This next installment in the Wayward Children series picks up right after "Every Heart a Doorway" & "Beneath the Sugar Sky". This story is an action-packed quest through the Moors where Jack calls upon her friends to help her on a dangerous journey to retrieve something that was taken from her. Here, we are revisiting the Wolcott twins complicated relationship, topics of identity, and what makes one a hero versus a monster.

While this wasn't my personal favorite in the series, I'd still recommend it to others that have read and enjoyed this series. Like other books in the Wayward Children series, this book manages to touch on important conversations, develop characters, and flesh out fantasy worlds - something that always impresses me within such a short amount of pages. I'm looking forward to seeing what other perspectives we will see in future books.

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.

Come Tumbling Down was such a great instalment in this series. I love Jack and Jills world and whenever they are in a book it’s so dark and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I was also excited to see the gang back together after a just okay book 4. I definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the series!

Received from NetGalley.

If you like this series then you probably don't need this review. I think this author, and her books, are something you either love or don't. I mean I could be wrong but that's what it seems like. So, I enjoy this series. It's not the best series ever, for me, but I enjoy it.

In this one, some familiar faces are back and seeking help. It's a quick read and an enjoyable story. It always takes me a few minutes to remember what is going on, but it didn't take too long. The story was good, the characters are always great. I'm sure you're waiting to read this book if you're caught up, so go ahead when you can, you'll enjoy it.

The Wayward Children series has to be one of the best series out there right now. McGuire is writing fantasy that resonates with everyday situations. Her heroes are imperfectly perfect. They resonate with real life problems, but not in heavy handed ways. The story lines are great, and you are rooting for every person.

These books were so great to read! I just devoured them, the world is so interesting, and I can't wait to explore some other settings here in the future! We've seen some of the worlds in the backstories and the travels, but there's still so many to go to!

Each of these books brought something to to the table. Sticks and Bones gave us Jack and Jill's backstory, which is kinda important, given the events of book 1. Sugar Sky gave us a quest, and it was great to go see all those worlds, and it was interesting to see what someone raised in a Nonsense world thought logic would be like. Absent Dream kinda hurt, given that it was Lundy's story, and given that we know what happened to her, it was waiting for the first shoe to drop, knowing when the 2nd one will. Come Tumbling Down, we got to see The Moor's from an outsider's perspective, and yeah, it was pretty dark!

Throughout these books, we learned more about the worlds, how they could classify as Nonsense but have an underpinning of logic, and other little tidbits that help make sense of the rules that govern everything. Another bit was that there are worlds that you go do, and worlds that you leave, and the doors mainly go in that direction. Pretty interesting!

I read an interview that Seanan McGuire gave, saying that Tor approached her with a new payment model, and what she heard was, we won't pay you till this book is sold, so you can do whatever you want, and this series is what came of that. I'm so glad that happened, the world should have this amazing series!

The pattern for the stories thus far is, present, backstory, repeat. If this pattern continues, book 6 will be a backstory. We have a tentative title, and hoof and horn doesn't sound like Mariposa or Prism, which is making me wonder if it could be Eleanor's backstory! We don't know what her world was like, besides being a Nonsense one with a bit of a twist. So it could be hers, I just don't know and I can't wait to find out!

Loved these books so much, and I can't wait to see where we go from here!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I must preface my review saying that it's hard to review the Wayward Children novella series, in particular, because two of the previous volumes were SO GOOD. As in, top-favorite-stories-of-any-length-of-all-time kind of good. Those books being <i>Every Heart a Doorway</i> and <i>In An Absent Dream</i>. They set an incredibly high bar. The second novella of the five, though, faltered in a lot of ways for me as it followed twin sisters Jack and Jill. This new release, <i>Come Tumbling Down</i> continues Jack and Jill's story.

Fortunately, I liked this much more that the first part of the story, perhaps in part because it also follows other students from the school as they help Jack save the Moors. The Moors are in a pretty dire condition, too--Jill, fully devoted to her vampire master, has stolen mad-scientist-Jack's body and prepares to become a vampire herself. As a person with OCD, I truly loved and appreciated how McGuire wrote about Jack's situation. Not only is Jack upset at being stuffed in her sister's body (twin or not, it's not hers), but she endures severe OCD; she knows she will lose all functionality if she is not returned to her own body soon.

The novella feels slow to start, due to the amount of back story that must be addressed, but the characters are charming and the action soon picks up as the motley adventurers arrive in the horror realm of the Moors. For me, this didn't deliver the emotional resonance of the two previous volumes that I loved, but it's still a fun, enjoyable read, and a satisfying conclusion for Jack and Jill's story.

I love the premise of the Wayward Children series; and I love the characters that McGuire creates (Sumi is a particular favorite). I love the way that she manages to incorporate and represent people who are not often seen in fantasy novels.

I feel mixed on the execution -- I don't dislike the execution wholly, it's just that I would describe it as clever and imaginative, but periodically interrupted by moments that have all the subtlety of a water balloon to the face. This entry had 3-4 water balloon moments, and I would have preferred 1-2. That said: I keep coming back to this series, because I desperately want to know what happens to the characters that McGuire introduces, and I want to see more of the portal worlds that she creates -- and it was good to be able to see Jack and Jill again, though I actually think that the Moors is one of the less interesting portal worlds we've encountered so far.

Another enjoyable entry in one of my favourite series. I loved being immersed in that world and seeing some of my favourite characters back again, but I found the ending a little unsatisfying, though I think that was partly the intent: to be bittersweet rather than triumphant.

1.) Every Heart A Doorway ★★★★
2.) Down Among The Sticks and Bones ★★★★.5
3.) Beneath The Sugar Sky ★★★★.5
4.) In An Absent Dream ★★★.5
5.) Come Tumbling Down ★★★★

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“No one should have to sit and suffer and pretend to be someone they’re not because it’s easier, or because no one wants to help them fix it.”

representation: f/f relationship, trans rep, fat rep, Asian rep (Japanese if I remember correctly?), OCD rep.

[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 4 s t a r s *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Not my favourite in the series, but I definitely still really loved it! I loved returning to this world (it's one of my faves we've been to in this series!), and I was so happy to see some of these characters again! Also, highly recommend the audiobook!

trigger warnings: drowning, body horror, gore, lightning, having cancer (in the past).

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Tor for the eARC!

The language used was incandescent as always, especially here in Seanan McGuire’s latest Wayward Children Volume. This next chapter takes us even deeper into the world of the Moors where no one escapes unchanged. With some amazing new characters and familiar faces we are taken on another adventure. I was delight by the richness of this black and white world and loved delving into the question of “what makes a monster? And is that such a bad thing anyway?”

Thank you to Tor.com / NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for a digital review!

*I started the library book of this RIGHT on the publication date, so the quotes are from the finished copy.

"But I warn you, this isn't a tale for the faint of heart. It is a story of murder, and betrayal, and sisterly love turned sour."


Characters |

This installment of the series pretty much dealt with a lot of old characters—mainly Jack—who I unfortunately am not a fan of. I didn't enjoy reading about Jack and Jill in the second book either. I don't know what it is about them that just makes my blood boil.

On a brighter note, I love Kade and Sumi. Sumi is just a big bundle of illogical confection and a sense of adventure. She will give anyone a pep talk, as mumbo-jumbo as it may be. I also think I love her so much because book three is my favorite in the series.

Kade just wants to do a good job and be a hero. There's scene in here involving him that actually made me sad. I just want to give Kade a hug. He is supposed to be next in line to the school, since Eleanor is losing her interest in it. I can't imagine the pressure that puts on him. He also deals with the smaller problems that happen at the school. He's definitely a trooper!

Alexis is a new character in this installment. She comes back to the school with Jack. There may or may not be a little female/female relationship going on there. *wink, wink* I didn't really have any issues with Alexis. She was a very average character. I did enjoy how great Alexis and Jack were together.

I also loved Pony and Bones—a normal horse and a skeleton of a horse. I'm sure you can guess who is who.

Story |

The story in this one fell flat for me. I just couldn't tell you why, but I think it's setting up for the next book or a book further down the line. The ending wasn't disappointing by any means. I was actually pleased with how this one ended.

It just lacked action. They all go to the Moors—Jack's world—to get her body back. It obviously goes against Eleanor's rule:

"No solicitation. No visitors. No quests."


It deals with water, vampires, and Jill—of course.

Jack is also trying to revive Dr. Bleak—a father figure to her. He helped her in so many ways that her real father never could.

This one really shoves heroism in your face, and the fight between good and evil. The Moors shows the fine line between the two sisters. Not that either of these things are bad. I was just bringing them up.

Writing |

I love McGuire's writing. Even though I didn't enjoy the book very much, I still felt many emotions. It surprises me every time. I never have a lot to say about an author's writing unless I absolutely hated the book or absolutely loved it.

Overall |
I will continue with the series, but I'm hoping the next one is more interesting! I want it to be a new favorite series but the last couple of books have been very average.

Come Tumbling Down is already the fifth installment to the Wayward Children novella series and I hope it never ends. It is such a delicious little series to set your teeth into and I enjoy the set up.

Books 1, 3 and this number 5 deal with the present that is going on at the school with our group of wayward children that we follow. Books 2 and 4 dealt with three characters past where they found their door for the first time and entered the realm they have lost in the present. I think that back and forth is interesting because you learn things about characters that you didn’t through the normal story telling.

Come Tumbling Down returns Jack back to the school to ask for help from her friends. At the end of Every Heart a Doorway she killed Jill and took her back to their door to the Moors where she resurrected her. Her sister paid her that back and to save the Moors Jack now needs some help.

Of course they answer. They are heroes. I found it an interesting dynamic where some relationships needed to be retouched on and others where there was no previous relationship, and we kind of sailed through that. The amount of characters was great but I also felt it was the weak point of the novel. These novella’s just aren’t very big and if you are going to switch the point of view between all the characters here and there it can start to feel very messy as it did for me at some point. It is why I can’t quite love this installment as I have done others.

Other than that though there was just so much to love. Kade who worries about his aunt. Christopher who wants to find his door so desperately. Jack who is so very in love but shaken to her core.

There is OCD rep in this book through Jack which I think was done pretty well. It is not just about needing everything clean but goes through her entire core. There is honestly quite a lot to unpack in this book though, about identity. About needing that one place that felt right. About not fitting right in your own body.

Though Come Tumbling Down really picked up in the last 25% or so, and I started enjoying the adventure, the first 75% is bogged down by chunks of flowery dialogue uttered by a group of characters with a variety of strong personalities... it wasn't a good mix for me. If this wasn't so short-- if I wasn't already invested in this series-- I probably would have DNFed. 2.5 stars.

SO good! I was really happy that there was a lot of recap because it'd been awhile since I'd read any of the previous installments. I like how this series builds on each other, how the worlds are sometimes interconnected and the characters appear and disappear in equal measure. And I was happy that this was about Jack again, because her story now feels finished. But there are so many more stories that need to be finished, and I cannot WAIT. Christopher's! Cora's! Sumi's! Kade's! I want newer worlds and I want more adventures with this band of misfits.

I confess that I have a love/hate relationship with this series. On the one hand, Seanan McGuire’s writing and worlds are vivid and gorgeous and easy to love. On the other, I seem to enjoy them less and less as the series goes on. BUT NO MORE. This book for sure broke that cycle.

<b><i>Come Tumbling Down</i> takes us back to the dark world of the Moors and a conflict between two sisters who couldn’t be more dissimilar. Oh, and it breaks the “no quest” rule, but in the most fabulous way.</b>

<i>Down Among the Sticks and Bones</i> was my favorite book of this series, and Jack and Jill were two of my favorite characters, so I was thrilled to return to their story. And now? Pretty sure this is my new favorite of the series. There was just so much to love.

<b>My Thoughts:</b>

<b>- I have missed these characters sooo much, and this book is pretty much a best of the best.</b> This is Jack’s book, but there’s also Alexis, Sumi, Kade, Christopher, and Cora, and they were all delightful. Their banter was on point, and I enjoyed seeing them all work together, despite their obvious differences (and different worlds). <b>The characters are not without changing, but I actually sort of loved these changes? It shows how the previous books have impacted the characters, rather than having them stagnate.</b> It was also really nice to have a non-verbal character show up in a book and be treated as an equal part of the cast, even when she’s signing, rather than relegated to some silent side character.

<b>- The “no quests” rule is about to be broken … again. And I absolutely love it.</b> Can we make a new rule? Yes quests. Please. All the quests. Quests are fun, and the characters make it all the more so, because they’re all heroes of their own worlds, so seeing how they react to new worlds is thrilling. My favorite part of this quest was how high the stakes were, how sure the characters had to be of their role in the quest (be sure), and the different twists it takes. Yes, the quest could have (should have?) been longer and more intense. This is a constant problem I have with these novellas, because they’re so short for high fantasy and I usually feel like I don’t get quite a full plot or view of a world. This suffers from that a little, but overall, the quest was all dark and actiony and filled with bumps our intrepid heroes had to overcome, and that’s good enough for me.

<b>- We’re thrown back into the utter horror and darkness that is the Moors … and it’s fabulous.</b> While I was sorting of hoping we’d maybe get to see a new world in this book when it was first announced, I can’t say I’m disappointed that we get to see the Moors again. I sort of wish we found out a little more about the world, since some things were just glossed over that I really wanted to understand, but I still loved seeing it again. <b>While this is absolutely the same world that you might recall from Down Among the Sticks and Bones, the perspective of it has changed (because the characters’ perception of it has changed), and this is a new darker, more dire version of the Moors.</b> Some new characters are introduced, and the culture is explored more. I appreciated how it was recognizable as the same world, but it didn’t feel like a repetition from the second book of same old, same old.

<b>- ♪♫ Guess who’s back … back again. Jack is back. Tell a friend. ♫♪</b> It should be painfully obvious by now that Jack is my favorite. Her personality is delightful, and her struggle is so full of heart and heartbreak that I can’t help but to root for her. This book particularly explores the connection between the twins and Jack’s struggle with OCD. Her OCD is really in the forefront and something that at times becomes a barrier that she has to work to overcome. And the sisters thing? Jill does appear in the book, but this book is Jack’s book. She has to figure out what her place is in the Moors and what that means for the relationship with her sister. I was so pleased with Jack’s arc in this, and as much as I love her character, I hope this will be the last book for her, because this arc is perfect. She’s perfect. Roll credits.

<b>- Sumi has some of the most delightful, colorful metaphors.</b> This is as good a reason as any to read this book. These were so fun and interesting and pretty much what one might expect from Sumi, and they were a much needed pick-me-up to balance the darkness of the rest of the book.

<b>- There were some deep themes touched on in this book that really get you thinking.</b> I don’t want to say too much, because it’ll quickly get into spoiler territory. But there were some moments that really had me reading a passage over again because it was so deep and poignant. My favorite were the parts where the characters speculated about exactly what it meant to be a hero, even a hero of other worlds. Perhaps what excites me the most about this is what it’ll mean for the future of the series.

<b>Sticking Points:</b>

<b>- Even though this book featured so many characters, I felt like Sumi disproportionately took the spotlight, relegating all the other characters to background roles, and that irked me to no end.</b> Since everyone made the decision to go on the quest together, I was hoping for more teamwork. For the most part, Sumi seemed to be the end all, be all. She was the glue that held them together, the inspiration, the one with all the answers. <b>As much as I love Kade and Christopher, I felt they were so underutilized here, and Cora was almost nonexistent.</b> In fact, except for Sumi and Jack, all the characters basically only had a purpose when and as they were needed to create a conflict. The rest of the time, they pretty much just hung out in the background.

<b>- There was such a build-up of tension, but the climate fell a bit flat for me and seemed too short and easy.</b> Considering everything the characters went through to get to that point and how much it was built up, I was expecting some grandiose finale to the overall conflict. But it was over almost as soon as it started, and by the time it finished, all I was left with was the thought: that’s it?! The quest was fun, but the payoff was sort of a letdown for me.

The fifth book in the series I think is best enjoyed after reading the first book. things are partially explained about what happens in the first one but for all the details it would bet better to have read Every Heart a Doorway. Fans of the series will really enjoy this book and the buildup of what has happened to all the characters in the previous books. Yes this book can stand on its own but it being supported by the previous four make it a much more enjoyable read for the fan. Jack has come back from the Moors and needs help to set things to rights back in the Moors. To describe what happens ruins the surprise for the reader but what has happened to Jack makes perfect sense in the setting of her doorway. Overall a great read and I'm certainly hoping for more books with Cora, Kade and Christopher.

Near the end of 2019, I discovered Seanan McGuire's fantasty series, the Wayward Children series, about children who travel to fantastical worlds and what reality is like for them once they return to the real world. The first two books were wonderful and had me turning the pages with rapid fire. Book three, Beneath the Sugar Sky, did not impress me as much, and made me question whether the series would continue with its high-quality story-telling. With the fourth book, In an Absent Dream, McGuire returned to form and renewed my faith in the series. When I heard there was a new book coming out at the beginning of 2020, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

The fifth installment of the Wayward Children series did not disappoint. Returning to the story of Jack and Jill after the shocking conclusion of their journey in Every Heart a Doorway, we see, along with Kade, Cora, Sumi and Christopher, the true nature of the Moors. When Jack comes to Ms. West's School for Wayward Children to seek the help of her friends, the children are thrust into a dangerous and dark adventure that none of them could have ever expected. As Jack battles her inner and outer demons, including her murderous sister, Jill and the Master, Cora fights the urge to return to the sea, Christopher and Kade worry about the mental state of their beloved scientist friend, while Sumi always keeps a positive and bright outlook on all going on around her. With a thrilling conclusion, Come Tumbling Down is an exciting read from beginning to end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. McGuire's writing never fails to impress, and the metaphors and language she uses continues to surprise me and make me in awe of her writing ability. The story itself is a fast-paced adventure novel with compelling characters and lovely relationships. The best part of this book, however, is McGuire's theme of who is a monster and what kind of monster could we all potentially be. Jack's storyline in this novel is brilliant and, being one of my favorite characters, I was so happy that the story focused on her. She is one of McGuire's strongest characters, and to see how she evolves and comes to realize who she truly is is a joy to read.

If you are a fan of great writing, fantastical worlds, well developed characters, and a quick, thrilling story, then you should definitely pick up this book. McGuire has gotten the series back on track, and I cannot wait to see where the series takes us next. My thanks to Netgalley for providing an e-ARC of this extraordinary book.

Rating 4.5 stars

A beautiful and harrowing continuation of the Wayward Children series, Come Tumbling Down gives readers a deeper look at the Moors and how this horror-filled world balances the humanity and monstrosity in all of its inhabitants and visitors. McGuire brings the story of Jack and Jill Wolcott to a satisfying conclusion and opens up fascinating threads for Christopher, Sumi, Kade, and Cora to follow in what will no doubt be equally compelling future installments in the series. As always, McGuire's characterization, world-building, and knowledge of her characters shines through and Come Tumbling Down does a fantastic job of showing that this series is only getting better and better.