8.79k reviews for:

Wayward Son

Rainbow Rowell

3.86 AVERAGE


Very gay. Yes, homo.
5 stars

now I want to reread both fangirl and carry on for the thousandth time, which I guess is acceptable. but I was also so close to giving this 4 stars (literally so close, like up to the last page, which brought it down for me), because it was generally glorious despite its flaws, but I can't accept that ending. I'm not holding out hope for another book for the sole purpose of... fixing... that, but I think it could have been handled in a (slightly) better way. I had a really fun time, I truly did. I'm just way too emotional for it to be enough (I'm being really vague on purpose, oh well). anyway I love tyrannus basilton grimm-pitch and I will protect him at all costs.

i lost braincells thanks to this

This book is a bit of a mess. Not quite sure if Carry On needed a sequel after reading this. It was hard to get through. I almost DNFed it. I'm confused why this wasn't just a cute little short story published on Rowell's author website or something and not an entire novel.

Carry On was an excellent book- funny and well-characterized, with both a solid conflict and complicated feelings all over the place. It fit the fanfiction-y format really well, and reading it was an absolute pleasure. Learning we were going to have a sequel made me ecstatic.

But this is just- so different? I mean, let's brush off the fact that it's not at all like the predecessor and focus on the completely random characterization instead? I started the first chapter thinking "oh a book dealing with depression that's good!" but like three chapters later I was very bored and very frustrated.

It's hard to pinpoint the problems- dramatic declarations which worked very well with the first book feel misplaced and overused in the second. This book also features a large hole where extensive worldbuilding is supposed to be, if that makes sense? Magic back in England was coherent- the chaos in the US is very different; and it's not chaotic in a good way.

The only thing I did like was the muggle with his claws in many magical things. Interesting character, that. I feel like the whole book could have been salvaged if it had been written from his perspective. Oh, and I thought that Agatha had an actual good arc in this book- except maybe for the vagueness of the conclusion.

The most depressing part about this book is how it makes me wonder if my love for Carry On was misplaced. Like, if this is so bad- how could the prequel possibly have been as good as I remember it being? Depressing.

Okay...book one was about Simon, this one was about baz (NO ONE can argue this fallacy). Like, I love baz'character, but COME ON. After everything Simon went through in Carry On, this book NEEDED to give him some closure with himself and his new place in the world. The poor boy! He's so lost and no one helps him. WHY IS NO ONE HELPING HIM?? What sort of CRAP support system has he, please lords have mercy?? Everyone sees how miserable he is, how therapeutic this roadtrip is for him (in the beginning). No one helps him realize and go through his new reality, no one sits down with him for a deep talk (come on, that's the purpose of road trips), none lifts him up in the things he stills excels in or in general. Like, boy, you're not worthless because you can't use magic anymore, you could barely use magic before anyway. But NOT ON SOUL points that THE FUCK out. Yeah, this book makes me freaking angry on Simon's behalf.

On another note; the action was good though, I loved some of the tender moments between Snow Baz, and their dynamic, as always, was chef's kiss. It was also interesting to see Baz come face to face with his own feelings of inadequacy towards his vampirism, and the world-building!! Oh lords! I adored the depiction of the American magical ongoings, so creative!! Also, Shepard is my new favourite character, no questions asked. *Mic drop*

Simon plot: undeserved/10 (my poor boy)

Baz plot: 9000/10 (give me all the angst)

General plot: 6/10
(it's a trilogy's middle, what did you expect)

But it was a mistake thinking of that as an end. There is no end. Bad things happen, and then they stop, but they keep on wreaking havoc inside of people.

3.5*

It's honestly ridiculous how entertaining these books are. Carry On was practically a Harry Potter satire (which I loved, don't get me wrong) but the sequel actually took it's own different turn and I really enjoyed it. It was just as funny as the first one, but with more developed character arcs and even some new faces that we got to know. I was really excited that the magic system was explored a lot more in depth. And I just absolutely have to mention that Baz's extra af outfits gave me life.

Simon and Penny's friendship was still so pure and realistic, but Baz and Penny reached a whole new level of amazingness. On the other hand, the ship angst was killing me, which is why I was shocked that it ended on such a cliffhanger. What am I supposed to do now? I guess I'll just go find some Snowbaz fanfics to fill that hole in my heart.

This duology is absolutely perfect to take your mind of of the current situation (and make you unhealthily obsessed with yet another fictional ship).

Holy shit, you guys. I thought that Carry On was a cute little play on Harry Potter (and yes, it was) and that Simon's story would be a cool concept, but a deconstructed version of the usual Chosen One tale for those of us who have read that a few dozen times before. But oh man, Rainbow Rowell shot it straight out of the park with this sequel to that story. Take all of the things you loved about the first book - and all of the consequences of everything they've gone through - then mix them up into a hellishly good cocktail served road-trip style. The ol' "finding yourself" kind of road trip across America...with so many unexpected challenges and new characters along the way, all in that same twisted storytelling fashion that made Carry On work so well. Believe me when I say I legitimately could not put this book down. It was intense, gripping, and utterly magnificent. And there is MORE TO COME. If you're not already on this train with Simon, Baz, Penny, Agatha, and our new WONDERFUL pal Shepard, please join me aboard the Hype Express because I assure you the ride is worth it. I've hardly ever been more ready to see what a series has in store than for this.

Edit: I am super surprised about how many people liked this so significantly less than the first one. This was totally my kind of book. Maybe it is because I completely missed all of the hype for Carry On. I honestly purposefully didn't read Carry On for so long because of how big the fandom for it had gotten (I truly am the opposite of Cath in situations like these) but picked it up on a whim since things have died down since then, and since the announcement that this would be a continuing series.

Maybe it's because this book, if Carry On was meant to be the Deathly Hallows of the fictional book series that Simon Snow's exploits were written in, is like if Harry Potter got depressed at uni instead of becoming a magic cop. And the story is about that. It's not about Simon Snow at all, honestly, not really. He isn't the hero of this story any more. He's just another character along for the ride. Life is fucking relentless and Simon is not immune to that. So this is a story of what comes next. Especially what comes next when you save the world, lose everything, gain a NEW everything, but wonder if maybe it isn't what you imagined in your head.

This book felt a lot more real than the one that inspired it. I think maybe that's the ticket, here - Carry On was the conclusion of a series that we never got to see, and this is the first in a series that's something entirely new for the merry band of magicians now that they're 20 and jaded. Things are different and scary but kind of fun, in a messed up way. Nobody's really sat down and talked it all out just yet. It's life, coming at you fast, being not-quite-a-kid, not-quite-an-adult, making all kinds of mistakes along the way just trying to get through the day. I'm looking forward to watching them figure it out together. And highly recommend anyone who struggled with how different this one is to maybe think of it in a new light and try revisiting it sometime. It may surprise you all over again.

This lacks the charm that was established in the first book. The characters’ once unique personalities were eclipsed by teen angst. Seriously, so much anger in every bit of dialogue! Plot started picking up halfway through, then was rushed at the end. Still kinda want to read book 3 when it comes out
adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No