Every Heart a Doorway

When I was a kid I had a recurring dream about the door to my crawlspace opening and calling me to a place that felt otherworldly, and I wished so badly that it would actually happen. To read Every Heart a Doorway and see that idea flourishing in Seanan McGuire's descriptive and lyrical writing was so satisfying. She builds fully fleshed-out characters and an enigmatic world in just under 170 pages that left me wanting more story, but didn't leave anything unanswered. Her world is truly a perfect escape for those who love magic and mystery.  Recommended By Brianna B., Powells.com

Every Heart a Doorway is a very intriguing read! It's a dark, magical novella. It'll pull you in, and you will not be able to escape. I didn't want it to end! Recommended By Shannon D., Powells.com

Every Heart a Doorway has it all. It’s dark and creepy, mysterious and macabre, and at its heart there's a whole lot of that feel-good love. Love that comes from new friendships and finding your way in a world that is no longer home. And if you are lucky... back to the home of your heart. "You’re nobody’s doorway but your own, and the only one who gets to tell you how your story ends is you." (Seanan McGuire) Recommended By Mecca A., Powells.com

Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway introduces readers to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children…

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of things.

No matter the cost.

"Girl Interrupted meets Grimm's Fairy Tales. Let it in and it will touch your heart and open your mind." Geek Planet Online

"This gothic novel is ideal for fantasy fans who have longed for a world of their own, as well as readers looking for books with diverse casts." Bookish

"McGuire's lyrical prose makes this novella a rich experience." Library Journal (Starred Review)

"A boarding school offering sanctuary for very special teens is threatened by a series of murders in McGuire's darkly hypnotic standalone fantasy. Eleanor West has spent her life helping kids who discover secret doors to beguiling worlds and long to return to them. When Nancy arrives at Eleanora's manor, unrest seems close behind. If only Nancy could return to the Halls of the Dead and the waiting arms of that dimension's lord, she could be happy, but first she'll have to help the others track down a killer who's taking something different from each victim. The students include twins called Jack and Jill; a boy who can speak to bones; and Sumi, Nancy's roommate, who comes from a world of nonsense and speaks in lilting, looping curlicues of words. McGuire (the October Daye series) puts her own inimitable spin on portal fantasy, adding horror elements to the mix, and her characters are strange and charming. Being different is all these kids have ever known, but as much as they pine for their other worlds, they ultimately find comfort in one another. This gothic charmer is a love letter to anyone who's ever felt out of place." Publishers Weekly Copyright 2015 Used with permission. 

Seanan McGuire is the author of several bestselling contemporary fantasy novels, including the October Daye series beginning with 2009's Rosemary and Rue, and (as Mira Grant) Feed, Deadline,  and Blackout. In 2010 she won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. She lives in California.