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A review by celia_thebookishhufflepuff
Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
5.0
Wow, what a book to start the year with!
I loved getting back into the world of Simon, Baz, Penelope, and Agatha. So many books never focus on what happened after the final battle, and I love that [a:Rainbow Rowell|4208569|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1728591706p2/4208569.jpg] takes this approach for a whole book (although it's heartbreaking to have to see Simon and Baz go through it).
I don't know what to think about Penelope in this one. She seems arrogant and blustering. On the other hand, Baz really comes into himself. And Simon annoys me in his insistence to not talk about stuff.
Agatha's story was interesting, and the fact that it actually did tie in with everything the other three were experiencing was kind of mind-blowing in the way it actually did. I'm not surprised she let herself get wrapped up in that, although I'm glad she had the sense to call in her friends.
I loved the introduction of the new character Shepard as well. I always like when someone from the normal world is brought into the chaos of a magic world, something Harry Potter just doesn't do. This was one of the many elements that gives this a Percy Jackson-esque feel.
Everything about the way the characters experience things was so well done! I love the idea of an American writer writing British characters experiencing America for the first time. In particular, I loved the Cheesecake Factory scene (a mall in Des Moines? I feel like I know that exact Cheesecake Factory, and it was actually the first one I experienced myself, in college) and the Renaissance Faire scene. Even before all the magic and disaster struck, there was the magic in the writing of all of it.
Like I said, this had a really Percy Jackson-esque feel to it. I loved the road trip across the US doing something that could have been done in a much simpler way. It felt like coming back to my favorite tropes in children's fantasy, but with a more adult focus.
I finally picked this series back up because I want to write and listen to songs about it. I think that I might have to read and reread the whole series before that can happen, but I'm so grateful for the friend who got me back into this series.
I loved getting back into the world of Simon, Baz, Penelope, and Agatha. So many books never focus on what happened after the final battle, and I love that [a:Rainbow Rowell|4208569|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1728591706p2/4208569.jpg] takes this approach for a whole book (although it's heartbreaking to have to see Simon and Baz go through it).
I don't know what to think about Penelope in this one. She seems arrogant and blustering. On the other hand, Baz really comes into himself. And Simon annoys me in his insistence to not talk about stuff.
Agatha's story was interesting, and the fact that it actually did tie in with everything the other three were experiencing was kind of mind-blowing in the way it actually did. I'm not surprised she let herself get wrapped up in that, although I'm glad she had the sense to call in her friends.
I loved the introduction of the new character Shepard as well. I always like when someone from the normal world is brought into the chaos of a magic world, something Harry Potter just doesn't do. This was one of the many elements that gives this a Percy Jackson-esque feel.
Everything about the way the characters experience things was so well done! I love the idea of an American writer writing British characters experiencing America for the first time. In particular, I loved the Cheesecake Factory scene (a mall in Des Moines? I feel like I know that exact Cheesecake Factory, and it was actually the first one I experienced myself, in college) and the Renaissance Faire scene. Even before all the magic and disaster struck, there was the magic in the writing of all of it.
Like I said, this had a really Percy Jackson-esque feel to it. I loved the road trip across the US doing something that could have been done in a much simpler way. It felt like coming back to my favorite tropes in children's fantasy, but with a more adult focus.
I finally picked this series back up because I want to write and listen to songs about it. I think that I might have to read and reread the whole series before that can happen, but I'm so grateful for the friend who got me back into this series.