Wayward Children – Seanan McGuire

Diese Buchreihe ist einfach absolut grossartig.
Jedes Buch hat eine Tür die in eine andere Welt führt. In jeder Welt gibt es ein neues Abenteuer. Zwischen Logik und Chaos, zwischen Süßigkeiten und Dunkelheit. Sei dir sicher, bevor du in diese Welt eintrittst, dass du bereit bist für das Abenteuer, dass dich erwartet.

McGuire erzählt eine ganze Reihe von modernen Märchen, in der Queerness Räume hat und Kinder sich in einer Welt zu behaupten lernen, die es nicht immer gut mit ihnen meint.
Jede Novelle steht für sich.
1+3+5+7 erzählen (auch) eine Rahmengeschichte weiter, während 2+4+ 6 ganz für sich stehen (können).
Vorallem 2+4 passen super zur Grusel-Jahreszeit und sind schaurig ohne zu gruselig zu sein.

Link zur Autorin und der gesammten Buchreihe.

Klappentext Buch 2: Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. This is the story of what happened first.
Jacqueline and Jillian 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 for a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.
In the game of storms of razors, not everybody gets a happy ending.
Down Among the Sticks and Bones was released by Tor in June 2017.

Book no 9 has just been published. I am still waiting for my copy. My recommended reading order is 2-4-1-3-5-6-7-8-9

McGuire created a new take on fairy tales or urban fantasy.
Teenagers, who don‘t fit into the world around them for various reasons, can escape into a new world. A world made of candy, a world of mermaids, a world of vampires and monsters. Not all of them are happy places. And they all have their own set of rules, that need to be obeyed.
In the best tradition of fairy tales having dark edges, these worlds hold challenges for their new occupants. But challenges that offer opportunity to grow. Cause a door won‘t appear for you, if the world behind it isn‘t for you.

The stories include queerness, differences through cultural backgrounds, fat-acceptance, criticize parents and adultism.
Each person has their one story and adventure.
In the books 1,3, 5 and 7 we follow a bigger story arch. 2,4,6 and I guess 8 focus on an individuals story in the world behind their door.
Thats why I liked starting with 2 and 4, before I follow the surrounding world building. Also because by then I knew some of the main characters in 1 and 3 already.
But I also particularly do not like spoilers.
Of course you can also read them in order of publication.
One more note: 1, 2 and 5 are kind of darker stories, in tradition of darker fairy tales.

What I also enjoy is that the whole series is made of novellas. Each book is quite short and offers new insights into the larger world behind what we call reality.
I highly recommend this series, if you enjoy fairy tales and fantasy stories.

„It was perfect. Everything here was perfect, except for me, and so they made me leave instead of changing enough to let me be perfect, too.
People who can‘t change aren‘t really perfect, and no matter how much we love it somewhere, that doesn‘t mean it‘s good for us.“ @seananmcguire

I just love this Serie – Wayward Children – and this quote shows pretty well why I do. Every single character has lived a different path and most of them has lived through difficulties. In the „real world“ as much as in their fantasy lands. I love the space McGuire creates. Space for experiencing being an outsider for one reason or another, only to head out and find a space were you are ok the way you are somewhere else. These books male me feel seen. And they make my inner child very happy.

In book nine our well known group of children find themselves in another adventure. This time trying to help Antsy away from a bully and landing in her world. Or better in her Nexus, the store.
This about finding doors as much as finding out what you really want.