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natnurdock's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Body horror, and Sexual content
Minor: Death and Homophobia
manhaa's review against another edition
It was a bit too slow paced for me and I would have liked a bit more focus on Baz and Simon instead of the side characters.
sugarpop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
_divine_loser_'s review against another edition
5.0
I have some Things to Say. Not going to tell you which ones though.
butteredgarbage's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
ptstewart's review against another edition
1.0
Honestly, the best part about Any Way The Wind Blows is finally accepting that I’m never gonna finish it. DNF @ 259. Cath wouldn’t do me like this, and I’m not going to pretend she would.
The pacing is wrong. 60 pages into a 500+ page book, and the main couple is breaking up—tragically, stupidly, over the whole I’m-not-good-enough-for-you cop out bullshit. And less than 25 pages after that’s concluded, they’re getting back together. Why even have them break up? Can we Google “tension?” Because I’d never figure out what it is from this. I know Cath would never write them like this.
Additionally—and this isn’t new for the Simon Snow trilogy, I know that, but—the rapid switching of POVs, especially between Baz and Simon, within one chapter or one scene is difficult to follow. I’d argue this is in part because due to them both being men, the use of male pronouns can make you lose who is talking when in a scene where the POV is changing once a page.
The issue with the Simon Snow trilogy is that it’s based off a fake fan fiction of a fake book, which means we jump right in. Do I like the characters? Yes, for sure. Do I feel like I know the characters? Not at all; and because of that, I don’t really care about them, or their troubles, or their dramatics. And while Baz is interesting because he’s both snarky and in love, and, therefore, knows what he wants, Simon is noncommittal and confused about his own head. How on earth is the reader supposed to follow what he’s got going on in his mind if he doesn’t even know, and if he only talks to Baz and never himself?
The problem, too, with a story that is supposed to be about something is that it really does have to be about something. We open the POVs from Simon, Baz, Shepard, Penelope, and Agatha, but before long, we’re sucked into an entire section—really, nearly 60 of the first 140 pages, straight through, just Simon and Baz, alternating, miscommunicating, failing to have comprehensive motives. Do I hope they figure it out? Kind of. But because of the premise of the trilogy, we don’t actually have six books of angst and longing and violence preceding this love affair, so it feels weak.
When we intercept Penelope and Shepard, what we read is Cath and Levi. Stressed out, overly panicked, trying to take care of everyone Cath/Penelope with overly kind, a little bit clueless, very capable in certain situations Levi/Shepard. The lilt of their conversations is the same, their mannerisms are similar, and we’re left wondering who the hell Penelope and Shepard are supposed to be.
Further, let me know why we’re following five characters in three groups who almost never interact. Why is Agatha here? Agatha, who has no plan, has lost her identity, who really, really could use some soul searching and is therefore comparably INTERESTING, is just off on her own third plot line, entirely separate from everyone else.
The other thing with Baz and Simon is they’re just, how do you say it? Boring? You know how if Ross and Rachel went back and forth every season for ten seasons you would’ve stopped watching before the tenth season? Simon and Baz’s miscommunication and forced sexuality (I don’t mean that in terms of them being LGBTQ+; I mean it in terms of them being sexual all. The. Time) is just boring. I don’t care that Baz is into Simon’s tail. I don’t care about Baz fingering Simon’s tail. I don’t care about Simon’s self loathing or Baz’s inaccurate judgments of Simon’s behavior. I want to. But I don’t.
UGH why are we in Smith’s POV? Why are we in lady Ruth’s POV? WHY aren’t we sticking to a fucking storyline. There is no plot. There are few links between characters. And you could argue, Paige if you kept reading it would all come together, and I’m here to tell you, if at 50% of the way through it isn’t even a LITTLE together, I don’t want it. This is such a disappointment.
The pacing is wrong. 60 pages into a 500+ page book, and the main couple is breaking up—tragically, stupidly, over the whole I’m-not-good-enough-for-you cop out bullshit. And less than 25 pages after that’s concluded, they’re getting back together. Why even have them break up? Can we Google “tension?” Because I’d never figure out what it is from this. I know Cath would never write them like this.
Additionally—and this isn’t new for the Simon Snow trilogy, I know that, but—the rapid switching of POVs, especially between Baz and Simon, within one chapter or one scene is difficult to follow. I’d argue this is in part because due to them both being men, the use of male pronouns can make you lose who is talking when in a scene where the POV is changing once a page.
The issue with the Simon Snow trilogy is that it’s based off a fake fan fiction of a fake book, which means we jump right in. Do I like the characters? Yes, for sure. Do I feel like I know the characters? Not at all; and because of that, I don’t really care about them, or their troubles, or their dramatics. And while Baz is interesting because he’s both snarky and in love, and, therefore, knows what he wants, Simon is noncommittal and confused about his own head. How on earth is the reader supposed to follow what he’s got going on in his mind if he doesn’t even know, and if he only talks to Baz and never himself?
The problem, too, with a story that is supposed to be about something is that it really does have to be about something. We open the POVs from Simon, Baz, Shepard, Penelope, and Agatha, but before long, we’re sucked into an entire section—really, nearly 60 of the first 140 pages, straight through, just Simon and Baz, alternating, miscommunicating, failing to have comprehensive motives. Do I hope they figure it out? Kind of. But because of the premise of the trilogy, we don’t actually have six books of angst and longing and violence preceding this love affair, so it feels weak.
When we intercept Penelope and Shepard, what we read is Cath and Levi. Stressed out, overly panicked, trying to take care of everyone Cath/Penelope with overly kind, a little bit clueless, very capable in certain situations Levi/Shepard. The lilt of their conversations is the same, their mannerisms are similar, and we’re left wondering who the hell Penelope and Shepard are supposed to be.
Further, let me know why we’re following five characters in three groups who almost never interact. Why is Agatha here? Agatha, who has no plan, has lost her identity, who really, really could use some soul searching and is therefore comparably INTERESTING, is just off on her own third plot line, entirely separate from everyone else.
The other thing with Baz and Simon is they’re just, how do you say it? Boring? You know how if Ross and Rachel went back and forth every season for ten seasons you would’ve stopped watching before the tenth season? Simon and Baz’s miscommunication and forced sexuality (I don’t mean that in terms of them being LGBTQ+; I mean it in terms of them being sexual all. The. Time) is just boring. I don’t care that Baz is into Simon’s tail. I don’t care about Baz fingering Simon’s tail. I don’t care about Simon’s self loathing or Baz’s inaccurate judgments of Simon’s behavior. I want to. But I don’t.
UGH why are we in Smith’s POV? Why are we in lady Ruth’s POV? WHY aren’t we sticking to a fucking storyline. There is no plot. There are few links between characters. And you could argue, Paige if you kept reading it would all come together, and I’m here to tell you, if at 50% of the way through it isn’t even a LITTLE together, I don’t want it. This is such a disappointment.
heyashes's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing will beat the first book, but I'm happy to have most things wrapped up nicely.
sushieyeroll's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75