wayward son – Pleasant Nights

Title: Any Way the Wind Blows

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genre: LGBTQ+ Ya fiction, fantasy

I have read and loved every single book Rainbow Rowell has written. My favorite is Fangirl, which is where Simon Snow got his start, but her others (Attachments (and Rainbow Rowell in general), Carry On) are just lovely. (minor spoilers for the series) Simon and Baz are just so fantastic together, so Wayward Son bummed me out. Simon was so grumpy (with good reason, but I still was disappointed), but THANK GOODNESS he has figured things out in this book.

From Goodreads: In Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood a bout themselves might be wrong.In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha have to decide how to move forward.

For Simon, that means deciding whether he still wants to be part of the World of Mages — and if he doesn’t, what does that mean for his relationship with Baz? Meanwhile Baz is bouncing between two family crises and not finding any time to talk to anyone about his newfound vampire knowledge. Penelope would love to help, but she’s smuggled an American Normal into London, and now she isn’t sure what to do with him. And Agatha? Well, Agatha Wellbelove has had enough.

Any Way the Wind Blows takes the gang back to England, back to Watford, and back to their families for their longest and most emotionally wrenching adventure yet.

This book is a finale. It tells secrets and answers questions and lays ghosts to rest.

I loved this book and finished it in just a couple of days. And then I had book hangover. The next book I tried to read wasn’t about Simon and Baz, and I just kept looking at it rather than wanting to read it. Glossing over most of the plot, I will say that I loved each character’s storyline, but having Simon and Baz together again (it’s not perfect, but man is it so much better than the last book) was fantastic. This book was an excellent ending to a fun trilogy. I will miss Simon’s adventures, but I know I’ll be reading these books again one day.

Carry On

Stick with me here. Because this can be a bit confusing. Carry On is fan fiction. The caveat is that the original work, the Simon Snow series, doesn’t actually exist.

We first meet Simon Snow in Fangirl. The main character of that book, Cath, writes about Simon Snow for a website. The SS series is almost complete, but before the last book is published, Cath is trying to crank out her version of the story. The real author of Fangirl and Carry On brilliantly creates the SS world in Fangirl, giving the readers a taste of the series (think Harry Potter but they are called mages rather than wizards). After that small taste, Carry On came out. We get the entire Cath version of what happens to Simon Snow. I promise it all makes sense. You can really read Carry On by itself without reading Fangirl, but both books are so delightful that they are worth your time.

As for the plot of Carry On, we meet Simon Snow as he returns to school. He’s an orphan, is the “chosen one,” has a female best friend, has a nemesis (Baz), and fights battles against creatures. All very familiar, right? The difference is that his nemesis is his roommate who is a secret vampire. I know, I know, vampires? again? As tired as I am of that particular creature, it’s only a portion of this book. We start the year with Simon, but Baz is missing. No one knows where he is or when he will be back. Since he’s Simon’s nemesis, he’s concerned Baz is off plotting against him. Of course Baz returns, keeping his disappearance a secret.

A huge reason Cath (the original writer in Fangirl) is so popular is that, in her story, Simon and Baz are gay. Baz is madly in love with Simon, but treats him so horribly, mostly because it’s easier that way, keeping Simon at bay. Simon has a girlfriend, but doesn’t really love her. And the moment Simon realizes that he is attracted to Baz is simply beautiful. Their love isn’t sweet and pure. It’s difficult and messy and real. Simon isn’t sure what he’s doing. Baz is struggling with his feelings becoming a reality. Even though these characters are set in a fictional world, their feelings are real and relatable. Being a teenager and falling in love is hard and confusing, especially for gay teens. In Fangirl, the love between a straight couple is portrayed so perfectly. You can’t help but root for them. It’s a bit messier in Carry On, but you root for them even more, hoping they overcome their combative nature, which has been the way for years, hoping they realize the combat is because they love each other.

The Carry On sequel, Wayward Son, came out yesterday. I’m itching to get my hands on it to see how Simon and Baz are doing. Their story isn’t perfect, but it’s genuine.