Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, 1)

Winner of the Hugo Award, Hugo Award for Best Series, Alex Award, Locus Award, and Nebula Award
Nominated for the World Fantasy Award, British Fantasy Award, and Tiptree Honor List

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

New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire presents a fresh take on the portal fantasy genre that blends Alice in Wonderland, The Magicians, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the Home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of things.

No matter the cost.

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

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176 pages

Average rating: 7.68

82 RATINGS

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14 REVIEWS

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Community Reviews

RealLifeBelle
Jan 12, 2025
8/10 stars
I recommend this book for people who like dark fantasy with a little bit of horror mixed in. Great read! Real page turner!
katietopp
Jan 01, 2025
10/10 stars
Interesting concept and likewise an interesting story. I think it’s lovely that all of the “Wayward Children” have a place to go and discuss their other worlds freely. I am undecided on the next installment but since they are so short I’m sure I’ll read it at some point.
BookSwoons
Dec 30, 2024
2/10 stars
NOPE! Not for me. The entire books' premise and analogistic undertone..and really a serial killer?? It all just took away from all the good parts of the story...oh, yeah, there was not much left.
Anonymous
Nov 29, 2024
8/10 stars
This novella is a story about what happens when you're kicked out of your fairy tale. It may look like a young adult book, but it's not. The audiobook was a treat to listen to as well. Less than five hours long, it's great for those slightly long drives that you go on for day trips.
MsFirstEdition
Oct 03, 2024
8/10 stars
A book of nonsensical worlds and strange people, I absolutely loved it! The pace wasn't too fast for such a short book but it still made you yearn for more. Sometimes, I'd wonder which door would open to me if it could ever happen? I think I would enter a world of high Logic with more Wicked than Virtue. All in all, I'm scrambling for the next book!.

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