Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The ninth installment of the Wayward Children series sadly didn't impress me as much as some of its predecessors. It was still a joy to spend more time with characters I already adore and the ending was perfect, yet my critiques outweigh my overall enjoyment.

There wasn't a plot driving this particular story forward and it felt as-if the characters went on a quest just because thats what happens in odd-numbered books within the series. The writing often felt disjointed as we were following so many characters who were each trying to have their own discussions. Rather than providing an empowering message, these conversations and monologues became repetitive which muddled the points that were trying to be made. (Also, marketing a book with dinosaurs on the cover yet having barely any time in that world is super misleading.)

It's possible I wasn't in the right headspace to read this novella but I can't help feeling as-if this was simply a rushed "filler" book to remind readers of who everyone was and what worlds they visited. I still admire the whimsical settings this fantasy series offers and hope my enjoyment will pick up in future publications!

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beefthedwarf's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Mislaid in Parts Half-known - 3.35

Review Summary:

Mislaid in Parts Half-known is a quest book — a book in the Wayward Children’s series where a cast of students go on a quest, often briefly visiting a series of worlds. I’m not a huge fan of these installments, but I see the purpose of them. I just wish they were handled better!

The dialogue between the characters felt unnatural, exhaustive, and way, way over-explained. Rather than weave certain things into the plot, Seanan McGuire has her characters talk at us, the readers, and each other. They don’t sound human when they do it. They sound like a Wikipedia article.

Furthermore, I felt like we kept just getting more lost and lost in the weeds of what these doors mean, and it’s not feeling consistent.

However, I did enjoy seeing some old and new characters interact with each other, and it was good to see Antsy come into her powers. Seraphina was frighteningly powerful, though I was disappointed, since I thought (by the plot description) that she was going to be a primary character along with Antsy. The flickerings of

Eleanor’s dementia

are both haunting and exciting, too —

what will her fate be? Will Kade be there to take over when she’s gone?

Exhaustive Review (spoilers):

World/System/Premise
The setting/location/time, the magic system(s), story premise, etc
Examples: “London, 1881”, “magic utilizing tarot cards”, “a world ruled by necromancers”

Was it engaging / interesting?

Rating: 3 - The world/system/premise had high potential, but the implementation was lackluster.

The flaw, honestly, was in over-explanation through dialogue. My eyes started going in different directions. This was way too much info for 150 pages, especially folded over and repeated over and over.

How fleshed-out was the worldbuilding?

Rating: 3 - The world/system/premise was somewhat fleshed out, with a few gaps/inconsistencies that affected understanding of the world/system/premise. It felt like the author just didn't think about some things.

Mislaid undid some of the work of Lost in the Moment. Antsy says that once a door is closed in the Store, it’s gone forever, but the rest of the text doesn’t support that.

However, it does continue to expand on the Doors as a system, and how they work, even if it’s a little confusing or inconsistent.

Writing Style / Prose
Sentence structure, vocabulary, style of prose, and overall accuracy and readability of the writing itself.

Spelling / grammar / formatting errors

Rating: 5 - No errors

Vocabulary and Sentence Structure

Rating: 4 - Mostly mature and readable. A little too verbose / simplistic at times. Sentence structures are mostly easy to follow.

Seanan McGuire’s prose is as good as ever… that is, however much was actually in this installment.

Internal / External Dialogue

Rating: 2 - There was a lot of (unnecessary) internal / external dialogue.

This book was inundated with unnatural, hamfisted dialogue. Characters explaining and over-explaining the world and themselves over, and over, and over. Minorities talking about their lives and identities the same way a guest character talks about themselves in a PBS “Very Special Episode.”
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VerySpecialEpisode

Emotional Impact

Rating: 3 - Some emotional scenes felt forced or unearned, but not all of them.

I felt for Antsy and her anger at Vineta, especially the way the woman kept dismissing her. I also felt gripping terror for our dear Hudson, and sadness for our Kade, who loves and hates his world in equal measure.

I also got hit in the gut at the end, too, when Kade loses yet another friend, especially when it just started to seem like he might like Cora back.

However — ugh, the dialogue. Furthermore, Antsy’s newfound powers seemed to just pop up for her. Advancement didn’t feel particularly earned.

I also felt like Cora’s return to the Trenches would have meant more in Where The Drowned Girls Go.

One more thing: I get it that Sumi has been around a while, and has developed wisdom beyond her years, and is the most Sure kid in the entire cast — but how many speeches is she gonna make about it? Her role as the most confident, untold leader of the Quest Gang, as a parallel to Eleanor West, could be such an important staple in the series. It just felt overtold and undershown.

Plot Flow
Pacing, plotline, scene structure, act structure, approach to climax, etc.

Pacing

Rating: 4 - Slow beginning / middle or too much action that does not affect enjoyment.

Eh, it was fine. Slow parts have a higher impact on shorter books.

Scene Structure

Rating: 5 - There is a clear path between scenes; if it’s unclear due to the complexity of the story, it can be cleared up upon a satisfying re-read.

Plot vs. Character Interaction

Rating: 3 - Characters usually interact within the parameters of the plot, but things often happen because the author needs it to.

Our cast was driven on a quest by the irresistible Seraphina, who was literally busting down their doors. The paradigm of The Store shifts due to our characters’ actions.

However, I felt like a lot of the character’s were just… there for the ride. And with their voices cluttering up the already over-saturated dialogue, it detracted from the book.

Furthermore, as I mentioned, it didn’t feel like Antsy really did anything to gain the power(s) she came into.

Approach to Climax

Rating: 4 - The rising action / climax seems to come on suddenly, but there is still anticipation for the resolution.

We knew we were reaching a climax once Antsy reached The Place Where Lost Things Go, but since that happened the second door they opened, it felt a little jarring.

The Ending
The conclusion of the story, including climax, post-climax, and epilogue.

Satisfaction

Rating: 3 - Slightly fumbled ending; poor implementation, but it doesn’t ruin the whole book.

Eh. I didn’t feel like anyone really earned anything. The most, I would say, was resolve to only return home when their door chose them again — but that felt a little contrived to avoid the obvious happy ending every character would want. Why would this entire cast of characters, with wildly different personalities, all come to the same conclusion?

Loose Ends

Rating: 4 - Misses one or two loose ends. If a series, the loose ends aren't reliant on an ongoing plot / mystery.

You can argue with me on this, but I feel like Sumi not talking to Kade about the goblins was a loose end. Also, Kade was crowned by the Goblin King himself as he died — why wouldn’t he guess, maybe even a little, that they had a culture surrounding that? Why is he so sure they’d punish him? Hmmm.

Characterization

The handling of characters, their personalities, motivations, and relationships to each other

Personality, Goals, and Motivations

Rating: 3 - Some characters aren’t very fleshed out. It's not always clear why they're here or why they do what they do.

One thing almost all the characters have in common is that they traveled Somewhere, and they want to get back, with varying levels of hesitation. But their desperation to go home is almost always extinguished at the moment of highest temptation because they all reach the same exact conclusion about their doors coming back to them when they’re “ready”.

I can understand the philosophy, but previous books have shown us that tragic circumstances can separate a child from their Door, sure or ready or not. These are children who have watched their peers die waiting on a door they wanted more than anything. These are children who are growing up fast, who slipped through the cracks once and aren’t sure if they’ll slip through again. It’s more than a little frustrating that the temptation is dangled in front of them, but rather than have them grapple with it in any meaningful fashion to the plot, they just make the “right” choice because it’s convenient to the plot.

Relationships

Rating: 3 - The relationships are somewhat fleshed out, but feel neglected by the plot. Some relationships seemed changed or forgotten.

The Quest Gang have a pretty strong rapport, and understand each other’s joys and pains well. However, I wish we could see more development other than just references to their previous adventures. Every character still seems to be an island.

~Vibes~
The atmosphere of the book, that je ne sais quoi.

Connection To Readers

Rating: 3 - Nothing particularly mind blowing, but it’s okay

Originality

Rating: 3 - It’s been done before, but it’s not overdone / it’s a somewhat refreshing take.

The Itch

Rating: 2 - Hints at the itch, but ultimately fails to deliver. Readers feel deprived.

Maybe it’s unfair to keep comparing recent books to the first couple books in the Wayward Children series. This book didn’t carry the same magic with it, in my opinion.

Score: 3.35

There’s No Accounting For Taste!
The bonus round where I arbitrarily add or take away points based on my own personal preferences ;3

Pros:
Fat main character — +2
Queer main characters — +2
Characters of color — +1 (I’d argue they’re not main)
Disabled characters — +1

Cons:
Unrepresented Representation (jarring and hamfisted implementation of representation checklist) — -1 (See my Very Special Episode complaint. Also Vineta being a villain when there are so few prominent COC :\)
Not enough screen time for my blorbos — -2

6 for, 3 against. No extra stars :)

Content Warnings

paisleypetty's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

5.0

Content Warnings

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

I first crossed paths with this series one year ago (January 2023). I loved it so much that I 1) devoured the whole then-extant series in about 3 weeks; and 2) got a tattoo inspired by it. So I'm a very biased reader/reviewer.

That said, I really enjoyed this one. The quest plot is fun, and I loved McGuire's exploration of the metaphysics of Doors and world. These books are kind of standalone, but also kind of not, and some very interesting things are happening in the world(s) in this one.

It's not perfect.

Seraphina's involvement, which could've been a rich complication, turned out to be a McGuffin. I would probably read a book about her.
I really wanted more time given to Kade's reactions to both returning to Prism and Cora's departure. I desperately want a book about him.
Christopher's chapter at the Door didn't go much of anywhere. I'd've liked to see him have to deal with Vineta or Yulia on his own.

On the whole, though, this is a delightful addition to a wonderful series.

Content Warnings

twoweeeeks's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective 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? No

4.5

Content Warnings

ninjamuse's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Content Warnings

booksthatburn's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.

This is the one with dinosaurs! It's excellent, and if you've been enjoying the series so far you'll love this too. Antsy is trying to make it so no other kids get tricked out of their childhoods by unknowingly paying for too many doors, but this time she has some help from Kade, Sumi, and the others.

For a school where “No Quests” adorns the door, the students at the school for Wayward Children sure do get up to a lot of quests. A core group with a slowly shifting cast has been established as traveling to try and fix things on a semi-regular basis. In MISLAID IN PARTS HALF-KNOWN, some of the kids figure out that Antsy’s gift for finding lost things might let her find their doors... whereupon trouble ensues. Kade, Sumi, Cora, Emily, and Christopher travel with Antsy to try and set things right which were left broken when she fled the Store at the end of LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND. The worldbuilding has been getting more complicated as they learn more about what's happening. Eleanor's assumptions about the students have started having more to do with her desire for Nonsense than their actual experiences, and it's getting to a point where it's affecting the room assignments. This continues several storylines which were begun earlier, creating what feels like an entirely new storyline through recombination of older threads, even though as each piece was something introduced earlier. This far into the series, that’s an excellent feeling, making the adventure feel both fresh and familiar even on a first read-through. A particular problem in the Store is both introduced and resolved, and several more tangles either arise or are addressed. As a story about nexuses and connections, it’s especially nice to reach a point where everything feels so connected to everything else that it’s a complicated tangle to explain the setup, which for me is one of the joys of a long-running series.

MISLAID IN PARTS HALF-KNOWN could partly make sense to someone who starts here, but if such a person wanted to jump in midway without starting at the beginning of the series, LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND (the previous book) would be a much better entry point. That reader would find themselves knowing as much as Antsy does about what’s happening, which is a comprehensible perspective even if it misses earlier portions of the ongoing story. I particularly enjoyed some moments with Kade and Sumi (both separately and together). This felt like an ensemble cast in a way that earlier books didn't, and it's wonderful to be at the point in the series where the focus can smoothly shift between characters as needed.

This entry is great, don't miss it! This series is consistently excellent and I'm eager to read what happens next.

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