From Goodreads: "Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.
But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children. Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter. No matter the cost."

Oh my goodness this book was fantastic. I've been hearing a lot of buzz around this book for quite some time but for some reason just never picked it up. When I decided to participate in two readathons, I knew I needed to pick something short and easy to fulfill at least one challenge and Every Heart a Doorway was the first book that popped into my head. I am so glad I finally picked this one up because I absolutely loved every bit of it.

This was a shorter book at just under 200 pages, but the plot felt and read like a book that could have been twice the length. It was so wonderfully developed and written and I honestly could have easily read another 200+ pages about these characters. There was a magical, creepy vibe that was present all throughout the book that really added to my personal reading experience. I loved that the author really took the time to introduce the reader to the characters and gave them all such unique personalities that allowed you to easily distinguish them from each other. Even the twins, Jack and Jill, were so very different from each other, and I thought that was a really fun twist to make twins almost complete opposites.

"Because hope is a knife that can cut through the foundations of the world..."

The writing of this book is probably some of the most beautiful prose I've ever encountered. I found myself smiling at so many parts throughout this book that were just so lyrical and exquisite and I couldn't believe that such elegant writing existed within the 169 pages of this book. I knew I was in for a treat with Every Heart a Doorway from all of the hype I've seen/heard, but I didn't know it was going to affect me like it has. The descriptions of the worlds were so well-written that I could actually picture each of them almost as if I was standing in their respective doorways myself. It was incredible hearing about the experiences that the children had in their worlds and how different they all were. Some were dark, like Nancy, Christopher, and the twins, and some were bright and colorful like Sumi's. But everyone seemed to have one thing in common and it was that they all wanted to return to their worlds. I found myself drawn in to the world(s) that Seanan McGuire has created and I am so eager to learn more about all of them in the companion novels.

"You shouldn't close doors just because you don't like what's on the other side."

I truly fell in love with the characters in this book and I really didn't expect to have that happen with a novella. It's short so there's no way they can be developed enough for me to have any feelings towards them, positive or negative, right? Wrong, so very wrong. First, I'd like to talk about the fact that the author wrote about a transgender character and an asexual character. The two characters, Kade and Nancy respectively, were so amazing and fun and I loved them dearly. While I cannot speak on the representation for either transgender characters or asexual characters, I thought they were both very well-written. There was an instance of someone insulting Kade regarding the way he chose to identify and pretty much all of the characters around him at that time jumped to his defense and shut the negativity down immediately. I just loved the acceptance, love, and positivity that was shown towards Kade and I really hope to see more diverse characters like this in the companion stories. As for Nancy, I actually learned something about asexuality and how it differs from being aromantic. It was interesting and I really appreciated that the author took the time to explain it to the reader so that we would understand. In general, all of the characters were fantastic and I'm so excited to see who shows up in the future!

"I kissed a girl with hair the color of cabbages and eyes the color of moth-wings, and she kissed me back, and it was wonderful."

There were so many quotes throughout this book that just stuck with me, and I've included a few above but would like the opportunity to share the rest of my favorites below:

"Don't worry about upsetting me, I once removed a man's lungs from his chest while he was still alive, awake, and trying to talk."

"Together, they walked across the property, the girl, the boy, and the dancing skeleton wrapped in rainbows."

"You're nobody's rainbow. You're nobody's princess. You're nobody's doorway but your own, and the only one who gets to tell you how your story ends is you."