Review by claudcloud - Every Heart a Doorway

claudcloud 's review for:

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

4.0

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

When I say that I want a book that's short and sweet, this fits the bill perfectly! This series has been on my radar for so many years now, and I can see why it's so popular across the bookish world - the writing is atmospheric, extremely immersive, and very readable all at the same time, the premise and fantastical elements are compelling and keep you wanting more and more (as someone who often feels misunderstood/like she won't ever belong, it speaks to me on a very personal level), and the characters are not only very diverse, but also well-fleshed out, with interesting backstories and very distinct personalities (y'all, the found family element in this?? It's giving what needed to be given!!!)

My one and only issue is that... I wanted more. And this isn't really the fault of the book in and of itself, because I do feel that Seanan has managed to give us a fully-formed, incredibly well-crafted and beautifully written story in just under 200 pages - but I also feel that I needed just a little more time with the characters to completely and fully become attached to them, root for them and understand them. Particularly with the ending, I didn't get that catharsis that Nancy's departure back to the Underworld is supposed to feel like, because I just didn't get to spend enough time in her shoes and everything felt a little rushed. That being said, I will absolutely keep going and pick up the rest of the series - I've heard that it only gets better and better, and I'm very eager to see 1. whose story will come next and 2. more of Kade, who I just love so much!!