THROUGH GATES OF GARNET AND GOLD - Seanan McGuire


 A new book in the Wayward Children series!

Nancy is where she wants to be - in the Halls of the Dead. It was a difficult journey for Nancy to get back to this spot, but it was worth the effort. But now something has gone wrong. The Halls are getting darker and the the living statues are slowly dying.

While Nancy never thought she'd return to Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, she realizes that the children there might be the only ones who can help her identify the problem in the Halls and to set things right - even if it means that Nancy herself may not ever make the journey again.

Could the new girl, Talia, who seems consumed by moths, hold the secret? Or is she the cause? 

The beauty of these Wayward Children books is in McGuire's language. The books are dark, especially dark for YA books, but the children - wayward or not - are all strong and make their own decisions and Seanan McGuire's writing is hypnotic and poetic.

As with all her series, McGuire creates a very real world, this one accessed through portals that generally only appear to the wayward children. The world is dark and gloomy (Nancy WANTS to be in the Halls of the Dead!) and yet it's an oasis for some.

It's hard to see where McGuire might be going with this series - if there's a plan at all - but given that we've begun to see the same characters in multiple books (I think the only one new here is Talia and she's barely in it, it seems) it does feel like we're maybe being set up for something big. But even if we're not, these short books - novellas really - are a real joy to read.

Looking for a good book? You simply can't go wrong with any of the Wayward Children books by Seanan McGuire, and Through Gates of Garnet and Gold is no exception. This takes us on a backward journey of sorts - instead of going through a portal into this world, we first must get out of it. 

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

4-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Through Gates of Garnet and Gold

author: Seanan McGuire

series: Wayward Children #11

publisher:  Tordotcom

ISBN:  9781250339409

hardcover, 160 pages 

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