4.5 stars

CW: blood, murder, abuse, OCD

To start, let me say that I absolutely believe this book is better than the first one in the series. Although it's a companion and not a sequel, I think that in general, it was better written and better executed. Even if you weren't a huge fan of [b:Every Heart a Doorway|25526296|Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1)|Seanan McGuire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431438555s/25526296.jpg|45313140] and you aren't sure if you want to continue the series, I recommend picking this one up.

Whereas the previous novel was set on our world, in our time, this takes place in one of the mysterious worlds the first one alluded to and I loved it. The Moors were dark and eerie, intriguing and paranormal, without being creepy. There are vampires, werewolves, and sea creatures, and it's almost a constant state of twilight.

If I had to choose between the twins, I would absolutely choose Jack. I already preferred her going in, because in the first book Jill didn't have much of a personality, to be honest. However, as I read, it quickly became easy to pick a favorite. I won't fault Jill for being self-absorbed, since their parents made her that way, or for being unlikable, as that isn't necessarily a bad trait. But Jill was more malicious in the end, and Jack was better to her than she deserved. Through everything, even becoming a mad scientist's apprentice, she was still at least a little bit pure at heart.

I'm not sure about this, as it was only mentioned a few times in the last third of the story, but I think Jack has some form of OCD: she only touches/uses certain things, only touches people, if she deems them clean or cleans them herself. I don't have OCD so I'll leave it at that, but it's something I noticed.

One thing I especially liked about this book that might not make sense was the family. Now, I'll say it outright - the girls' parents sucked, and I wish Gemma Lou (their grandma) had been allowed to stay. Their parents were more concerned with having the perfect family than letting their daughters be who they wanted to, and kept them separate so each parent could make one girl what they wanted. The girls aren't taught to love each other, or at all, but as they navigate the Moors, they find new family. Even if Jill's ultimately goes downhill and costs Jack hers, I think this was crucial to their development. Side note: Dr. Bleak grew on me. I like him. He's the best mad scientist I've read, and a good somewhat father-like figure. Read it and it'll make sense.

There's exactly one reason I didn't give this book five stars, and that's the use of the bury your gays trope. I was excited to talk about the super cute queer girl relationship...and then this happened.

In the second half of the story, when the girls are older, it's established and openly, frequently mentioned that Jack has a girlfriend, a soft fat girl named Alexis. They're adorable. However, in a desperate effort to prove to Master (whose name I'm admittedly curious about) that she's ruthless enough to be turned early, Jill follows Alexis into the woods and kills her, fully aware that she's Jack's girlfriend. Technically, I get where Jill was coming from and why the author chose this route, but I didn't like it whatsoever. Not to mention that using a queer character's death as means to further the plot is never a good idea, regardless of the circumstances.

Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was another quick, fun, and unique read, like its predecessor, and I hope to pick up the third one ASAP. I would also consider these books to be good Halloween reads for those that, like me, are squeamish and/or lighthearted.