Renee
Written on Jun 29, 2020
The fifth installment in New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire's award-winning Wayward Children series, Come Tumbling Down picks up the threads left dangling by Every Heart a Doorway and Down Among the Sticks and Bones
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.
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
Book 5: Come Tumbling Down
- ISBN10 0765399318
- ISBN13 9780765399311
- Publish Date 7 January 2020
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Tor Books
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 208
- Language English
Reviews
inlibrisveritas
Written on Apr 25, 2020
While this one isn't my favorite of the series, it's definitely one I really enjoyed. I had forgotten how much I loved the weird mix of darkness and whimsy that this series brings, and how much I loved the setting of The Moors. I am a fan of gothic moody atmospheres and even more so when they add in the unnatural and strange. Add a bit of hard-edged ridiculousness that is Sumi and it's hard to say no.
It's by no means I perfect read, but the experience itself is just so much fun.
I am really hoping we get to see more from Christopher, I have really enjoyed seeing his character unfold over the past few books.
Nessa Luna
Written on Mar 25, 2020
CAWPILE: 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 (Avg: 6.43)
leahrosereads
Written on Feb 25, 2020
Sumi stole a lot of the show here for me. Every scene she was in just added such (much needed?) vibrance. I love her so much.
This was definitely the darkest of the series so far (which, guess what? I also loved!), and I cannot wait to see whose world we visit next!
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Jan 17, 2020
I have come to love this series from the vivid worlds to the children and I was quickly pulled in. It appears Jill, who wants to become a vampire has stolen Jack’s body and poor Jack who suffers from OCD doesn’t feel right in her skin. Of course, the children agree to help Jack save the Moors and get her body back. McGuire did a great job with giving readers the backstory, but it slowed the pacing down until we arrived at the Moors.
I loved the gang and their conversations, particularly Jack and Christopher. Kade kept the group together, and each faced challenges and questions. Alexis Jack’s girlfriend added to the story, and I enjoyed her role.
The view of the Moors this time was splendid, dark and creepy but the world is a hot mess thanks to the actions of Jill. An exciting tale, that closed threads, finishing Jack and Jill’s story. It shed light on why some children abandoned their doors and left the door open for more stories about the Wayward Children.
McGuire has narrated two of the novellas in this series, the first Down Among the Sticks and Bones and this one. I loved her narration of the first, but it pains me to say that there were issues with this one. Her voice felt rushed and indeed I had to keep the speed on low as her words sometimes felt as if they ran together. There was a whistle at the end of words that wasn’t present in the first narration and this felt more like a reading. I missed the different voices. While normally this series demands to be listened to this was sadly a disappointment. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
sa090
Written on Jan 15, 2020
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This is the second novella in the series where you will surely need to read a previous installment before you venture in it, best thing about this? It ended up tying one plotline for good. It may be revisited of course, but there is a definite lack of need for that. Therefore, and as always, release order is the best order to go with for everything.
As usual of Ms. McGuire, the book doesn’t just deal with this grand quest and that’s it, the reason I love this series as much as I do; is for the messages it tries to bring across. The main and most important one for me is that every single one of them is searching for their rightful place, the journey to that is what makes Wayward Children as fun as it is. Although, Come Tumbling Down brought a bit of a different twist to the series, the concept of “Choice” was something we’re previously seen in the series, especially in book 4, In An Absent Dream. But, in this book, the choices to make doesn’t just concern Jack or Jill, our accompanying heroes get to make some as well.
The Moors is a very gory world, and that only got amplified with this second visit to it. I enjoyed getting a closer look on the other entities in that world, wished for more of course (I’m way too greedy in fantasy), but I will try to be content with what we got. That aside, this book is a finale to the Wolcott sisters’ tale, and the final confrontation was interesting to see. I was excited to see how the supernatural will go against science, and although I expected this huge Boku no Hero Academia style of fighting, I will still say that the confrontation was satisfying when taking the sisters as my main element. Other entities left something more to be desired given the reputation, but let’s consider it a win for now.
I do like the fact that there are no forced feelings in this series, nobody HAS TO LIKE SOMEONE TO BE RELEVANT and they can just focus on what really matters to me in fantasy, adventure. Hence, why I definitely hope that the sequel/s will be taking new stuff into consideration. I do not want to see a previously mentioned/seen location in this series make a reappearance, there are so many things to explore. Cora, Christopher, Kade and most importantly, Eleanor. Each one of them has a story to tell and I want to hear all of them. So it’s only right to end this thought collection with a quote from the book:
“New things are the best kind of magic there is.”
Final rating: 5/5
alindstadtcorbeax
Written on Jan 8, 2020
Quirky Cat
Written on Dec 30, 2019
Come Tumbling Down is the fifth novella in Seanan McGuire's beloved Wayward Children series. If you haven't given this series a try, I cannot list all of the reasons why it is worth reading. It's without a doubt one of my top series, and I sincerely can't get enough of it.
Eleanor's School for Wayward Children is meant to be a safe place for the children abandoned by their doors and the worlds they came to love. Thus, it doesn't have many rules. But one of those rules is very simple: No Quests allowed.
That one rule is about to be broken in Come Tumbling Down. Last we saw of Jack, she was happily carrying the body of her sister back to the Moors. But now she's back, and she needs the help of her friends in order to save herself and the world she loves so much.
“Come on, come on, there's adventure in the air and you're too slow!”
Can I please go back in time and read Come Tumbling Down again for the first time? Because I feel like that is exactly what I need in my life right now. Come Tumbling Down was a whirlwind of an adventure, one that was dark and scary, while also being deeply personal.
I've always loved Jack and Jill (the Wayward Children version, that is), so the minute I read the description for this novella, I knew that I was going to be in love. I wasn't disappointed with what was handed to me. Though I am finding myself wishing that I could continue reading about their dark and foreboding world...
If I could make one request right now, it'd be that this series never ends. Because it is just so good. I would happily read anything and everything about these Wayward children. And then some.
Back to Come Tumbling Down, this was an enchanting and dark tale in the best ways possible. I adore the Moors and thus getting a chance to return there was very much appreciated. So far we've seen the Wayward Children of Eleanor's pop into several different worlds, but we've yet to see the interaction with this particular world. That made this tale very exciting – and exceptionally dangerous.
There was a lot to love about this novel, quite frankly. The pacing was on point, with something happening almost every time I turned the page. And yet it never felt rushed. Instead, the journey was a perilous one, which also gave us a chance to see our characters in a completely different setting.
The rules of the Moors are fascinating, and I am grateful that this novella revealed more about the inner workings of it. The more I see of this world...the more it seems to fit together. It's just so perfect.
My only regret about reading Come Tumbling Down is that I have to sit down and wait for the next installment in the series. Though I suppose I could go back and reread the rest of the series in the meantime...
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks