History Literature / EveryHeartADoorway

* AbusiveParents: It's strongly implied that a number of the students' parents are not actually very good parents at all. Nancy's parents are the nicest ones we encounter, and they are oblivious to their daughter's asexuality and take away her clothes of choice to force her to wear things that make her look more like their "little girl". [[CloudCuckooLander Sumi]] has childhood pictures of herself looking very sad, still, and meek. Kade's parents misgender him and refuse to take him back unless he presents as female according to their wishes. Jack and Jill's parents are implied to be the worst of all, and almost certainly contributed to one of their children becoming [[spoiler: a monster and a serial killer]] and the other becoming [[spoiler: a fratricidal mad scientist]].

* AnyoneCanDie: Victims of the murderer include [[spoiler: CloudCuckooLander [[BigSisterInstinct Sumi]] and [[CoolTeacher Lundy]].]]

* [!frumious bandersnatch!]InSheepsClothing: Angela. She seems like a sweet girl who just misses her magical world full of rainbows, but as soon as she's under stress, she becomes incredibly cruel, blaming Nancy and Christopher for the murders just because they went to "creepy" worlds and slinging transphobic insults at Kade.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Angela. She seems like a sweet girl who just misses her magical world full of rainbows, but as soon as she's under stress, she becomes incredibly cruel, blaming Nancy and Christopher for the murders just because they went to "creepy" worlds and slinging transphobic insults at Kade.

* NotMeThisTime: In Jack and Jill's world, they essentially assumed the rule of DaddysLittleVillain. And, due to a misunderstanding of ownership, Jack once dissected another student's hamster. This understandably causes her to fall under suspicion when mutilated bodies start turning up, but she points out that if it had been her, she wouldn't have taken just ''one'' thing.

* [[{{Transsexual}} Transgender]]: Kade is a transboy. The faeries took him because they thought he was a girl - when the Goblin King sees his true self and declares him his ''prince'', he gets kicked back into the real world.

''Every Heart A Doorway'' is a novel written by SeananMcGuire, author of the ''Literature/OctoberDaye'', ''Literature/InCryptid'', ''Literature/VelveteenVs'', ''Literature/{{Indexing}}'' and ''{{Newsflesh}}'' novels. What happens to children who go through the wardrobe, or fall through the looking glass, and then come back? Well, some of them go to Eleanor West's school, where no one tries to make them be normal or tells them their worlds weren't real, and where they might just find a way back home.

* SerialKiller: It starts with [[spoiler: Sumi]], who loses both hands...while alive. Then [[spoiler: Loriel]] has [[EyeScreamtheir eyes pulled out,]] again while alive...

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Sumi went to a high Nonsense world--essentially, like Wonderland. She talks mainly in alliteration and behaves something like a hummingbird on speed, but when provoked, she can be brutal. This appears to be the case with a lot of high Nonsense worlds in general.

Nancy is Eleanor's newest student. She went through a doorway to the Halls of the Dead. When she asked to stay forever, the Lord told her to be sure--and sent her back to Earth. Her parents don't understand why she won't eat a full meal or wear bright colours, so they pack her off to boarding school. There she quickly befriends several other students: Sumi, a madcap girl who went to someplace like Wonderland; Kade, the exiled Goblin Prince in Waiting; Jack and Jill, twins who went to a horror-movie world called the Moors; and Christopher, who became engaged in the world of Día de Muertos. Eleanor is just settling in when a classmate is brutally murdered. Who is it? What do they want? And can they be stopped before it's too late?

* MadScientist: Jack's Baron. Also Jack herself.

* TakeThat: One character brings up Narnia. The students are (understandably) not fond of CS Lewis, and make it clear.
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: Nancy and pomegranates. Fitting, since she went to a Greco-Roman styled underworld.

** [[spoiler: At the books end, Nancy is finally sure that she wishes to return to the Halls of the Dead - and sure enough, the door appears.]]

* [[{{Transsexual}} Transgender]]: Kade. The faeries took him because they thought he was a girl - when the Goblin King sees his true self and declares him his ''prince'', he gets kicked back into the real world.

* [[{{Transsexual}} Transgender]]: Kade. The faeries took him because they thought he was a girl - when the Goblin King declares him his ''prince'', he gets kicked back into the real world.

* NotMeThisTime: In Jack and Jill's world, they essentially assumed the rule of DaddysLittleVillain. And, due to a misunderstanding of ownership, Jack once dissected another student's hamster. This understandably causes her to fall under suspicion when mutilated bodies start turning up, but she points out that if it was her, she wouldn't have taken just ''one'' thing.

* NightmareFetishist: Christopher. Well, his fiancee ''is'' a skeleton.

* NarniaTime: Time passes differently in the other worlds, which means that children who spend years on one side are only missing for a few days or weeks in the real world. Averted with the Moors, however - Jack and Jill's five years there occurred in real time.

''Every Heart A Doorway'' is a novel written by SeananMcGuire, author of the ''Literature/OctoberDaye'', ''Literature/InCryptid'', ''Literature/VelveteenVs'', ''Literature/{{Indexing}}'' and ''{{Newsflesh}}'' novels. What happens to children who go through the wardrobe, or fall theough the looking glass, and then come back? Well, some of them go to Eleanor West's school, where no one tries to make them be normal or tells them their worlds weren't real, and where they might just find a way back home.

Nancy is Eleanor's newest student. She went through a doorway to the Halls of the Dead. When she asked to stay forever, the Lord told her to be sure--and sent her back to Earth. Her parents don't understand why she won't eat a full meal or wear bright colors, so they pack her off to boarding school, where she quickly befriends (sort of), Sumi, a madcap girl who went to someplace like Wonderland, Kade, the exiled Goblin Prince in Waiting, and Jack and Jill, twins who went to a horror-movie world called the Moors. Eleanor is just settling in when Sumi is brutally murdered. Two more murders follow in quick succession. Each time, the murderer takes a body part. Who is it? What do they want? And can they be stopped before it's too late?

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Jill's Master

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: The chief source of angst, combined with StrangerInAFamiliarLand. Nancy and the other students (except Kade) desperately want to return to their otherworlds. But some doors only open once. [[spoiler: Luckily for Nancy, averted at book's end.]]

* NotMeThisTime: In Jack and Jill's world, they essentially assumed the rule of OverlordJr. And, due to a misunderstanding of ownership, Jack once dissected another student's hamster. This understandably causes her to fall under suspicion when mutilated bodies start turning up, but she points out that if it was her, she wouldn't have taken just ''one'' thing.

* TransSexual: This is the reason Kade got kicked out of his otherworld. The fae ''thought'' they had a little girl (his assigned gender), and were not best pleased when they realized they were wrong.

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: The chief source of angst, combined with StrangerInAFamiliarLand. Nancy and the other students (except Kade) desperately want to return to their otherworlds. But some doors only open once. [[spoiler: Luckily for Nancy, averted at book's end.]]

* Deconstruction: Of the "child goes to magical world" genre, specifically focusing on the part where the child comes back home and what that might do to a person.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Sumi went to a high Nonsense world--essentially, like Wonderland. She talks mainly in alliteration and behaves something like a hummingbird on speed, but when provoked, she can be brutal.
* [[Hypocrite Hypocrite]]: Loriel is the initial head of the "it must have been Jack because she went somewhere creepy" brigade. And, to be fair, Jack and Jill ''did'' go to a horror-movie world--but Loriel went to Webworld, which is ruled by magical talking spiders. She doesn't really have a leg to stand on in the "creepy" department.

* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Seraphina. Nobody actually listens to what she says, they just respond positively because she's so pretty that they all want her to like them. (This effect seems to fade as long as she's not in the room, since Kade can still insult her.)

* Hypocrisy: Loriel is the initial head of the "it must have been Jack because she went somewhere creepy" brigade. And, to be fair, Jack and Jill ''did'' go to a horror-movie world--but Loriel went to Webworld, which is ruled by magical talking spiders. She doesn't really have a leg to stand on in the "creepy" department.

* Hypocrite: Loriel is the initial head of the "it must have been Jack because she went somewhere creepy" brigade. And, to be fair, Jack and Jill ''did'' go to a horror-movie world--but Loriel went to Webworld, which is ruled by magical talking spiders. She doesn't really have a leg to stand on in the "creepy" department.

Nancy is Eleanor's newest student. She went through a doorway to the Halls of the Dead. When she asked to stay forever, the Lord told her to be sure--and sent her back to Earth. Her parents don't understand why she won't eat a full meal or wear bright colors, so they pack her off to boarding school, where she quickly befriends (sort of), Sumi, a madcap girl who went to someplace like Wonderland, Kade, the exiled Goblin Prince in Waiting, and Jack and Jill, twins who went to a horror-movie world called the Moors. Eleanor is just settling in when Sumi is brutally murdered. Two more murders follow in quick succession. Who's killing atudents? And can they be stopped?

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Angela. She seems like a sweet girl who just misses her magical world full of rainbows, but as soon as she's under stress, she becomes incredibly cruel, blaming Nancy and Christopher for the murders just because they went to "creepy" worlds and slinging transphobic insults at Kade.

* Transsexual: This is the reason Kade got kicked out of his otherworld. The fae ''thought'' they had a little girl (his assigned gender), and were not best pleased when they realized they were wrong.

* Transexual: This is the reason Kade got kicked out of his otherworld. The fae ''thought'' they had a little girl (his assigned gender), and were not best pleased when they realized they were wrong.

* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Seraphina. Nobody actually listens to what she says, they just respond positively because she's so pretty that they all want her to like them. (This effect seems to fade as long as she's not in the room, since Kade can still insult her.)

''Every Heart A Doorway'' is a novel written by SeananMcGuire, author of the ''Literature/OctoberDaye'', ''Literature/InCryptid'', ''Literature/VelveteenVs'', ''Literature/{{Indexing}}'' and ''{{Newsflesh}}'' novels.

* MadScientist: Jack's Baron
* OlderThanTheyLook: Lundy
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Jill's Master

''Every Heart A Doorway'' is a novel written by SeananMcGuire, author of the ''Literature/OctoberDaye'', ''Literature/InCryptid'', ''Literature/VelveteenVs'', ''Literature/Indexing'' and ''{{Newsflesh}}'' novels.

''Every Heart A Doorway'' is a novel written by Seanan McGuire, author of the ''Literature/OctoberDaye'', ''Literature/InCryptid'', ''Literature/VelveteenVs'', ''Literature/Indexed'' and ''{{Newsflesh}}'' novels.

''[=EveryHeartADoorway=]'' is a novel written by Seanan [=McGuire=], author of the ''Literature/OctoberDaye'', ''Literature/InCryptid'', ''Literature/VelveteenVs'', ''Literature/Indexed'' and ''{{Newsflesh}}'' novels[[note]]--the pen name is to help indicate that she's working in a different genre here[[/note]]).

* OdlerThanTheyLook: Lundy