I really enjoyed Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. It’s not often anymore that I start having that “this is new!” feeling while reading a book. But, that’s how I felt reading this one, which was exciting. I love that feeling.

Every Heart a Doorway is the first book in the Wayward Children series. It’s a young adult fantasy novella set at a school for wayward children. These children have had adventures to magical lands, and have all returned back to their “home”, much to their chagrin. At this school, the children mostly all feel like the world’s they visited are their actual true homes, and are desperate to find a way back. When a new student, Nancy, arrives, and suddenly people at the school start getting murdered, Nancy and her new friends have to figure it out before it’s too late.

This book is YA, and to me, it reads YA. I sometimes struggle with that, which is why I don’t pick up YA very often, but I was prepared for that going into this one. The mystery was a little bit predictable, but that’s okay. What I really loved about this book was the message that it’s okay to be different. It’s okay to not fit in, and to feel like you don’t belong. I also loved that the story felt so whimsical and nostalgic and magical. It’s just so great!

I am excited to continue with this series. The next few books actually delve into the different fantasy worlds, which I think will be really fun to read about. Overall, this book has dark fairy tale vibes with characters you root for. I’d recommend it if you like fantasy, don’t mind YA, and want to read about characters that will tug at your heartstrings.