You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
nykisz 's review for:
Any Way the Wind Blows
by Rainbow Rowell
I'm going to ignore the utterly pointless and awkward Agatha storyline and give this book 5⭐️.
This series has come a long way from it's "meta fanfiction of a fictional series that is an in-universe Harry Potter". The characters, plot, and magic system really have become their own thing and I love how the series is kind of aging up with the characters.
I'm so torn on rating this as a finale though. On one hand, I really love this story. And on the other, I wish there had been more focus on Simon's lineage and the NextBlood story.
EXPECTATIONS
I think my biggest issue with this book is everything it wasn't. I really wanted to see SpoilerBaz dip his toes into drinking Simon's blood without turning/killing him. More of the fallout from Simon finding out he has a grandmother and uncle. I wanted to see Simon slowly having other dragon-magic side effects (seriously, what was that biting-Baz's-skull thing about?). I thought Lucy was trapped in the painting in the catacombs and this book would be about getting her out. I thought Agatha's involvement in the cult would amount to something. I wanted Simon to find out it was his mom speaking to him in book 1 and I wanted to know exactly what "rosebud boy" meant.
And the weird thing is all of these plot points were set up or referenced in this book, so why wasn't there any payoff?
REVIEW
But is it fair to rate a book based on how I would have written it, rather than the book's actual content? Because I really did love this book as a standalone story. I was constantly looking forward to diving back in.
Simon & Baz
I love love love Simon and Baz's story here. Their chapters shine so much brighter than the rest of the book or the plot outside of their romance. It's cool to see such a slow burn relationship, where they both decide what they're comfortable with at their own pace. Their story felt so domestic and slice-of-life, which is my favorite thing in fiction.
Rainbow handles intimacy and sex scenes in such a unique way in both AWTWB and Fangirl. They're fairly long scenes (sometimes multiple chapters) and yet they never feel long. It's not overly descriptive or choreographed and yet I can still really feel the emotional connection. I'm so happy this series aged up a bit along with the characters.
I really, really appreciated Simon's journey with depression and watching him figure out what he wants in a life he didn't expect to have, without the magic he never expected to lose. Even though the early scenes before Spoiler"we'll try with you trying" were heartbreaking, they also made sense. I think going through a potential breakup finally shocked Simon into realizing what was really important to him. Simon/Baz 2.0 really was exactly what their story needed to be.
And Baz. I just adore Baz. He's clearly the best-written character in the series. In the beginning I never would have expected him to be the soft one in the relationship but it just fits his personality so well. He's so patient with Simon and so committed.
This series has come a long way from it's "meta fanfiction of a fictional series that is an in-universe Harry Potter". The characters, plot, and magic system really have become their own thing and I love how the series is kind of aging up with the characters.
I'm so torn on rating this as a finale though. On one hand, I really love this story. And on the other, I wish there had been more focus on Simon's lineage and the NextBlood story.
EXPECTATIONS
I think my biggest issue with this book is everything it wasn't. I really wanted to see SpoilerBaz dip his toes into drinking Simon's blood without turning/killing him. More of the fallout from Simon finding out he has a grandmother and uncle. I wanted to see Simon slowly having other dragon-magic side effects (seriously, what was that biting-Baz's-skull thing about?). I thought Lucy was trapped in the painting in the catacombs and this book would be about getting her out. I thought Agatha's involvement in the cult would amount to something. I wanted Simon to find out it was his mom speaking to him in book 1 and I wanted to know exactly what "rosebud boy" meant.
And the weird thing is all of these plot points were set up or referenced in this book, so why wasn't there any payoff?
REVIEW
But is it fair to rate a book based on how I would have written it, rather than the book's actual content? Because I really did love this book as a standalone story. I was constantly looking forward to diving back in.
Simon & Baz
I love love love Simon and Baz's story here. Their chapters shine so much brighter than the rest of the book or the plot outside of their romance. It's cool to see such a slow burn relationship, where they both decide what they're comfortable with at their own pace. Their story felt so domestic and slice-of-life, which is my favorite thing in fiction.
Rainbow handles intimacy and sex scenes in such a unique way in both AWTWB and Fangirl. They're fairly long scenes (sometimes multiple chapters) and yet they never feel long. It's not overly descriptive or choreographed and yet I can still really feel the emotional connection. I'm so happy this series aged up a bit along with the characters.
I really, really appreciated Simon's journey with depression and watching him figure out what he wants in a life he didn't expect to have, without the magic he never expected to lose. Even though the early scenes before Spoiler"we'll try with you trying" were heartbreaking, they also made sense. I think going through a potential breakup finally shocked Simon into realizing what was really important to him. Simon/Baz 2.0 really was exactly what their story needed to be.
And Baz. I just adore Baz. He's clearly the best-written character in the series. In the beginning I never would have expected him to be the soft one in the relationship but it just fits his personality so well. He's so patient with Simon and so committed.