Reviews

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

timinbc's review against another edition

5.0

I read #1 and #3 before this, and gave them four stars. This one seems to have been written for me, and feels a bit like a Neil Gaiman. There's a bit of authorial detachment, a bit of snark, a bit of terror, and some modern social themes woven in SO smoothly.

And the story unfolds, dropping gentle hints that turn into suspicions that turn into "Aha, I thought so!" --- and that's what storytelling's all about, if there are also a few surprises.

The opening is tight and almost formal, and felt a bit like Bradbury's 1960s - as I'm sure it was supposed to. Then, having created a situation with built-in tension, we watch as the author thinks, "What would happen if I dropped these two in ... hmm ... ah, yes, one of those Villages."

The results are quite believable.

I liked that the bad guy isn't all bad, he just is what he is. And the good guy, hmm, he does appear to be a good guy but it seems that he won't always be ABLE to do what a good guy ought to do.

I particularly liked that at the end there were pitchforks, and I'm fairly sure that a re-read would reveal even more nods to classic stories than the few I noticed.

This is master-level writing, and I didn't think that about the other two. So I guess I'll just have to read the others, won't I?

caitlynischeckedout's review against another edition

5.0

So so good- I love McGuire’s writing style and the way she builds the world around you. The worlds she creates are so unique and I eat that ish up. 

Jack and Jill are such fun characters and I love the differences and similarities between them. Getting a backstory to each of the characters fleshes them all out even more and already I’m anxious to read the next one! 

milliebot_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.5

trude_am's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

fallenstarr's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

witchnamedlo's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

ame_hadders's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars

ravenlily's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

skeeter4366's review against another edition

5.0

 It was cute, fun, and it was a lovely length. I enjoyed this a whole bunch! Well written, not too much detail or anything, it was a good level of story. Hella interesting 

dreaming_ace's review against another edition

3.0

This was an interesting little novella but I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I had known the series better and known who these characters were.