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Down Among the Sticks and Bones

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Down Among the Sticks and Bones

Written 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 Contemporary Dark Fantasy Fairy Tales Fantasy Gothic Horror Paranormal & Urban

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

All stars
Most relevant
This was phenomenal. Even more than the first book. Jack and Jill's relationship was so badly skewed thanks to their uncaring parents, but the effects of it on the story were entertaining. I loved the characters and the ending, which made book 1's ending make more sense too.
NArration by the author was really good. Enjoyed it a lot!

Mesmerizing!

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