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Down Among the Sticks and Bones

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Down Among the Sticks and Bones

By: Seanan McGuire
Narrated by: Seanan McGuire
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About this listen

New York Times bestselling author 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

 Classics Dark Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Gothic Horror Magic Scary Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"McGuire has a miraculous talent for examining adolescent discontent, wedding the strange with the poignant, the fearsome with the fascinating." —RT Book Reviews Top Pick, 4 1/2 stars

“Beautifully crafted and smartly written, this fairy-tale novella is everything that speculative fiction readers look for: fantastical worlds, diverse characters, and prose that hits home with its emotional truths." —Library Journal starred review

"Exquisitely crafted, this is the rare companion novel that can stand alone." —Booklist starred review.

"Down Among the Sticks and Bones has the voice and rhythm of a fairy tale... It is vividly characterised, as so much of Seanan McGuire’s work is, and has the kind of prose that carries you along to find out what happens next." —Locus

"McGuire’s exquisitely written fairy tale is about the choices that can alter the course of a life forever, lost innocence, and what it is to love and be loved." —Publishers Weekly starred review

PRAISE FOR EVERY HEART A DOORWAY:

"A mini-masterpiece of portal fantasy that deserves to be shelved with Lewis Carroll's and C. S. Lewis' classics." —NPR

"Seanan McGuire has long been one of the smartest writers around, and with this novella we can easily see that her heart is as big as her brain. We know this story isn't true, but it is truth." —Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series (TV's True Blood)

"This is a gorgeous story: sometimes mean, sometimes angry, and always exciting." —Cory Doctorow for BoingBoing

"McGuire's lyrical prose makes this novella a rich experience." —Library Journal, starred review

"So mindblowingly good, it hurts." —io9

"This gothic charmer is a love letter to anyone who's ever felt out of place." — Publishers Weekly

"This gothic novel is ideal for fantasy fans who have longed for a world of their own, as well as readers looking for books with diverse casts." —Bookish

“Girl Interrupted meets Grimm's Fairy Tales. Let it in and it will touch your heart and open your mind.” —Geek Syndicate
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The narrator does a great job narrating her own book. The story is whimsical and beautiful. It takes a well needed breath of fresh air to the genre, and kept me captivated the whole way through. My only fault, would be I wanted more, maybe even an epilogue. I eagerly anticipate the next in the series.

just as good, if not better than the first.

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This wasn’t a story I thought I would enjoy or a series I thought I would continue but I was proved wrong. I think the best thing about this book for me was how Seanan narrated it. I was intrigued and wanted more!

My only conclusion: was I wrong about this book!

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love this book so much. the only reason it gets 4 stars is because I dont really care for jill and she was pretty focused on in this book. also this feels like kind of the beginning of a story. but its just great. I def prefer the narrator in the first book tho

reread and still great

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Seanan McGuire consistently writes stories that I enjoy. This is a very good example, about people whose childhood was unhappy enough to help to lead them into trouble. I could not be indifferent to the characters in this story. Highly recommended!

There has to be a sequel!

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