Ashley's Reviews > Over the Woodward Wall

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you that, if you didn’t want an adventure...sometimes adventures happen whether or not they are requested. They’re like Tuesday afternoons, or headaches, or birthdays. They do as they like.”

My GOD; I am CRYING and I don’t even know why.

I guess it is because this was an AMAZING BOOK, and reading it was JUST like reading an installment of the Wayward Children series.
That series has such a very, very tight grip on my heart.

So, naturally, this does as well.

I LOVE Zib & Avery SO SO SO SO SO MUCH! I absolutely love their so-perfect-for-each-other, yin & yang personalities, COMPLETE opposites, that when together, create a perfect fit like two adjacent puzzle pieces. I absolutely loved reading the beginning—their climb up & over a mysterious stone wall 'that was not there before' into the mysterious, fantastical, dark, yet still whimsical Up and Under, a strange new world, filled with improbable, yet not impossible, things, & 'stuff & nonsense'.

I LOVED their adventure— their QUEST.
I loved all of the strange creatures ( which happens to be one of my favorite tropes of all time !), both benevolent & evil ( though 'evil' here is super subjective; especially in the Up & Under ! There may be secret motives afoot we have no clue about yet! Even though said 'evil' characters, well, erm... they kinda, most definitely, were prrrettttyyyy damn evil, hahah, but I still loved MOST of these characters; I suppose just because they were so wonderfully written ); but I loved, especially, the Crow Girl, & Quartz, & the Owls, & just every single thing about this book. BUT Seanan McGuire reaaaallly does a spectacular job in making you doubt your judgement, consistently consider each character's secrets, & wonder about all of the characters' probability for devious motives every step of the way! Everything seems to be a mystery,, made it anything is possible!!!

This absolutely amazing, clever, & brilliant woman/ writer/ creator of pure works of ART; ink & paper her medium, can absolutely do no wrong in my eyes.

AHHHHHH! And it is the first in a NEW SERIES! I am utterly jubilant (I don’t think I have ever used the word jubilant, pretty much ever? It’s too formal and fancy schmancy. So that, my friends, is surely saying something about this book!) about this being a freakin’ SERIES!!!!

YAY!!!! ALSO, I finally read Middlegame; crazy, yeah?! Haha. That is one densely written novel! Though the prose is often jam packed, lol, IMO once you get used to her style, it becomes totally readable.

[ Still—I love that we know whats happening for the most part, but the characters kiiiinda don't, at ALL, lol (again talking about Middlegame, though it does apply to this novella as well—we don't know WHAT in the bloody hell is going on 😉). Or I suppose we learn as they learn? UGH— none of this is relevant/necessary for THIS review (So you can totally skip this paragraph, especially since you do not even HAVE to read Middlegame to enjoy this series, even though MG is very much revolves around the Up & Under, but the Up & Under does not reciprocate this—at least not in any vital way—meaning, as I said, these novellas can totally be read alone! ), & apparently I can't even remember the facts correctly—Re: please see above text in italics.

*Le sigh*

*embarrassingly enough, SUPER overwhelmed* (lol)

Although, a character FROM Middlegame may (or may not 😉😉🤐) have made a VERY, VERY short, short, short cameo. They, just based on the description of Middlegame, SEEM like they do make that cameo, for sure—but honestly I have no idea because I haven’t read it, YET!😂
Totally have, as of 2021, now read Middlegame, hehe.
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You can totally tell me, if indeed, you’ve read both books, hahah. Please just mark it as a spoiler as to not ruin anything for anyone who HASN’T read either novel/ both novellas. (I seriously WANT someone to talk to about these freaking books! !😉)

100% recommend!!!!