Beneath the Sugar Sky

Beneath the Sugar Sky follows students at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, a sanctuary for those who have returned from magical worlds. The story begins when Rini Onishi arrives from a candy-themed realm called Confection, seeking help to save her mother Sumi and prevent her own existence from unraveling. A group of students from the school embark on a quest through multiple magical worlds to restore Sumi's timeline. Their journey takes them through realms of skeletons and underwater kingdoms before reaching the sugar-coated landscape of Confection, where physics operates on different rules and everything is made of sweets. The travelers must navigate complex magical systems and face the consequences of interfering with time and death. Each student brings unique abilities from their previous magical experiences, which become essential to their mission. This novella explores themes of identity, belonging, and the lasting impact of journeys between worlds. The story examines how people adapt to impossible situations and questions whether the rules of reality are as fixed as they appear.

Readers note this installment feels lighter and more whimsical than previous Wayward Children books, with many highlighting the candy-filled world and quest narrative. Positive reviews focus on: - The exploration of fat acceptance and body image themes - Character development of Cora and Christopher - Return appearances of characters from previous books - The intricate world-building of Confection Common criticisms include: - Less emotional depth compared to other books in the series - Plot feels more straightforward and conventional - Some found the confectionery world setting too silly - New character Rini receives less development Ratings: Goodreads: 4.13/5 (27,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (670+ ratings) "A fun adventure but missing the raw emotional punch of Every Heart a Doorway," notes one Goodreads reviewer. Multiple readers comment that while enjoyable, it doesn't reach the heights of previous entries. The nonsense world setting particularly divides readers, with some finding it charming while others consider it overly whimsical.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow A young woman discovers portals between worlds while exploring the nature of stories and the power of narrative through letters and hidden doorways.

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins A group of people raised by a godlike figure learn to master different catalogs of supernatural knowledge in a library that exists outside normal reality.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern A graduate student finds a mysterious book that leads him into an underground world of lost stories, forgotten myths, and interconnected magical libraries.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune A case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth visits an orphanage of unusual children and discovers truths about family, belonging, and identity.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs A teenager stumbles upon a hidden school where children with supernatural abilities are protected within a time loop from the dangers of the outside world.

🌟 McGuire writes under two pen names - Seanan McGuire for fantasy and Mira Grant for horror/science fiction, winning a Hugo Award under both names. 🍬 The candy world in "Beneath the Sugar Sky" was partly inspired by McGuire's experiences with type 2 diabetes and her complex relationship with sugar and sweets. 🏆 The Wayward Children series has collectively won multiple major awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards, with this particular installment being nominated for the 2019 Locus Award. 🎨 The book's unique take on portal fantasy was influenced by classic works like "The Chronicles of Narnia," but deliberately subverts traditional portal fantasy tropes by focusing on what happens after children return from magical worlds. 📚 The entire Wayward Children series began as a single short story that McGuire wrote for an anthology, but the concept grew so compelling that it evolved into a multi-book series.