Be Sure (Wayward Children #1-3) by Seanan McGuire (Review)

Title: Be Sure (Wayward Children #1-3)
Author: Seanan McGuire
Type: Fiction
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Tor.com/Reactor
Date published: July 18, 2023

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Tor.com/Reactor in exchange for an honest review.

Where it all began―the first three books in Seanan McGuire’s multi-Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Wayward Children series.

Join the students of Eleanor West, and jump through doors into worlds both dangerous and extraordinary.

Book 1: Every Heart a Doorway
Book 2: Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Book 3: Beneath the Sugar Sky

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.

Meet Nancy, cast out of her world by the Lord of the Dead; Jack and Jill, each adopted by a monster of the Moors; Sumi and her impossible daughter, Rini.

Three worlds, three adventures, three sets of lives destined to intersect.

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations / No Visitors / No Quests

But quests are what these children do best…

⤖ My Review ⬻

I’ve read quite a few Seanan McGuire books in my time as a reader, particularly from her October Daye series—an adult urban fantasy series that I adore. So when I heard about McGuire’s series of young adult novellas focused on a group of wayward children traveling through magical doors and dimensions, my interest was definitely piqued.

Prior to receiving Be Sure for review, I had read the first novella from the Wayward Children series, but no others. The world had definitely pulled me in, but I had some other books I needed to read. However, when Be Sure came into my hands, containing the first three novellas packaged so nicely within its covers, I was happy to delve back into the world McGuire created. It was a convenient way to catch up on the series and immerse myself in the stories once again.

Packaging the first three Wayward Children novellas together in Be Sure was a smart move. The combined length is comparable to a typical full-length fantasy novel, offering readers a substantial and cohesive reading experience. I appreciated that the combined novellas didn’t overwhelm the reader with too much information all at once, striking a balance between providing enough content to engage readers and leaving room for curiosity and exploration for the rest of the series.

Reading Be Sure provided me with a deeper understanding of the Wayward Children world while also introducing new questions and mysteries to ponder. It left me hungry to continue exploring the series and uncovering more about the characters and the magical realms they inhabit. McGuire’s imaginative storytelling and intricate world-building continue to captivate me whether she’s writing for the adult or young adult genre!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Seanan McGuire is a native Californian, which has resulted in her being exceedingly laid-back about venomous wildlife, and terrified of weather. When not writing urban fantasy (as herself) and science fiction thrillers (as Mira Grant), she likes to watch way too many horror movies, wander around in swamps, record albums of original music, and harass her cats. Seanan is the author of the October Daye, Wayward Children, InCryptid, and Indexing series of urban fantasies; the Newsflesh trilogy; the Parasitology duology; and the “Velveteen vs.” superhero shorts. Her cats, Lilly, Alice, and Thomas, are plotting world domination even as we speak, but are easily distracted by feathers on sticks, so mankind is probably safe. For now.