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A review by citronella_seance
Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
2.0
MAJOR BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!
I, no lie, made a GoodRead's account just so I could leave a review about this book. When I read Carry On, I blasted through it in a day because I was hooked on the characters and this amazing, magical world. It was the first time I had ever seen an LGBTQ+ couple set in a world of witches and wizards and magic and I was in awe. It made me so happy.
Admittedly, maybe I built up Wayward Son in my head way more than I should have because Carry On meant so much to me, but I blasted through Carry On in a day because it was magical. I blasted through Wayward Son in a day because it felt like a chore I needed to get done as fast as possible.
Here are my three biggest problems with the book:
1) SnowBaz
The relationship between Simon and Baz in Carry On was amazing. They had a love/hate relationship that made you want to keep reading. It kept you invested in their story and how it was going to progress. You knew there was going to be a tipping point and you waited for it to happen with baited breath. In Wayward Son, the relationship between Simon and Baz feels like a literal wet blanket. Having read Carry On I was the MOST excited to see Baz and Simon happy and together and thriving because it's what they deserve. Instead all I got was two boys filled with the most manufactured ennui one can imagine, too scared to have one whole conversation together. It was, for lack of a better word, lame, and also not what /anyone/ was hoping to get out of that relationship with a second book.
2) The Plot (or utter lack thereof)
Plot? What plot? We don't know her here. I love a good road trip story but only if the events throughout the road trip make sense and follow a specific thematic element or serve some common character development purpose. A road trip adventure story is only exhilarating and exciting if there's some over arching meaning or lesson to be learned along the way. It feels like Rowell was TRYING to do that but just never settled on anything. Because of this, the plot meanders aimlessly with absolutely no clear direction until it arrives at a conclusion that, frankly, really makes no sense. Some "side quests" were fun, but then others felt short and unexplained. Like, I'm just supposed to accept mountains are dragons and there's a river spirit that controls all the water on the earth but like...without any actual lore to back it up. I'm all for magikal creatures but the set-up for there being "American" magikal creatures was never really discussed until half-way through the novel when they meet a badger-man with a semi and Simon goes "Oh yeah, I remember, America is pretty bad."
The conclusion, after the climax, is legitimately so baffling it was laughable. Like, I audibly laughed. If you're going to end on a cliff hanger is should...at least make any sort of sense.
3) The Character Development (or utter lack thereof)
Again, Character Development, who's that? Even Rowell's half-hearted attempt to give Penny some character development was a flop. Simon in the beginning, sad, depressed, afraid to look at Baz. Simon at the end, the tiniest bit less sad, depressed, and still afraid to look at Baz. Baz in the beginning, coasting, struggling to understand Simon, desperate. Baz at the end, coasting, struggling to understand Simon, desperate. Literally NOTHING changed. There was no forward momentum for any of the characters.
I seriously wish I could like Wayward Son but it left me sorely disappointed and sad. I finished the novel and literally asked myself "What was that novel for?" It has no purpose to any overarching plot or character development, it just wanders down a dirt bath until it reaches a very very very confusing and unsatisfying ending.
I, no lie, made a GoodRead's account just so I could leave a review about this book. When I read Carry On, I blasted through it in a day because I was hooked on the characters and this amazing, magical world. It was the first time I had ever seen an LGBTQ+ couple set in a world of witches and wizards and magic and I was in awe. It made me so happy.
Admittedly, maybe I built up Wayward Son in my head way more than I should have because Carry On meant so much to me, but I blasted through Carry On in a day because it was magical. I blasted through Wayward Son in a day because it felt like a chore I needed to get done as fast as possible.
Here are my three biggest problems with the book:
1) SnowBaz
The relationship between Simon and Baz in Carry On was amazing. They had a love/hate relationship that made you want to keep reading. It kept you invested in their story and how it was going to progress. You knew there was going to be a tipping point and you waited for it to happen with baited breath. In Wayward Son, the relationship between Simon and Baz feels like a literal wet blanket. Having read Carry On I was the MOST excited to see Baz and Simon happy and together and thriving because it's what they deserve. Instead all I got was two boys filled with the most manufactured ennui one can imagine, too scared to have one whole conversation together. It was, for lack of a better word, lame, and also not what /anyone/ was hoping to get out of that relationship with a second book.
2) The Plot (or utter lack thereof)
Plot? What plot? We don't know her here. I love a good road trip story but only if the events throughout the road trip make sense and follow a specific thematic element or serve some common character development purpose. A road trip adventure story is only exhilarating and exciting if there's some over arching meaning or lesson to be learned along the way. It feels like Rowell was TRYING to do that but just never settled on anything. Because of this, the plot meanders aimlessly with absolutely no clear direction until it arrives at a conclusion that, frankly, really makes no sense. Some "side quests" were fun, but then others felt short and unexplained. Like, I'm just supposed to accept mountains are dragons and there's a river spirit that controls all the water on the earth but like...without any actual lore to back it up. I'm all for magikal creatures but the set-up for there being "American" magikal creatures was never really discussed until half-way through the novel when they meet a badger-man with a semi and Simon goes "Oh yeah, I remember, America is pretty bad."
The conclusion, after the climax, is legitimately so baffling it was laughable. Like, I audibly laughed. If you're going to end on a cliff hanger is should...at least make any sort of sense.
3) The Character Development (or utter lack thereof)
Again, Character Development, who's that? Even Rowell's half-hearted attempt to give Penny some character development was a flop. Simon in the beginning, sad, depressed, afraid to look at Baz. Simon at the end, the tiniest bit less sad, depressed, and still afraid to look at Baz. Baz in the beginning, coasting, struggling to understand Simon, desperate. Baz at the end, coasting, struggling to understand Simon, desperate. Literally NOTHING changed. There was no forward momentum for any of the characters.
I seriously wish I could like Wayward Son but it left me sorely disappointed and sad. I finished the novel and literally asked myself "What was that novel for?" It has no purpose to any overarching plot or character development, it just wanders down a dirt bath until it reaches a very very very confusing and unsatisfying ending.