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Book Review: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Title: Every Heart a Doorway (Every Heart a Doorway Book 1)
Author: Seanan McGuire
Published: New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2015
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 170
Total Page Count: 187,200
Text Number: 550
Read Because: interest in portal fantasies, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children is home to youths who have previously gone through portals into fantastic realms and now find themselves back in the mundane world, searching for a way to fit in—and to get back. As a piece of metafiction, this is captivating. I don't always agree with it (I wish there were more explicit discussion of folklore, the explanation for the gender differential is insufficient, I want more information the minor directions, and the way students judge some portal worlds feels like a betrayal—albeit, perhaps, an intentional one), but even my arguments indicate engagement. As a story, this is less successful. I love the diverse cast in theory but the execution is somewhat hamfisted; the mystery plot has a great tone, but otherwise distracts from rather than contributing to the premise. I wish that all of Every Heart a Doorway were as sublime as its concept, but the general thrust remains an unequivocal delight. I look forward to rereading this someday.
Author: Seanan McGuire
Published: New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2015
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 170
Total Page Count: 187,200
Text Number: 550
Read Because: interest in portal fantasies, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children is home to youths who have previously gone through portals into fantastic realms and now find themselves back in the mundane world, searching for a way to fit in—and to get back. As a piece of metafiction, this is captivating. I don't always agree with it (I wish there were more explicit discussion of folklore, the explanation for the gender differential is insufficient, I want more information the minor directions, and the way students judge some portal worlds feels like a betrayal—albeit, perhaps, an intentional one), but even my arguments indicate engagement. As a story, this is less successful. I love the diverse cast in theory but the execution is somewhat hamfisted; the mystery plot has a great tone, but otherwise distracts from rather than contributing to the premise. I wish that all of Every Heart a Doorway were as sublime as its concept, but the general thrust remains an unequivocal delight. I look forward to rereading this someday.