. I have enjoyed the story of Jack and Jill, and I have also enjoyed the ensemble cast nature of this book (and also Beneath the Sugar Sky). Honestly, I will be happy to read either type of story (ensemble or single character focussed) set in the world of the Wayward Children.

If you haven't read any Wayward Children books, I highly recommend them. In particular, I suggest starting with Every Heart A Doorway, both because it's the first book written and also because it's where we first meet Jack and Jill. It's not that Come Tumbling Down doesn't work standing alone... but I don't think it would be as enjoyable without at least some background on the characters and world building.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: January 2020, Tor.com
Series: The Wayward Children book 5 of 5 so far (ongoing series)
Format read: ePub
Source: Publisher via NetGalley and also purchased from Apple Books

Last year was the first time I really took notice of Seanan McGuire’s books. I really wanted to start this series but when I got selected to review this newly released book, I didn’t really have time to read the first 4. While I can say that may have helped with a deeper understanding, I found that I enjoyed the books just as much and can’t wait to go back and read the previous in the series.

The Wayward children series is about kids that get sent via doorways to other worlds. Apparently this book revisits a world that was visited in a previous book. So it left me with questions I hope are answered when I read from the beginning. The book follows the aftermath of sisters Jack and Jill (Jill previously being killed by her sister) as well as other students from the home. I felt like it was a quick read but found myself skimming more than usual in the middle. I chalk that up to unfamiliarity with the characters. Nevertheless, I highly recommend delving into this fascinating series.

This was exactly the book that I didn’t realise that I needed in this series. Bringing the inhabitants of the school into the Moors was a master stroke. As much as I loved learning about the background of Jack and Jill in ‘Down Among the Sticks and Bones’ and was delighted to get back to find out about a couple of the larger cliffhangers (Alexis!), I missed the character interactions. A hero in the wrong world is a brilliant idea. A mermaid in the wrong sea? Where Drowned gods live? A boy who belongs in a land of bones and butterflies finding himself in a land where death is never truly final? And Kade, beautiful Kade.

Beautifully dreamy yet dark. Surreal, gently moving, and full of yearning. Book four had felt like a slight misstep to me. I was so glad to get back to the world of Wayword Children.

The Wayward Children is a series that I have really been enjoying and I was so excited to get an ARC of the most recent book in the series. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as some of the others, but it is still a great book that has made me intrigued to see where the whole story is going.

This book picks up from a spot a few books back which may have been part of my issues with the book as it took a little bit for me to get back into the groove as it has been a while since we have been in the world of Jack and Jill again.

It was cool to get back to the world of the Moor's again and the settings are always so interesting McGuire's writing. It is a very fast paced book (as it has to be with only 124 pages) and while it didn't take me very long to read the characters didn't stick with me as much as in some of the previous novellas.

Overall I am excited to see where the Wayward Children are going, but this isn't my favourite in the series.

I absolutely loved following Jack again, back into her terrifying world of the Moors. Every moment of this book was so vividly and wonderfully painted, which is what I have come to expect from Seanan McGuire. I was able to picture each setting and character perfectly. It could be easy, in a series like this, for all the different characters to start blending together, especially with such limited page space, but each one is clearly and distinctly themselves.

The one thing that keeps me from absolutely loving this addition to the series is that the overall theme--the moral of the story, if you please--was a lot less clear than it has been in previous books. Particularly in Down Among the Sticks and Bones, the lesson to be learned about setting unrealistic expectations on children was extremely clear, without feeling preachy. I was hoping that another book following the same characters would give me something similar, but it was a little more muddled than the rest of the series.

Definitely well-written and well entrenched in the magical world of the Moors but the plot of this novel was a little middling for my taste.