Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Down Among the Sticks and Bones - Seanan McGuire

January 13, 2020.
Requested by Charlie.

Just started chapter 12 (view spoiler)[ Man. After what Jill just did, especially with how distant they had been from each other over the past years, I wouldn't have been able to forgive what she'd done. (hide spoiler)]

Elizabeth, agreed!

Ya know, in some ways, I wonder if I would have liked Every Heart a Doorway more if I had read this one first and then that one.

Love:
- Poetic Imagery/Emotions
- The surreal fairy tale atmosphere is fantastic!
- This one felt more cohesive & less scatterbrained than the first book.
- Totally want more backstory on the Master & Doctor.

Other thoughts but not necessarily a spoiler: (view spoiler)[
- The setup for why the girls were the way they were was a little hard for me to take in for age 12. It would have been easier to swallow at a younger age.
- I also had a hard time believing the end of the story because it ties in with not really believing in the setup for the twins acting/thinking a certain way due to being 12 year olds.
(hide spoiler)]

Agreed.I think this one would have been better to read first. Yes, back story on the two of them would be interesting!

I also liked that the social politics were more told from within the story vs bashed into your face like book #1.

I definitely prefer my stories to stay within a story style context. Otherwise, I end up having too many unrelated, current events/history pop up instead.

Chapters 1&2 (view spoiler)[ the parents are awful, just awful. I feel so bad for the twins. Their grandmother adored them and they never got to see her again. It's just not right. I know these stories are fairytale-esque and in fairytales there's often shitty parents but this is just not okay for me. I want to punch the parents so badly. This is a clear example of how neglect and disinterest can do just as much damage as outright abuse. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 5 (view spoiler)[ okay so the Master creeps me right out. I wish the doctor would take both girls. I feel so bad for the twins. They aren't even friends. This is 100% their parents fault. (hide spoiler)]

Soo wrote: "Elizabeth, agreed!

Ya know, in some ways, I wonder if I would have liked Every Heart a Doorway more if I had read this one first and then that one.

Love:
- Poetic Imagery/Emotions
- The surreal ..."

I loved the atmosphere too, it was creepy and whimsical at the same time.

Elizabeth wrote: "Just started chapter 12 [spoilers removed]"

Agreed. I would have (view spoiler)[ let the mob have her. (hide spoiler)]

So I'm finished and I really liked it. I feel like the middle was a little rushed. We get a big intro on how the girls came to be, it skips over their life there and moves onto how they were forced to leave. I would have liked a few more chapters about their daily lives, just to flesh it out and make it a little longer.

Yeah! These are definitely doable if you are in the "willing to go with it" mode. Maybe it's harder for Seanan to write shorter formats. I can imagine the struggle easily enough! You have this wild, wacky world and you have to stuff it into as few words as possible.

For the ending:
(view spoiler)[I really wanted more of a reason, in a we see it happening fashion for Jack to express why & how she is who she is and how that applied to her saving Jill. (hide spoiler)]

Finished Part 1! (view spoiler)[
Wow, talk about bad parenting... I know it's YA and moreover has a fairytale atmosphere so horrible parents are to be expected but this is on another level! :O
They're so cartoon-villain-ish that it became comical :p The one moment that really made me sad was when the grandmother was forced to leave, and the twins took her departure from their lives as "the final proof that adults are never to be trusted" :/ (hide spoiler)]

Virginie wrote: "Finished Part 1!

(view spoiler)[Except some parents are really that superficial and that's the core base of their decisions. That's the true sad part.

The way the twins think and react are more like 5-8 year olds vs 12 to me. (hide spoiler)]

Soo wrote: "Virginie wrote: "Finished Part 1!

[spoilers]"

Eh, true. (view spoiler)[
The moments we were in the parents' heads in the beginning of the book showed a pretty simple thought-process, more akin to that of a child than to an adult. It could be stylistic, like how villains are evil just because they're evil in cartoons, and they'll twirl their mustaches if they have one, but it made them feel... stupid, somehow? I realize that it's written that way to show how little they think of their children as actual human beings but it's taken to such an extreme here. That's what I meant by 'comical'. I have no doubt believing some parents behave and think that way :(

Agreed on the twins acting more like 5-8 yo (from what I've read so far). It's like they haven't matured at all since that part of the story they were actually that young. A case could be made for their 'ultra-controlled' upbringing having stunted them emotionally, but even their 'rational' thinking feels a bit too childish. (hide spoiler)]

Yup. Ya gotta just "go with it".

But at least it's pretty and brutal! =D

Finished Part 2. Love the surreal, creepy atmosphere. (view spoiler)[
I really, really want the backstory of the Master and the Doctor :O (hide spoiler)]

Me too! More about M & D. I think that may happen. Going by what Iain said about the series.

I'd love that backstory! Though going back to that world gives me chills.

Finished! I agree with Charlie, I would have liked to see more of the girls' daily lives in the Moors.

Really liked it overall. Seanan McGuire sure knows how to build a creepy atmosphere.

About the ending: (view spoiler)[
I don't completely understand Jack's decision to save Jill. I mean... I get it, she's her twin sister, bla bla bla, but it's like there's a disconnect between Jack's attitude and feelings as we see them, and her actions in those final moments.
She already showed concern for Jill as a kid, with her decision to go with the Doctor partly born out of her desire to protect her, but I thought Jack's clashing emotions (anger & sadness because of her murdered lover, concern and love for her sister) would be more apparent, and her 'moment of realization/decision' bigger.
I don't know... Again, I'm nitpicking 😂 (hide spoiler)]

I felt the same way. There are lots of strong events & moments in the stories and I feel like there should have been a better way to show us why they happened. You either fall into "go with it" or "accept the oddly placed infodump".

Mmmh, yeah, I see what you mean with the "roll with it" attitude. To be honest, I'm a lot more critical of a book when doing a BR than when reading on my own.

@Virginie I'm the same. I think it's because I've you start writing it your thoughts you become more self aware and it's a bit more obvious what you liked and didn't.