Wayward Son (Review)

Let me start off by saying that I’m trash for Basilton Pitch.

I honestly think I would read books about Baz and Simon for the rest of eternity if I could, no matter the plot or how many there were in the series.

There’s just something very addictive about the narration style. Humorous, angsty, and full of good banter, it immerses me completely and keeps me hooked and smiling. Wayward Son had the extra bonus of the hilarity that comes from reading an American author writing as British people being confused by (and poking fun at) America. And I loved every second of it.

“I’m driving. We’re all wearing sunglasses. We’re listening to The Doors, and Baz is complaining about it. But he’s got his shirt unbuttoned to his navel, so I’m not complaining about anything. The sky is huge and blue and full of lens flare. America…”

Adventures with these characters are never dull and always full of surprises and twists so that even if the narration alone didn’t keep me hooked, the interesting plot would. Unlike Carry On, the sequel is able to separate itself from its Harry Potter fanfiction roots and come more into its own as an original work, with a magic system that I find equally hilarious and intriguing, and a world that is generally familiar and yet different, especially now that we’re seeing the world of magic across the pond. This more original concept eliminated some of the issues I had with the first book (mainly the pounds of exposition at the beginning), which made the plot much more enjoyable for me, even if it began to get a bit Twilight toward the end…

At first, I thought that Wayward Son was going to knock the Simon Snow series out of the park, becoming everything I loved about Carry On and then fixing the things that weren’t so great, but it ended up having its own crop of issues for every error it fixed.

I loved the conflict that arose with Simon, the way it began to delve into his character on a deeper level than what we’ve previously seen and how it explores the idea of what happens to the hero after they’ve saved the world, and what happens after happily ever after. But in the end, while the other conflicts (which I honestly had less interest in) were solved, this one was not, leaving us on a cliff hanger that suggests (and teases) not so nicely, that there will be more in the series. I can’t exactly be mad about more Baz and Simon, but I’m not happy about how incomplete the ending feels. I dare say it felt almost as if the author didn’t know what the answer to the looming question was and so, left it out, to be answered (possibly?) later. 

UPDATE: As of publishing this review, we now know we’re getting a third Simon Snow, which explains the ending but doesn’t excuse it (in my opinion). I’m both allured and skeptical of the series continuing because 1) how long can we keep this up? and 2) will it finally be the 5 stars I’ve been wanting all along or will it disappoint me again? but also 3) see above where I explain I’m trash for Baz and will buy it no matter what…

Simon Snow #3 has no release date, but does have an alluring cover and title: Any Way the Wind Blows.

Anyways…back to the book at hand…

“But beauty is cheap, Agatha. Cheap and bountiful.”

Unlike Carry On, I actually began to care about Penelope and Agatha in this book and looked forward to their chapters, whereas in the first book I was eager for them to be over.  Now that the spotlight isn’t eaten up by Simon, it’s easier for them to take charge of their own character arcs and conflicts. Plus, the many many perspectives we see in Carry On are minimized this time around, thankfully, as I thought that the first book was too heavy-handed with the switches and that most of the perspectives were unnecessary anyway.

Shepard was a wonderful addition, although I found a good deal of his story to be pretty unbelievable. Some of this is explained in the end, but in order to accept him, you have to do a good bit of suspending your disbelief.

Overall, I thought that the book could have been longer, and I’m not just saying that for my own self-indulgence, but because at times there could have been more time spent with characters and events, especially when it came to the resolution so that both conflicts could have had their time to end. 

The fight scenes were the weakest of all, and could definitely have benefited from more attention. Although, as Rainbow Rowell is more famously known as a contemporary writer I could see how it would be understandable she’d struggle with how to write sword fights. It’s not as if she writes them very often.

Wayward Son was a wild ride and I had so much fun reading it, but, just like Carry On I can still admit that it has its fair share of faults. I rated it 4 out of 5 stars.