Honestly if these books weren’t an easy 200-page-commitment I’m not quite sure I’d continue the series. The last book, “Across the Green Grass Fields”, was a big disappointment for me, and this newest one wasn’t much of a standout. Although less preachy than its immediate predecessor, it just lacked the charm and delight and FRESHNESS from some of the earlier books. It feels like threads of thought and conversation are being recycled at this point, and all that is new is simply random new children who have been through their various doors but we’re not really given enough time to get to know them to get attached.
I enjoyed the general twist of the villain/Big Bad alright here; it was fun to get to see magic happening (in its own twisted way) in the world outside the doors. And Cora has been a favorite of mine since her introduction, so I was happy to get more of her. All in all it was a fine, fairly likable read- but definitely not a standout in the Wayward series, and if the next installment is equally as middle-of-the-road then I think I’ll call it quits. ( )

This book was great! It gave me ominous boarding school vibes, and even though Sumi usually grates on my nerves she miraculously wasn't annoying in this book. I really like how Cora has grown as a character and while you could argue that this book has an ensemble cast we really only follow Cora closely, so it makes sense that I would enjoy it more than some of the other books in this series.

Seeing Whitethorn Institute, the other home for Wayward Children, was interesting and revitalized the series in a way. Eleanor has been uninvolved and distant in the last few books and, honestly, she's beginning to annoy me as well.

Overall, I'm enjoying this series and am excited to read the next book. ( )

Be Sure - words that, if I had the audacity to do as much, tattoo on my body in flowing gothic calligraphy.

I'm never SURE about anything. Oh I can be certain, based on knowledge and experience. I can even know, based on the information in front of me.

But sure? No, that's a bone deep belief. Something central to who you are. A trust you follow because it feels right.

McGuire's Wayward Children books explore how being sure is both positive and negative. The consequences of trying to both be sure and not trust that surety. More then a promise, Be Sure is a warning because once you're are, there is no going back.

Cora is a different kind of student. She begins her entrance into this series like the others - struggling to find just what her Door wants from her to Be Sure, but after the events of COME TUMBLING DOWN (when our merry band of misfits break the one rule Eleanor hopes will protect them - that is, they go on a Quest), Cora hasn't been able to feel...safe.

The shadows haunt her, whispering and terrible. They seek to steal her and she is terrified she will bring ruin to the world beyond her door. So she chooses instead to let go. Unlike Kade who can't return, or Sumi who won't return until its time, or Jack who exiled herself to protect her sister, Cora decides it would be better if she forgot and never returned.

This, friends, is where the OTHER school that has been alluded to comes into play...and where Cora learns that "Be Sure" isn't just a promise or a warning, its a foundation to anchor yourself and find who you truly are. ( )

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/hugos-2023-best-novella/

Next in the sequence of the Wayward Children stories, where it turns out that there is another, much nastier school for the children who have slipped between worlds. I enjoyed but wondered a bit about the longevity of the schools within the premise, and felt it was getting a bit too entangled with its own mythology. ( )

Another enjoyable read. I feel this one delves more into the inner conflict characters feel about their experiences. A change to being set at the other school was another good aspect. ( )