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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell
4.0
I'm one of those people, and I doubt there are many, who's read the first Simon Snow book before I ever read a Harry Potter book. (I did however read Fangirl first.) And it was love at first sight. I loved how Rowell played with the well known tropes, with the standard ever present characters, with the world that is so well known and yet so unique. I also enjoyed the second book, where we traveled a little and saw some more of the magical world. I was therefore curious about this third book!
Although there is a plot in this book, and a quite interesting one if you ask me, it's quite clear that the focus of this story is absolutely not on the plot. The focus is on the characters, how they are dealing with the aftermath of everything they've been through, how they're finding their new place in life and how they find a way to share their new lives, one way or another, with each other. The plot is nothing but a tool to get those characters out of their comfort zones and confronted with their trauma's.
In a way that's a pity. I quite liked the idea of having all those chosen ones pop up everywhere. I think the potential of that situation is huge! There will be wars and fights and most likely also battles when it comes to magic. There will be fandoms on social media trying to find dirt on the others or trying to elevate the one they support. This plot point could be incredibly huge, but instead Rowell decided to keep it small, to not have her characters get lost again.
However, no matter how interesting that plot point could have been, I quite liked the focus on the characters, their emotions and their relationships. I especially loved how Rowell described Simon's depression, how he feels guilty, how he feels responsible for letting everyone down, how he has no idea who he is anymore, how he feels like everything will go to hell anyway, so why shouldn't he destroy it himself? Watching him heal, slowly, very slowly, was an inspiring and realistic message!
Although there is a plot in this book, and a quite interesting one if you ask me, it's quite clear that the focus of this story is absolutely not on the plot. The focus is on the characters, how they are dealing with the aftermath of everything they've been through, how they're finding their new place in life and how they find a way to share their new lives, one way or another, with each other. The plot is nothing but a tool to get those characters out of their comfort zones and confronted with their trauma's.
In a way that's a pity. I quite liked the idea of having all those chosen ones pop up everywhere. I think the potential of that situation is huge! There will be wars and fights and most likely also battles when it comes to magic. There will be fandoms on social media trying to find dirt on the others or trying to elevate the one they support. This plot point could be incredibly huge, but instead Rowell decided to keep it small, to not have her characters get lost again.
However, no matter how interesting that plot point could have been, I quite liked the focus on the characters, their emotions and their relationships. I especially loved how Rowell described Simon's depression, how he feels guilty, how he feels responsible for letting everyone down, how he has no idea who he is anymore, how he feels like everything will go to hell anyway, so why shouldn't he destroy it himself? Watching him heal, slowly, very slowly, was an inspiring and realistic message!