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A review by gabbyrjohnsonn
Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
While I really enjoyed Wayward Son, I definitely found that it fell short of the standards set by Carry On. This might be partly due to the ending of the first book, which didn't necessarily feel like it needed a sequel to further explore the characters and their stories (although I'm certainly not upset that Rowell chose to write one).
I think my main problem with this book was the lack of real growth that any of the characters seemed to experience (save maybe Baz?). I'm not saying that I wanted all of their problems to be solved by the end of the story, but there were virtually no character arcs and I found their characterizations to be somewhat inconsistent throughout. Simon, for example, was constantly experiencing major highs and major lows with basically no explanation for why he was feeling certain emotions in a given moment. Carry On just set my standard for these characters so high and did a much better job of making their feelings and motivations clear throughout the story.
There were some really fun parts about Wayward Son, however, and I especially enjoyed the Americana of it all, particularly seeing the road trip through the eyes of Simon. It was also cool to be introduced to so many different creatures and I thought it was smart to include Shepard's character as someone to guide both the reader and Simon, Baz, and Penelope through this unfamiliar landscape.
All in all, this wasn't a bad read at all, I'm just hoping to see some more consistency and character growth in the next installment.
I think my main problem with this book was the lack of real growth that any of the characters seemed to experience (save maybe Baz?). I'm not saying that I wanted all of their problems to be solved by the end of the story, but there were virtually no character arcs and I found their characterizations to be somewhat inconsistent throughout. Simon, for example, was constantly experiencing major highs and major lows with basically no explanation for why he was feeling certain emotions in a given moment. Carry On just set my standard for these characters so high and did a much better job of making their feelings and motivations clear throughout the story.
There were some really fun parts about Wayward Son, however, and I especially enjoyed the Americana of it all, particularly seeing the road trip through the eyes of Simon. It was also cool to be introduced to so many different creatures and I thought it was smart to include Shepard's character as someone to guide both the reader and Simon, Baz, and Penelope through this unfamiliar landscape.
All in all, this wasn't a bad read at all, I'm just hoping to see some more consistency and character growth in the next installment.