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“Author Seanan McGuire narrates her story of twins who follow a mysterious staircase into a dark and violent world…[and] she captures the storytelling cadence of her witty prose.”
— AudioFile
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"McGuire has a miraculous talent for examining adolescent discontent, wedding the strange with the poignant, the fearsome with the fascinating.
— RT Book Reviews Top Pick, 4 1/2 stars
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Beautifully crafted and smartly written, this fairy-tale novella is everything that speculative fiction readers look for: fantastical worlds, diverse characters, and prose that hits home with its emotional truths.
— Library Journal starred review
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Exquisitely crafted, this is the rare companion novel that can stand alone.
— Booklist starred review.
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McGuire’s exquisitely written fairy tale is about the choices that can alter the course of a life forever, lost innocence, and what it is to love and be loved.
— Publishers Weekly starred review
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A mini-masterpiece of portal fantasy that deserves to be shelved with Lewis Carroll's and C. S. Lewis' classics.
— NPR
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Seanan McGuire has long been one of the smartest writers around, and with this novella we can easily see that her heart is as big as her brain. We know this story isn't true, but it is truth.
— Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series (TV's True Blood)
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This is a gorgeous story: sometimes mean, sometimes angry, and always exciting.
— Cory Doctorow for BoingBoing
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McGuire's lyrical prose makes this novella a rich experience.
— Library Journal, starred review
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So mindblowingly good, it hurts.
— io9
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This gothic charmer is a love letter to anyone who's ever felt out of place.
— Publishers Weekly
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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
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Girl Interrupted meets Grimm's Fairy Tales. Let it in and it will touch your heart and open your mind.
— Geek Syndicate