Down Among the Sticks and Bones

Down Among the Sticks and Bones, while a sequel to Every Heart a Doorway, is set chronologically before it. This means that we get Jack and Jill's story, about how they reached the Moors, how they were changed there and what happened to make them come back. It explores gender roles in modern society, and how parental abuse can be insidious and invisible to others. Jacquelline & Jillian were born to a couple who had no interest in being parents aside from fitting it like a slot into their perfect lives - and they each see one of the girls as clay to fashion into what they want their child to be like. Jill is molded into the tomboy by her father, because he wanted a son, and Jack is brought up to behave like a princess, because that is what her mother wanted. Nobody asked what they wanted, and when they finally reach the horror-town of the Moors, where they are free to choose what lives they want to lead, they are happy. Jill gets to reclaim her femininity while Jack can be more than a pretty face - each of the girls is complex and even in the monster-ridden world of the Moors, they are able to carve out happiness for themselves. However, as the author warns us, they were creatures of their parents' desires, so wholly separated from each other, that tragedy was to befall them. Jill becomes a ward of the local vampire lord (trust me, not so humorous as it sounds) while Jack apprentices under the 'mad scientist'. Jack even finds love in the form of a resurrected girl, but we know that story was never going to end well - this was a 'before' story for a reason. I actually read this as an audiobook, in which the omniscient third person narrative and the author's lovely storytelling (she narrates it herself) combine to deliver a story that is delightfully morbid to hear

the story of Jack and Jill's journey through their door. i think it's interesting to compare Jill's account of events from "Every Heart a Doorway" and what actually happened. quick read

I read Every Heart a Doorway in January but hadn't realized there were 3 more until I got a 4 dollar off coupon and thought about how In liked that book. I am really glad I did! I read all three sequel books over the past couple days. I really enjoy the writing style.