Part of Wayward Children
First published 2022
Cora has made her choice. She wants out of Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, away from the other students who traveled through magical doors to other worlds. She believes the Whitethorn Institute offers what she truly needs. Miss West warns her that this other school operates under harsh rules, but Cora insists on the transfer anyway. The Whitethorn Institute welcomes children who have fallen through doors, just like Eleanor West's school. But the Headmaster runs his institution with an iron fist. Students must admit they need help before they can begin their rehabilitation. The doors here do not offer the same kindness Cora once knew. Cora discovers that her new school strips away the wonder she once found in her magical experiences. The Institute treats her journey through doors as a problem requiring correction rather than a gift worth celebrating. She must navigate this hostile environment while questioning whether she made the right decision. Her struggle becomes a fight to preserve her true self against forces determined to reshape her completely.
Genres: coming-of-age, fantasy, contemporary, young-adult, psychological-thriller, dark-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, introspective, thought-provoking, unsettling
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family, institutional-oppression, self-discovery
Setting: Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, Whitethorn Institute
150 pages · Hardcover · Tordotcom
Content warnings: abuse, emotional-abuse, gaslighting