Down Among the Sticks and Bones
- Downloads：4638
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-10 09:54:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Seanan McGuire
- ISBN：0765392038
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children。
This is the story of what happened first…
Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet， always dressed as a princess。 If her mother was sometimes a little strict， it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline。
Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous， thrill-seeking， and a bit of a tom-boy。 He really would have preferred a son， but you work with what you've got。
They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted。
They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices。
This is the story of what happened first…
Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet， always dressed as a princess。 If her mother was sometimes a little strict， it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline。
Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous， thrill-seeking， and a bit of a tom-boy。 He really would have preferred a son， but you work with what you've got。
They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted。
They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices。
Reviews
emma
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I really enjoyed this one as well！ I loved seeing Jack and Jill's relationship and seeing the way things played out for them before going to the school。 It was so fun and magical， and I could definitely reread this right now。 I really enjoyed this one as well！ I loved seeing Jack and Jill's relationship and seeing the way things played out for them before going to the school。 It was so fun and magical， and I could definitely reread this right now。 。。。more
Bre
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I feel like I should have read this before reading Every Heart A Doorway。 I know it is numbered as the second one but it was a lot of background information about Jack and Jill。 For that reason， the beginning was a little slow。 However， once we got to the Moors it really picked up and I absolutely loved it from there。 The Moors were so interesting and I love the contrast between Jack and Jill。 It was interesting to see how their childhood before the Moors affected who they chose in the Moors and I feel like I should have read this before reading Every Heart A Doorway。 I know it is numbered as the second one but it was a lot of background information about Jack and Jill。 For that reason， the beginning was a little slow。 However， once we got to the Moors it really picked up and I absolutely loved it from there。 The Moors were so interesting and I love the contrast between Jack and Jill。 It was interesting to see how their childhood before the Moors affected who they chose in the Moors and how it had lasting effects。 I can't wait to see more of Jack and Jill in the coming books。 。。。more
Ana TM
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I liked this one more than the first。 I loved reading about the twins， their early lives and the world they fell into。 The atmosphere was dark and kind of depressing， but there's always a glimmer of hope。 I'm really looking forward to continuing the series。 I liked this one more than the first。 I loved reading about the twins， their early lives and the world they fell into。 The atmosphere was dark and kind of depressing， but there's always a glimmer of hope。 I'm really looking forward to continuing the series。 。。。more
Kate （GirlReading）
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Whilst I still preferred Every Heart a Doorway， this story was still utterly captivating and wonderfully dark。 I loved getting to know Jack & Jill’s origin story of sorts。 TW: fatphobia， fatphobic language
Pren Posada
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Ok THIS is more like it。 This was improved from the first story in a number of ways。 It was a different narrator （the author incidentally） and i enjoyed her much better。 This story focuses on the twins from the first book and their time through their door。 It has a same sex relationship but its not forced。 It’s more naturally revealed and therefore feels less like a token in an “inclusive book” the first book felt very “ok i ticked these boxes of inclusivity” and less “these characters just are Ok THIS is more like it。 This was improved from the first story in a number of ways。 It was a different narrator （the author incidentally） and i enjoyed her much better。 This story focuses on the twins from the first book and their time through their door。 It has a same sex relationship but its not forced。 It’s more naturally revealed and therefore feels less like a token in an “inclusive book” the first book felt very “ok i ticked these boxes of inclusivity” and less “these characters just are who they are and this is an element of who they are” This world was a very dark one。 Body reanimating after death and vampires etc。 which i liked。 There is a romance but there isn’t blatant over sexualization of mundane conversations for the point of being like “sexual feelings are normal！ Bodies are normal！” （Again preachy first book）。 Ok onto the third book ill give another a try since the first book was boo and the second was yay lets see how #3 goes。 。。。more
✨ artemis ✨
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4。5 starsDamn。。
Amy
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I can't even really explain why I love these books so much。 I just think they're unexpected and interesting。 I can't even really explain why I love these books so much。 I just think they're unexpected and interesting。 。。。more
Bianca
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It was okay。 Found myself kinda bored throughout the book but it was nice to get to know more about them and their world。
Liz Murphy
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I really liked Every Heart a Doorway， so this was a neat look into another world from this universe。 I liked getting to see Jack and Jill's story， but wow did that escalate quickly。 I also wish we could have gotten a chapter or two set after Every Heart a Doorway when they got to go back。 I really liked Every Heart a Doorway， so this was a neat look into another world from this universe。 I liked getting to see Jack and Jill's story， but wow did that escalate quickly。 I also wish we could have gotten a chapter or two set after Every Heart a Doorway when they got to go back。 。。。more
Cady Wieck
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I liked this book a little more than the first one。 I liked the dark logical world and the dynamic of the parents （who were terrible） and how that played a role in the sisters and their relationship。 This one had less sexual content/conversation which I appreciated。
Dina Boukhchtaber
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This little novella is absolutely wonderful。 The writing style is so engaging and for being so short it conveys a lot of story， plot and heart-wise。 I loved to learn about Jack and Jill and the representation of many children's stories through theirs。 But what I loved the most were the Moors and how atmospheric and magical （even if more on the dark side） this story was。 5 stars！ This little novella is absolutely wonderful。 The writing style is so engaging and for being so short it conveys a lot of story， plot and heart-wise。 I loved to learn about Jack and Jill and the representation of many children's stories through theirs。 But what I loved the most were the Moors and how atmospheric and magical （even if more on the dark side） this story was。 5 stars！ 。。。more
catherine
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bruh。。。 jack best character don’t fight me on this。 i cried。 i’d k word j*ll bye。。。
Katie
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2。5 stars。 I didn't dislike this but I didn't like it either。 I think I'm gonna have to DNF this series because much like the first book I just found it unsatisfying。 The concept of the series and each book has a lot of potential but neither the first nor this one really went where I was wanting it to go。 Not a bad series at all， just not quite it or me。 2。5 stars。 I didn't dislike this but I didn't like it either。 I think I'm gonna have to DNF this series because much like the first book I just found it unsatisfying。 The concept of the series and each book has a lot of potential but neither the first nor this one really went where I was wanting it to go。 Not a bad series at all， just not quite it or me。 。。。more
Kylie
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Actual rating 4。5
Kačaba
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Za mě ještě o velký kus lepší než první díl。。。
Kate Ford
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Beautifully written。 The language used truly paints a picture of another realm， but in a poetic and succinct way。
Arielle W
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This is book 2 in a series， but I read it first because a book reviewer said it was better to do that。 I had no idea what this was about before I jumped in。 I'm not sure where I expected the story to go after the description of the awful parents， but this was not it。 Still it was a fun， quick ride - though I kind of wish the story had been a little longer。 The beginning felt a little heavy handed with the parents and the lessons on forcing your kids to conform to your own desires， but I get it。 This is book 2 in a series， but I read it first because a book reviewer said it was better to do that。 I had no idea what this was about before I jumped in。 I'm not sure where I expected the story to go after the description of the awful parents， but this was not it。 Still it was a fun， quick ride - though I kind of wish the story had been a little longer。 The beginning felt a little heavy handed with the parents and the lessons on forcing your kids to conform to your own desires， but I get it。 The Jill storyline was creepy， and I'm glad we got to see her childhood because it was fun to see her transformation - even though I didn't like her character。 But the Jack storyline was even better， and I loved her character！ She's a pretty princess who chooses to become a crazy mad scientist！ （Strangely enough， this is also the third book in a row I read with a f/f relationship that I didn't know about ahead of time， and I am so okay with this trend continuing！） 。。。more
Euterpecalliopea
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Intriguing， mysterious and creepy。Did not expect any different from Seanan McGuire honestly🧡💛Jack and Jill were already super interesting since the first book。 But this is another level。Their story is so much more scary and deep than what I initially thought。
Elysian
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5 stars ALL the wayI loved this one so much more than the first one。 I felt like everything that I was missing from the first book I got here。 TW: Child abuse， Soft gore， MysophobiaCharactersSo this is all about Jack and Jill from the first book and honestly， I wished I was reading this before I read the first book。 It is essentially Jack and Jill's story about how they went through the door and how they got banned from the world。 I loved seeing more as I was very intrigued by them， but did not 5 stars ALL the wayI loved this one so much more than the first one。 I felt like everything that I was missing from the first book I got here。 TW: Child abuse， Soft gore， MysophobiaCharactersSo this is all about Jack and Jill from the first book and honestly， I wished I was reading this before I read the first book。 It is essentially Jack and Jill's story about how they went through the door and how they got banned from the world。 I loved seeing more as I was very intrigued by them， but did not really understand or empathise with them。Some side characters get introduced， including The Doctor and The Master。 （Very interesting and mysterious characters by themselves。） But also I really loved Jack having a love interest and it being wlw。 PlotIt is a very character driven plot and essentially the detailed background story of Jack and Jill。 The foreshadowing before plot twists are AMAZINGLY done。 The overall built up and tension is just breath-taking。World building is GENIUS and I cannot wait to read the next book。 I love how fantastical and open the world is。 When I read this I feel like I fell straight into a fairy tale。 It is very interesting and gives off a lot of Dracula mixed with Dr。 Frankenstein vibes。 。。。more
Hailey
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*4。5*
Hayden
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After Every Heart a Doorway， McGuire gives Jack and Jill's story more depth through their experiences with their parents and their parenting， or non-parenting， style and what led to them finding their door and what happened when they got there。 It also gives more depth to the first story， making the end of that story make more sense in context。 I didn't like it quite as much because I liked how the different lost children interacted with each other， but I still liked this one a lot。 After Every Heart a Doorway， McGuire gives Jack and Jill's story more depth through their experiences with their parents and their parenting， or non-parenting， style and what led to them finding their door and what happened when they got there。 It also gives more depth to the first story， making the end of that story make more sense in context。 I didn't like it quite as much because I liked how the different lost children interacted with each other， but I still liked this one a lot。 。。。more
Joanna Pats
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I liked the world， I just really wish that it didnt take 60+ pages for the girls to enter their world given that the story itself is only 187。
Rosie
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I guess it’s kind of weird to give this book 2 stars less than a month after I gave the first book 5 stars。 This book has all the right elements that the first book did so I can see why people would like it。 This rating is kind of biased。 I suppose the reason I don’t really like this book is kind of personal。 Because I *like* Jill and I relate to her more than Jack， and I guess I was kind of expecting the author to like her too。 This book just feels so mean。 The narrative is so tilted in favor o I guess it’s kind of weird to give this book 2 stars less than a month after I gave the first book 5 stars。 This book has all the right elements that the first book did so I can see why people would like it。 This rating is kind of biased。 I suppose the reason I don’t really like this book is kind of personal。 Because I *like* Jill and I relate to her more than Jack， and I guess I was kind of expecting the author to like her too。 This book just feels so mean。 The narrative is so tilted in favor of Jack， Jill has been second to Jack her whole life and now here she is again， in her own story。 The story is just not interested in sympathetically examining Jill’s character and showing her POV。I suppose I expected this book to be about Jack and Jill not Jack （and Jill）。 。。。more
Scott
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Can be read as a stand-alone within the Wayward Children series。Fantastically dark and gothic。 McGuire's prose is rich in imagery， and while the first fifty pages lays a bit of a slow foundation for what is to come， the rest of the story tosses Jack and Jill into the most harrowing of circumstances to which they accept under the guise of safety。 Highly recommended for teens and adults for enjoy dark fantasy。 Can be read as a stand-alone within the Wayward Children series。Fantastically dark and gothic。 McGuire's prose is rich in imagery， and while the first fifty pages lays a bit of a slow foundation for what is to come， the rest of the story tosses Jack and Jill into the most harrowing of circumstances to which they accept under the guise of safety。 Highly recommended for teens and adults for enjoy dark fantasy。 。。。more
Suzanne dePlanque
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I loved the first book in this series so much that I downloaded the whole series （four books at that time） onto my Kindle and read them all straight through。 This is the second installment in the Wayward Children series， and it was rich and bittersweet and took us deeper into the mysteries and adventures inside the children’s doors。 After meeting characters in the first book of the series， I enjoyed following two of them on the adventure that led them， eventually， to the school for Wayward Child I loved the first book in this series so much that I downloaded the whole series （four books at that time） onto my Kindle and read them all straight through。 This is the second installment in the Wayward Children series， and it was rich and bittersweet and took us deeper into the mysteries and adventures inside the children’s doors。 After meeting characters in the first book of the series， I enjoyed following two of them on the adventure that led them， eventually， to the school for Wayward Children。 I loved being along for the ride， and I took a deep breath when they read the sign at their door， the sign that said “Be Sure”， and wondered， if I stumbled upon that sign myself， even now， far too old to be a Wayward Child， or any kind of child， would I open the door？ The tale of Jack and Jill reads like a dysfunctional fairy tale until they open an old trunk inside a closet and find a set of stairs in the trunk that lead them down， down， down—out of our world and into another world， The Moors。One of my favorite lessons that fairy tales teach is that children can defeat the monsters of the world。 In this book， we also learn that children can become the monsters。The Moors is a fascinating world， and I would return happily to any other book that takes place in these realms。Readers of the first book in this series will be pleased to learn more about Jack and Jill， and this book serves as a prequel， filling in some of their history before they wound up at the school for Wayward Children。I love this series。 I would recommend it to anyone。 。。。more
Charlize
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4。5 stars
AFknUsername
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Spooky
Virginia
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I am really loving this series。 Very well written and compelling stories。 I loved getting the back story of Jack and Jill from book one。 This had the same air of beautiful strangeness that “Every Heart。。。” did， and it was beautifully written。 I love it for its inclusivity of LGBTQ characters and haunting world building。 I am definitely going to continue reading this series。
Tamara✨
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Wanted to read this as I quite enjoyed the first book， especially the concept of a home for children who have stepped through "a door" and returned。 This one focuses on the twins from the first books and what they went through on the other side~。 It was alright I guess。 Definitely reads as a YA book， which is to be expected but I forgot that when I read it lol。。 I did enjoy it though I just don't think I'll read the others in this series as I remember being more interested in the twins than anyt Wanted to read this as I quite enjoyed the first book， especially the concept of a home for children who have stepped through "a door" and returned。 This one focuses on the twins from the first books and what they went through on the other side~。 It was alright I guess。 Definitely reads as a YA book， which is to be expected but I forgot that when I read it lol。。 I did enjoy it though I just don't think I'll read the others in this series as I remember being more interested in the twins than anything else。 。。。more
finley🦕
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