This seventh installment of Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series does not take us to another world. Instead, we visit the Whitethorn Institute which is the polar opposite of Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. While Eleanor West’s school caters to the many quirks of the children who have returned from other places, The Whitethorn Institute does everything it can to wring out all thoughts of other worlds from its pupils and return them to the “real” world. It emphasizes conformity and rationality above all else.
After the traumatizing events of book five, former mermaid Cora no longer feels Eleanor West’s school is the right place for her. She wants to break any connection to the drowned gods who are still calling to her even though she is no longer in their world. She makes the choice to transfer to the Whitethorn institute to drive them out of her head and protect the friends she’s made. Soon after arriving, Cora realizes there is something much more sinister at work at her new school and she teams up with some of the other students to solve the mystery.
I had mixed feelings when starting this book. I love the idea of a sinister version of Eleanor West’s school, but I’ve never cared for Cora as a character. But she really came into her own in this book. Rather than simply following along on adventures and commenting on how everything was weird, she goes all in on saving herself and everyone who wants to go with her. This is a great addition to the series.