Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire | Spoiler-Free ARC Review

Title: Come Tumbling Down
Author: Seanan McGuire
Publication Date: January 7, 2020
Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy
Source: ARC sent from the publisher (Tor)
Pages: 208
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Synopsis

(Spoilers for the previous installments in the Wayward Children series)

When Jack left Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister–whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice–back to their home on the Moors.

But death in their adopted world isn’t always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome.

Eleanor West’s “No Quests” rule is about to be broken.

Again.

Review:

Every Heart a Doorway – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Down Among the Sticks and Bones – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beneath the Sugar Sky – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

In An Absent Dream – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We’ve officially returned to Elenor West’s School for Wayward Children and wow this may be my favorite installment in the series yet!

After all, I’ve come to ask for your help. 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<—

Jack – Jack has returned, just not quite herself, from the Moors and requests the help of Kade, Christopher, and Cora to set things right. Queer (unclear if bi or lesbian, in f/f romance), has OCD (depicted on page and identified as such

Alexis – Jack’s betrothed that we met in Down Among the Sticks and Bones. Now resurrected twice and ready to help Jack set things right. Plus size, lesbian.

Kade – Second in command, helps Jack on her quest, Goblin prince. Trans-man.

Christopher – Happy to have a friend back, sad friends keep finding their doors. In love with the Skeleton Princess from Mariposa. Cancer survivor, Mexican-American, overall sweetheart.

Cora – Fiesty new(ish) character from the Land Beneath the Lake, former mermaid with blue/green hair. Plus size and cares deeply for her friends.

Sumi – She did die in book one, but was brought back to life in book three because prophecies and such. Japanese, one of the few people that loves and accepts Jack and doesn’t find her *that* creepy.

It was, as it so often is, a dark and stormy night … 

–>plot<–

At the end of Every Heart a Doorway, Jack returns to the Moors with Jill. Jill isn’t so keen on not being able to become immortal anymore and tries to right this perceived wrong. Things go from there.

Really, that’s all I can say without spoilers.

That being said, I loved the adventure in this book and I loved being able to get more of the Moors, currently, my favorite of the worlds the kids travel too, next to Nancy’s underworld. Being able to explore some of the other parts of the Moors was so much fun and really helped this world develop more into the Lovecraftian horror movie it was inspired to be.

I also loved the snark in this book. The characters finding out Jack had a girlfriend or Jack and Kade having an exchange about the “wrong body” made me chuckle and also appreciate McGuire’s nuance she’s been able to put into her characters. These are short books, yet throughout the series, I feel like I really know these characters, these worlds, their struggles, and AH I WANT MORE.

Also, the discussion of mortality that was touched upon in this book was done so well. Jack needs to do some pretty crappy things and while her friends try to support her by acknowledging the suffering of the few helps the many, Jack is still able to recognize her monstrous deeds and is able to reflect on what that means for her.

Friends don’t let friends go into danger alone.

Final Thoughts:

As mentioned before, this is probably my favorite in the series so far. I love how the books are becoming more interconnected and how each book is able to expand on the world and characters just a little bit more. I cannot wait to read more in this series.

Here’s to hoping we get more worlds to explore, more characters to fall in love with, and more time to revisit our favorites.

Rating: