“Down Among the Sticks and Bones” is technically the second volume in Seanan McGuire’s “Wayward Children Series.” However, chronologically, is set before the events of the first volume, “Every Heart a Doorway.” Fortunately, it can be understood as a stand-alone story. This is the story of the twins, Jaqueline and Jillian, also known as Jack and Jill. They are raised by a couple who want to have a child for all the wrong reasons, then fail in many ways as parents. “Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline. Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.” They were twelve when they found an impossible staircase at the bottom of a trunk, and went through a doorway that lead to the Moors. A place where a giant red moon shone down upon its inhabitants. Where the Master rules his Castle, and the Werewolves rule the hills. The twins have to make their own choices in this place. These send them on different paths for many years. When their destines come back together again, it results in momentous consequences for them both. The Wayward Children Series is certainly the most contemporary portal fantasy I’ve encountered. It takes the tropes of this venerable sub-genera, and turns them completely around. The characters are sometimes whimsical, but most have a touch of their own inner darkness. The Moors is an interesting place to visit, but it would clearly be a dangerous place to live. I’m now interested in seeing some of the other worlds that other wayward children have gotten off to. Fortunately, there are several more novellas in the series to explore.

I enjoyed it more than the first. I recommend reading it before the first. The ending of this book will leave you wanting to read or reread Every Heart a Doorway. Down Among the Sticks and Stones has great rhyming prose and tells a great tale. Crafts a very wicked world but everyhing has a logic, from character motivations, all the way to insightful revelations. Give it to kids and teens trying to figure out their own identities, girls or boys. Give it to couples who have children of their own, wife or husband. That’s all I can say without taking away the surprise that’s at it’s heart. Subtle, yet deep.