Yet another unforgettable installment. I read this in one sitting - the pacing was so compelling and the story just drew me in to the point where I couldn't put it down. Jack and Sumi were an unexpectedly delightful duo! Even though this was a particularly dark story, Sumi's personality kept me from drowning in sorrow. I cannot wait for the next installment - and I truly hope this series goes on for many more years.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
First, a quick primer for those of you unfamiliar with this series. The first book in this series is Every Heart a Doorway (EHAD). In EHAD we are introduced to Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, where the students enrolled have returned from portal worlds and have trouble adjusting to the "real world." Most of the student body wishes to return to the homes they made on other worlds. Unfortunately, most of the student body will never get a chance to do so. The odd numbered books in this series are present day books featuring a large portion of the student body. The even numbered books are flashbacks to particular students and their worlds. Come Tumbling Down is book five, therefore updating the current plot.
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In Come Tumbling Down, Jack, a character who had gone back to her adopted world, returns to Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children after something terrible has happened. Her friends (to clarify which ones would be somewhat of a spoiler for book 3) are determined to help her, and they have to go back to Jack's dark and terrible world to do so. Jack is determined to get her world back, whatever the cost.

I adore this series, and this installment is no exception. It's really well written, and particularly inventive. McGuire makes a point of featuring characters from demographics often unseen, and whenever fat mermaid Cora shows up, my long-gone teenage self feels at least a little bit seen. I hope McGuire keeps writing these until the plot runs out (if it could ever)

Come Tumbling down is the 5th installment of the Wayward Children series. This is a series I picked up on a whim last month and positively devoured the first 4 books in a matter of 2 days. I knew I had to get my hands on the 5th immediately.

These books just get better and better, the world expanding and evolving with the children themselves. In this book we go back to the Moors and revist Jack and Jill’s story and I couldn’t be happier about that, I very much enjoy the dark, gothic world that the Moors brings to us.

These books also continue to talk about real, important issues in a way that feels very natural and in a way that normalizes the way things should be, rather than preaching about them. Showing, rather than telling. I can’t stress how much I love reading those stories, and how much these books have made me feel seen because of it. This book really focuses on balance, sacrifice and in a way, showing when self care and preservation has to be a priority despite it feeling selfish.

I loved this book, I love this series, I am already eagerly awaiting the next book!


Thanks so much to Netgalley and Macmillian/Tor for this advance copy!

Vampires, mad scientists, and Old Ones, oh my! The fifth book of Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series, Come Tumbling Down, finishes the story of Jack and Jill Wolcott in a lovely, understated way (well, as understated as a world where lightning is magic and resurrections are common can be). Readers of the series will be enthralled by the Moors and the unbreakable bonds of friendship and love, while newcomers will need to read the earlier volumes for context.

This is probably my favorite addition to the series since Down Among the Sticks and Bones and my heart is SO FULL. I love these characters so much and it was especially gratifying to spend more time with Jack and the gang from the first book. I now DESPERATELY need Christopher's story and I really, really hope that his is next to come!

I've loved every book in this series, even if I have a preference for the slightly darker toned episodes. <i>In an Absent Dream</i> is my current favourite but <i>Come Tumbling Down</i> runs a very close second and <i>Down Among the Sticks and Bones</i> is not far behind at all. In this instalment we return to the tale of Jack and Jill. No spoilers for previous books, but the pair were originally let into a world that was predicated on monstrosity and the gothic genre in general. This led Jill to commit acts of remorseless violence in an attempt to get back there in the first book in the series. Having found out what the twins' back story was in book two, we were left wondering how Jack was getting on and here we have the answer.



Eleanor's West's school for Wayward children is about to be disrupted by the sudden appearance of a former pupil and her rule against quests and adventures will be thoroughly broken. The Wayward Children rush to Jack's aid as battle breaks out on the Moors. I honestly don't want to say any more than that about the plot because it's best enjoyed without knowing what's coming.



All of these stories have strong themes and a lot to say about contemporary issues. (Without ever being preachy.) While <i>Down Among the Sticks and Bones</i> talked about gender roles and expectations, and how they remove personal choices and freedoms, and <i>In an Absent Dream</i> talked about fair value, poverty vs wealth, fair trade and the prison debt can make for someone, <i>Come Tumbling Down</i> talks about family, identity and self value. There is a strong comparison here between found family - the people you choose for yourself - and the family you're born into. Sometimes the people you are genetically related to are not your real family. The events which shaped you, the difficulties you overcame, affected them in a different way. Sometimes a siblings can undergo the same trials and take very different directions processing trauma.



This is a story about saying <i>enough</i> when a family member keeps hurting you and refuses to stop. There's no need to make excuses for their behaviour based on their childhood: not because you turned out better but because they are an adult now and when you're an adult you pick up your own burdens and carry them. You take responsibility for your own actions and stop expecting the world to bend over backwards for you just because your origin story was unhappy. This is a really hard thing to do, especially if it's a family member you love. It's incredibly difficult to say 'I'm cutting you out of my life because you won't stop' when you understand why they have grown the way they have.



McGuire does a deft, intelligent job of speaking this truth via the medium of a monstrous alternate world where balance between cruel light and vicious darkness is the law. This is a little note saying 'hey, it's ok to be occasionally selfish when you need to. You're important too.' And beneath the notion of balance is the idea of harm. Logically you cannot exist without doing harm to something else but you also have as much right to exist. Balance is doing as little harm as you can manage within the confines of living the best life you can whilst being the most true version of yourself. There's a lot to unpack here and I'll probably be thinking about it for days. Suffice to say that I loved this book and Jack is still one of my favourite characters. Highly recommend this whole series. (Plus F/F romance that is sweet, believable and just a bit Hammer Horror - how can you go wrong?)

A return to form in this series, methinks, or perhaps I'm just biased because my favs were all back and getting up to just the kind of adventure I like to see in this story. There are some beautiful metaphors here (particularly around the experience of dysphoria in your body), but the real star here are the characters. Jack, Alexis, Kade, Christopher, Cora... I just love them. And Dr. Bleak! Ack, yes, this made me so happy to see them back in the Moors when Jill gets back on her bullshit once again. For how dark this series gets, I think it manages to be a remarkably cozy read on top of that. All this to say-- this is my favorite entry in the series since EVERY HEART A DOORWAY

Another book in the Wayward Children series and it left me happy and sad. Happy because it was such a good conclusion to the Jack and Jill story line. A story that ended too soon in the first book. Sad because when I was getting to the ending, I didn't want it to end. I would love to have a novel length book in this series.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for my open and honest review.

Come Tumbling Down, Seanan Mcguire's fifth installment in the Wayward Children series follows the adventures of the delightfully macabre and grisly Wolcott twins. Jack, the mad scientist, sufferer of OCD, and generally quirky misanthrope and Jill, jacks twin, cruel, beautiful, and wants nothing more than to become a vampire. Jack returns to the school via a door made of lightning, literally carrying her love in her arms. Jack is trapped in the body of Jill, and although Jill is virtually identical to Jack physically, Jill has done horrible things that have soiled her very essence. Jack is a sufferer of OCD and desperately needs her body back to salvage her sanity.   She requests the aid of former classmates in a quest, disobeying the no quest rule, to get her body back from Jill and save Jill, even if it means saving her from herself.

The Moors, the twin's world they have come to love, is a place of darkness, monsters, mad science, and unforgiving fierce creatures.  It is a place where gods are drowned, the moon has power, and lightning fuels the world, and it is a place where Jack feels most like herself and a home where she wants to stay. But first, Jack and friends Kade, Sumi, Cristopher, and Cora must help Jack stay sane and save this dark and macabre world. But, who knows who the monsters are? The line between good and evil or Monster and savior can be blurry. It depends entirely on which side you are standing.

“The world doesn't stop spinning because you're sad, and that's good; if it did, people would go around breaking hearts like they were sheets of maple sugar, just to keep the world exactly where it is. They'd make it out like it was a good thing, a few crying children in exchange for a peace that never falters or fades. We can be sad and we can be hurt and we can even be killed, but the world keeps turning, and the things we're supposed to do keep needing to be done.”
― Seanan McGuire, Come Tumbling Down

Again, McGuire delights and intrigues with the darkly rich world she has created in the Wayward Children series. Each installment has a message or a sort of idea that can be gleaned from the pages without it coming off as preachy. In this installment, McGuire touches on the sense of self and not being at home in one's own body. Where your body on the outside does not necessarily match who you are on the inside. It is an important message, and McGuire treats the subject delicately and with immense care.

McGuire has written another beautiful and meaningful story with Come Tumbling Down. It will delight, and maybe shock a bit. And, when you get done reading it, you might think twice about who is a monster, and who is not.

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I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.

VERY LIGHT SPOILERS FOR EVERY HEART A DOORWAY & BENEATH THE SUGAR SKY.

I am unbelievably happy I got an ARC of this book. I love this series with every fiber of my being and so far, I have yet to be disappointed by a single book. Come Tumbling Down picks up a little while after Beneath the Sugar Sky with the return of my personal favourite character, Jack. She has come back to the school to seek help because her sister has stolen her body and the very existence of her own doorway world is in danger.

There isn't much else I can say about the plot without spoilers but this book brings back a lot of characters I had missed and with them, all that fantastic representation. It makes me so happy reading about everyone in this series because every single bit of representation seems so well-handled (obviously I cannot comment on the groups I am not part of but there are no obvious red flags to me) and every character is so fully-fleshed out and interesting in their own way. The storyline continues to be creative and just a joy to read about. As much as I enjoy the one-off explorations of the doorway worlds, every new book seems to add to the growing overall storyline and this is just the perfect way to continue on with Jack in her world. The only potential downside is some people might be sad that their other favourites aren't in the spotlight but I'm sure future books will address this and give them their turn.

Honestly, there's not much more to say. If you're a fan of this series, this next installment will not disappoint. If you've not started this series yet, I highly recommend it. McGuire creates a magical world with magical characters and who could ask for more?

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 stars

If you follow this series then you probably thought we had heard the last of twins Jack and Jill but thankfully the author had yet another magical, imaginative and terrible story to tell. This time Jack needs help. because she's now in Jills body ! I will divulge no more because this as usual is a warped joy to read and I'm only rating this a four because I wanted it to be longer. Characters who will surprise and delight you. A story that for some ends happily and I cannot praise this fabulous series enough.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I had a difficult time connecting with this story from the outset and unfortunately had to DNF around halfway through. I've enjoyed this series for the most part, but I found it a chore to keep reading this once. I may circle back once the 6th novella is released, but I will have to set the series aside for now. It was trending towards a 2-star review so I will rate it as such.

AHHHH SO GOOD! I'm always left wanting just a little bit more with these books, but this time I just loved everything about it. There was good development, action, feels, and adventure. All of our favs are back including the wonderful Jack. I liked the new additions and representation. Now I just hope we get a prequel to what happens just before this book.

I really love this series. These aren’t long reads, but each one touches on important issues and leaves the reader satisfied and eager for the next release.

In Come Tumbling Down readers are reintroduced to Jack and Jill Wolcott, who we first met in Every Heart and Doorway. In the second book of the series, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, their backstory is revealed along with their life in the Moors and their fight to be who they were born to be, not who their parents in the mundane world tried to mold them into. Jack is a mad scientist with a OCD issues and Jill the adopted daughter of a vampire with sociopathic tendencies.

If you feel like trying out this series and haven’t read any of the previous books in the series, I highly recommend you start at the beginning.

This lovely novella length addition to the series features a Quest back into the Moors, Jack trying to get back into her stolen body, Kane, Christopher, Cora, Sumi (who I adore), Alexis, and what can only be assumed, the ending to Jack and Jill’s story. But who really knows… this is the Moors after all, and mad scientists regularly bring back the dead with lightening, so one never knows what might happen.

I get the feeling that we might finally see Kane get his own book sometime soon as Ms. Eleanor West appears to be growing tired in her role without Lundy to help her.

As usual, I quite enjoyed this story. If I have any complaint its that my time in this world wasn’t long enough. Very much looking forward to the next release.

A welcome return to the Wayward Children series and as always, Seanan McGuire does not disappoint. This instalment returns to The Moors as we find Jack trying to defeat her sister's nefarious plots once and for all, with the help of some of her school friends.

The Positives: The writing is fantastic. McGuire is a true wordsmith and crafts beautiful sentences time and time again. Jack and Jill's story has been my favourite of the Wayward Children, and so it was so much fun to be back in their world. I also felt like this book moved the overarching narrative of the series forward following In An Absent Dream, which I was really pleased about. We aren't introduced to any new characters here, but instead are given more time to gt to know some of those individuals we have followed before and I really welcomed this expansion of multiple character arcs. Finally, McGuire blends the nonsense and logical aspects of these characters together seamlessly, which was a joy to read.

The Negatives: Whilst I felt that of all of the books, this was the one with the most plot, I still felt like the ending was a little anti-climactic and could have done with a little bit more in the final confrontation between the Walcot twins.

Overall, I really enjoyed this instalment in the series and will now be impatiently twiddling my thumbs until next January!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wow, this book in the Wayward Children series is darker. The kids are older so what they are dealing with seems appropriate. I would recommend rereading Every Heart in Doorway to refresh your memories on the names of the kids and the doorways associated with their story. This part in the series we return to the Wolcott sisters after they've returned to the Moors. Let's just say they are at ends and rag tag friends from the boarding school to restore balance. McGuires's writing was dark and whimsical and the plot was rooted in good and bad and the choices we make when we think we are right.

This is a delightful, weird, violent addition to the excellent Wayward Children series.

There were two things I didn't like, right near the beginning, so let me get those out of the way first. There's a scene where Jack is having a panic attack and one of the other characters slaps her across the face in an effort to get her to focus. This is not something you should do to anyone having a panic attack. It just isn't and it was weird to see in this book. The other thing is near the same scene as Alexis is signing since she's lost her voice (for reasons that are a little spoilery) and there's something said to the affect that she can hear them talking, she's not stupid. As if if she couldn't hear then she would be stupid? It feels like that's what is implied, which is super wrong and problematic, and just didn't sit well with me.

The rest of it was wonderful. It's pretty much exactly what I expect from this series, and I loved reading it. It's a super fast read, not just because it's a novella, but it feels fast like Beneath the Sugar Sky did. It was wonderful to see the characters again, especially Christopher. The Moors is mostly what you expect with a few more perfect world building aspects woven into it.

Overall, this is an excellent addition to the series and fans won't be disappointed.

Jack and Jill's story continues (having started in Down Among the Sticks and Bones and being continued in Every Heart a Doorway) and comes to a satisfying conclusion in this excellent addition to the Wayward Children series. Seanan McGuire's always interesting, well-written cast of characters in the Wayward Children series returns in force to help Jack defeat her sister Jill in a dangerous quest to the Moors, a world of drowned gods, mad science, and generally just the stuff nightmares are made of.

It is always good to spend more time with characters you love in worlds that you love to explore, and this book further fleshes out the Moors and characters in ways I didn't expect but was happy to be surprised. Fans of previous entries will not be let down by this latest entry.

“Everyone is somebody’s bedtime story.”

I couldn’t wait for my annual Wayward Children adventure, and the newest installment did not disappoint. Jack and Jill are back in Come Tumbling Down, the 5th book of the Wayward Children series by the incomparable Seanan McGuire. The last time we saw Jack and Jill, Jack was headed back to the Moors with her sister’s body in tow, but from what we know of the Moors, death isn’t the end, and sometime it’s just the beginning. Jack returns to school, looking for help and clad in her sister’s body, and only her friends can help her get her body back and restore the balance of the Moors.

There are so many wonderful things about this book, but as usual, I have one complaint. It’s too dang short, haha! I know every year, I’ll only get to hang out with these characters for about 200 pages. I prep myself for weeks beforehand, promising myself I’ll savor the pages and draw out the prose as long as possible, and what do I do? Every single time? I tear through it in about twenty-four hours. Well, friends, I’m happy to report, new decade, same old me. I started this book at approximately 6pm last night, and I am writing this review for you at approximately 7:45pm tonight.

The one good thing about tearing through these pages each year, however, is the opportunity to revisit the story in the 360ish days I have to wait for the next one, I can re-read it and pick up some of the finer details I miss in my first sprint. Winks, nods, and Easter Eggs should definitely be appreciated, and I intend to take full advantage of them soon.

I love Jack and Jill (in her own way). They are excellent foils, and their struggle in the Moors, much like our own struggles in this world, are never simple. They are both monsters, but aren’t we all in our own ways? Even in a world full of monsters, there is balance. I love how the balance isn’t predicated on good and evil, because nothing is ever so clear-cut. Jack sees herself as a monster, but she loves people, others love her, and she has the capacity for feelings that Jill often lacks.

I love the ways McGuire makes us dream of other worlds, worlds that aren’t in any way perfect, but that may be perfect for us. So many of us misfits just want somewhere to belong, and we find kinship in these characters year after year, and I never stop hoping I’ll see a door appear out of thin air, a door that perhaps would take me to a drowned world full of mermaids and sea creatures. What kind of world would you inhabit?

The wait is almost over for this one. It’s on sale Tuesday, January 7th, and bonus points if you can resist mainlining the whole thing right away.

I've been a Wayward Children fan ever since I read the first book back in 2018, and each sequel so far has only reconfirmed my love for this series. I've been waiting impatiently for book number five ever since I finished In An Absent Dream last year, so of course I was over the moon when my request for Come Tumbling Down was actually approved and I was offered the chance to read this sequel a few days early. I literally dropped everything I was doing and devoured this little gem in a matter of hours after it appeared on my kindle... And guess what? I have just found a new favorite Wayward Children installment!

Oh yes, I already loved my previous meetings with Eleanor West's students, but there was just something about Come Tumbling Down that made me love this newest adventure even more. From the very first pages to the last, I was completely under the spell of both the writing, plot and characters. First of all a disclaimer: this is definitely a series you need to read in order, because you will both be missing out on crucial information about characters and their worlds as well as finding yourself spoilers for the previous adventures otherwise. Trust me: you won't regret reading them, as every single one has been fantastic so far in the first place... That said, in Come Tumbling Down we return to the horror world of Jack and Jill, a world we first learned about in the second book Down Among The Sticks And Bones. A selection of other students make their appearance as well as they join Jack on a new quest when she returns to ask for help. You will find multiple references to the previous books along the way, both regarding the characters and the things that happened... I personally loved those little reminders and it definitely made me want to binge reread all books together to see if I remembered everything right.

I have loved the worldbuilding behind this series since the beginning, with the students finding doors to different worlds and afterwards being trapped in the real world again. Regular fiction is mixed with fantasy and it has been fascinating to learn more about the different worlds the students once belonged to and now want to return to. Each world is unique in its own way, and the Moors Jack and Jill traveled to is without doubt one of the most brutal ones. Like the second book, Come Tumbling Down is essentially a very dark read with quite a few horror elements; those including the vampire and mad scientist references. It was absolutely fascinating to learn more about how the Moors exactly work, with its electricity and the delicate balance between the different powers at play.

As for the characters... Most characters we already know, and meeting up with them again felt like meeting up with old friends. The main characters in general are easy to like and being able to see them evolve over time has been a true pleasure. We have some new characters as well, including Alexis and Gideon, and I liked what they added to the plot. The plot itself is quite complex for a story this short, but well rounded and with an ending that is without doubt satisfying. I loved every single minute with Come Tumbling Down and I already know it will appear on my list of 2020 favorites even this early on in the year. Oh yes, it's THAT good! Simply electrifying.