They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place…
With Wayward Son, Rainbow Rowell has written a book for everyone who ever wondered what happened to the Chosen One after he saved the day. And a book for everyone who was ever more curious about the second kiss than the first. It’s another helping of sour cherry scones with an absolutely decadent amount of butter.
Come on, Simon Snow. Your hero’s journey might be over – but your life has just begun.
Synopsis from Goodreads
I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book for years! Fangirl continues to be one of my favourite books and Carry On was such a fun story for readers to get as a follow up to all of Cather’s writing. But I wanted more! More Baz, more magic, more Simon Snow chaos. So when Rowell announced Wayward Son last year, I immediately put the publishing day in my phone and the countdown began. And this book completely lived up to my expectations!
Love That It Feels Like A New Series
I loved Carry On, including the fact that it felt like readers had been dropped into the end of a magical series without any knowledge of the rest of the series. I ended up loving Wayward Son even more because this get like the clear beginning of a new series, but now we know the characters and have a connection to them. I also love that this book takes them to America, a completely new country with new magical experiences that we can easily enjoy with the characters. Learning about the American rules around magic actually help to better understand the British rules, something we just had to make assumptions about in Carry On.
WE GET SO MUCH BAZ-TIME! He was my favourite character in Carry On and I LOVE that we get so much more of him in this book, except that now we’re getting to see a softer side of him. His relationship with Penelope is adorable, but it’s his absolute love for Simon that melts my heart. He is just so enamoured with Simon Snow and has the hardest time explaining how he feels, it’s hard not to love him. On the other hand, Simon is clearly suffering from depression and doesn’t understand how anyone can look at him without pity, which is so heartbreaking. This is a boy who has spent the majority of his life fighting for his life and doesn’t know how to rebuild it after he’s lost his cause, and all I wanted to do was give him a hug and tell him how amazing he is! It was great to see him learn to understand himself a bit more, but I’m definitely excited to read the next book (where it looks like he’s holding a sword. Yes, Simon, yes!!!).
Observations About America Are Hilarious
I was giggling throughout this book!! From finding a dead zone in Nebraska (because who lives in Nebraska) to literally ALL of Baz’s observations about the different states and terrains, everything about this road trip had me laughing. As an American, Rowell took this opportunity to get a lot of little digs and funny comments in about her country and state (and as a Nebraska-girl, Rowell gets away with it!). I found myself bookmarking or writing down many of the hilarious moments where characters experience the many difference of America versus the UK.
Overall, this was an amazing book! I love that we get to know the characters better, even while we're being introduced to new ones without mysterious backgrounds of their own, and that Simon, Baz, and Penelope are on another wonderful adventure together. I'd recommend this book to anyone you loved Carry On or other Rowell books, to those who want a book that is easy and fun to read, or anyone who is just looking for a magical book to enjoy during October! What did you think of Wayward Son?
FINAL RATING: 4.5/5
Hi, I'm Alexandra! I love reading (largely YA fiction, but sometimes I'll read "adult" books), playing board games, Nutella, and binge-watching TV shows on Netflix with my husband.
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