Juice Like Wounds by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5/5 cats
This is the story of three girls who went into the woods together, and the two girls who came out the other side. I tell you this so that you will know, even from the beginning, that to become overly attached is only to do yourself a profound and primeval harm. Stories are weapons, you see. All stories. Some are swords and some are cudgels, but all of them can hurt you, if you allow it.
seanan mcguire can hurt me anytime she pleases.
every little bit of this story is a slash to the heart. it is alive, seething on the page. its words are as vibrant and full of life as its characters, and while we know the outcome from the very first line, its tragic ending is no less affecting for it.
its situation is similar to The Laws of the Skies, but the tone could not be more different. with Laws, there’s a gleeful nihilism at work, and the inevitable demise of all of its characters unfolds with cerebral detachment. here, even though you know you are being propelled straight into tragedy, you are powerless to resist falling in love with these girls.
it’s beautiful, gutting stuff. even though it’s only a short story, this is unquestionably my all-time favorite work in the wayward children series.
definitely read In an Absent Dream first, to understand how lundy’s adopted world “works,” but do not miss out on this heartbreaking gem of a story.
on a personal note, before reading these books, given my predilections for candy and unicorns, i would have assumed i’d feel most at home with sumi in confection or with regan in the hooflands, but if i’m being honest, lundy’s goblin market is where i belong—this is the worldstructure that makes the most sense to me. high logic/high wicked? i am sure. bring it on.
*****************************************
this might be the best story i have ever read, and maybe my favorite wayward children piece yet.
review to come. go read it NOW
https://www.tor.com/2020/07/13/juice-…
*****************************************
hahahah the pub-time for this got pushed back from 9 am to 9:20 am. is this their way of gently requesting i stop refreshing the page every 2 seconds??
9:09 and counting…
9:21 update: now it’s scheduled for 9:30.
I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!
9:35, they say.
I WILL WAIT FOREVER FOR YOU, STORY!! I’M YOUR DANIEL DAY-LEWIS
9:36 YYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSS
read my book reviews on goodreads
