Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
The fifth book in the Wayward Children’s series! This one continues with the main group, and is the conclusion of Jack and Jill’s story. A portal from the Moors opens up at the school and Jack returns, asking for their help stopping her sister Jill, who is determined to be the vampire overlord’s heir.
Genres
Queer, horror, fantasy
Description
When Jack left Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister--whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice--back to their home on the Moors.
But death in their adopted world isn't always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome.
Eleanor West's "No Quests" rule is about to be broken.
Again.
Review
I was thrilled that Jack made a return; I love her so much. Her OCD was hinted at in Down Among the Sticks and Bones, and it’s confirmed in this one. McGuire shows how it’s an actual disability, not just being picky at keeping things in order. Her character is one of the most well-developed and I love her complexity, how she is a mad scientist who comes across as unfeeling but actually cares a lot and has overconfidence in the goodness of people. Her projected callousness is her way of relating to the world, and it’s often read as her not having emotions. This is actually quite relatable for neurodivergent people. It was a bittersweet conclusion to her story but I am very happy with it.
I also loved Sumi being there. She’s such a fun character and was hardly in the other books. We get to see a lot more of her in this one.
I really am getting attached to all these characters, and I hope more books can explore Christopher, Cora, and Kade’s backstories.