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leonormsousa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Kidnapping, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Violence, Grief, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
dragon_lord's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I just want to say that, even though this review is a little harsh, I did still like this book, at least a little, and am still glad I read it. I just felt like this book (and this series) had a lot of potential that it just didn’t live up to, which is just highlighted by how, in my opinion, the first book was the best one in the series. I liked the previous two books in this series, even though they had their flaws, but this book just felt unnecessary. I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying that the second book was also unnecessary, but I liked the question it posed of “what happens to the chosen one after the story ends”, even if it wasn’t executed in the best way. This book has three different unrelated plots, and while two of them do technically interact with eachother, the third feels like it’s just there to fill pages. The plot felt predictable, and I was able to see the twists coming from a mile away. This feels like it’s just trying to do what the first book did, but worse. The villain feels half-baked and his motives were unclear to the point where I don’t even know if they were fully explained. The climax lacked any suspense whatsoever because, spoiler alert, Simon wins. wow. so surprising. As if there was ever a possibility that he wouldn’t. This book also dives headfirst into one of my least favorite tropes, with every character having to couple up by the end of the story. As much as I like LGBTQ+ rep, Niamh and Agatha just felt forced and unneeded. But apparently it’s impossible for two characters to just be friends, so of course we also had to get Shepard and Penelope. Is it just me or does it feel like Shepard and Niamh were only introduced into the story to be love interests? I had also hoped that this book would clear up Lucy’s ending from Carry On, which was never very clear to me, but of course it just has to go muddle it up further. It’s unclear if Lucy is actually dead, which I assume she is, how long she’s been dead for, or how she died. Simon only finds out he’s related to her at the very end of the book, meaning that there is almost no time for him to deal with the fact that the Mage is his father. The man who killed one of his best friends, and nearly killed him, is his father. I feel like that would kind of shake up a person, but no. It’s discussed for, what, a paragraph? And then brushed over for the sake of “oh yay look new family”. One of my biggest peeves with the second book was that it didn’t really dive into any of the trauma that Simon and his friends almost definitely have, and this book is just more of the same. For a series that seems like it’s about what happens after the story ends, it seems to be obsessed with manufacturing more plot devices because how could a story ever not have a big bad villain trying to take over Silicon Valley or destroy the world of mages, or whatever it was Smith was trying to do in this book? I genuinely don’t know. It also felt like the author wanted to dive into the lore of vampires more, but only did so in casual conversation that we never get more than a couple lines of. No one actually outright says anything. It’s all hinted at in conversation by characters we already don’t trust.
Honestly, this book has so many problems that the only reason that it’s getting three stars instead of two and a half is that I was already attached to the characters.
Honestly, this book has so many problems that the only reason that it’s getting three stars instead of two and a half is that I was already attached to the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Homophobia, Blood, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, and Infertility
wwnter's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Kidnapping
bookswithlauren's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
I am wavering between 3.5* and 4* for the last instalment of the Simon Snow universe.
Initially, I adored this world. Carry On was an incredible book with well thought out characters and plot. I was left on my seat, constantly want to read more. So much so, that I read the book in one sitting. Wayward Son was a completely different ball game and I felt it was quite a step down from Carry On. At times there was a plot and at times there was not, the characters behaviours and personalities were completely different from those built up and introduced to us in the first book. The 'main' plot was hyped up to then all come to an end within a few pages and the relationship between characters was just not good.
Because of this, I thought all of this would be resolved in Any Way the Wind Blows. For the most part, everything I disliked about Wayward Son was fixed in Any Way the Wind Blows and I really did enjoy reading the book. I found it easy to read and the characters were more themselves again. One of my favourite things about this series is the multiple character perspectives but in this book, it felt as if I we had three completely different main plot lines going on and I was reading three separate prequels instead of one book. I didn't hate this aspect but with the main characters being such a strong team, it was a bit strange. I absolutely adored each pairing of Baz and Simon, Penelope and Shephard (what a guy, I love him) and surprisingly, Niamh and Agatha. Agatha didn't make me eyeroll in this book! I do wish her friendship with Niamh was not rushed as much because it made her small plot line seem so out of the blue.
Another thing I just don't understand with the last two books in this series is the main plot being built up so much to then end over a few pages and never to be addressed again. If I have read over 400 pages building up this main plot line, I want more than 20 pages of it all unravelling and when we are given a prologue set 1 year later, I want more than just one paragraph that completely opens the world for more stories.
Overall, I really did enjoy Any Way the Wind Blows and it was incredibly easy to read, I just wish some things were thatched out a bit more and other things not so much.
Initially, I adored this world. Carry On was an incredible book with well thought out characters and plot. I was left on my seat, constantly want to read more. So much so, that I read the book in one sitting. Wayward Son was a completely different ball game and I felt it was quite a step down from Carry On. At times there was a plot and at times there was not, the characters behaviours and personalities were completely different from those built up and introduced to us in the first book. The 'main' plot was hyped up to then all come to an end within a few pages and the relationship between characters was just not good.
Because of this, I thought all of this would be resolved in Any Way the Wind Blows. For the most part, everything I disliked about Wayward Son was fixed in Any Way the Wind Blows and I really did enjoy reading the book. I found it easy to read and the characters were more themselves again. One of my favourite things about this series is the multiple character perspectives but in this book, it felt as if I we had three completely different main plot lines going on and I was reading three separate prequels instead of one book. I didn't hate this aspect but with the main characters being such a strong team, it was a bit strange. I absolutely adored each pairing of Baz and Simon, Penelope and Shephard (what a guy, I love him) and surprisingly, Niamh and Agatha. Agatha didn't make me eyeroll in this book! I do wish her friendship with Niamh was not rushed as much because it made her small plot line seem so out of the blue.
Another thing I just don't understand with the last two books in this series is the main plot being built up so much to then end over a few pages and never to be addressed again. If I have read over 400 pages building up this main plot line, I want more than 20 pages of it all unravelling and when we are given a prologue set 1 year later, I want more than just one paragraph that completely opens the world for more stories.
Overall, I really did enjoy Any Way the Wind Blows and it was incredibly easy to read, I just wish some things were thatched out a bit more and other things not so much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Colonisation, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
captainoliimar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Death, Cursing, Confinement, Animal death, Alcohol, Car accident, Grief, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
skudiklier's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.75
God, I love this series.
It's a bit bittersweet because I've only recently become fully aware of the extent of Rainbow Rowell's issues--namely, her racism in her earlier book Eleanor & Park, and her subsequent lack of apology or any form of acknowledgement of the harm she's caused. Eleanor & Park continues to be her most well-known and successful work, and it's being adapted into a movie, and Rowell still hasn't done *anything* to make up for its racism. Which is inexcusable, and leads me to think I shouldn't support her or her work moving forward.
That said, I do love this series. If I were to think of this book without that knowledge of Rowell's racism in her other work, then I would unreservedly recommend this trilogy, and say this book was my favorite of the three. It's so much about intimacy, and healing, and how to make relationships work, and family, and I cried even when I didn't need to at all. It was beautiful.
But I don't believe the art and the artist can be separated like that--not when she has refused to listen to those she's harmed, or acknowledged said harm at all. I don't think Rowell or her work should be supported, at least for now. I won't be buying any of her future books unless she fully reckons with the harm her racism has caused.
It's a bit bittersweet because I've only recently become fully aware of the extent of Rainbow Rowell's issues--namely, her racism in her earlier book Eleanor & Park, and her subsequent lack of apology or any form of acknowledgement of the harm she's caused. Eleanor & Park continues to be her most well-known and successful work, and it's being adapted into a movie, and Rowell still hasn't done *anything* to make up for its racism. Which is inexcusable, and leads me to think I shouldn't support her or her work moving forward.
That said, I do love this series. If I were to think of this book without that knowledge of Rowell's racism in her other work, then I would unreservedly recommend this trilogy, and say this book was my favorite of the three. It's so much about intimacy, and healing, and how to make relationships work, and family, and I cried even when I didn't need to at all. It was beautiful.
But I don't believe the art and the artist can be separated like that--not when she has refused to listen to those she's harmed, or acknowledged said harm at all. I don't think Rowell or her work should be supported, at least for now. I won't be buying any of her future books unless she fully reckons with the harm her racism has caused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Cursing
Moderate: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, and Animal death
Minor: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Murder, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide attempt
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
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