Blurb from Goodreads:
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.
‘Carry On’ was conceived as a book about Chosen One stories; ‘Any Way the Wind Blows’ is an ending about endings. About catharsis and closure, and how we choose to move on from the traumas and triumphs that try to define us.
Full disclosure: I was only going to read this book out of a compulsive need to finish book trilogies and series. I quite enjoyed Carry On, the first book in this series that introduces us to the World of Mages. Carry On subverts the Chosen One trope and gives us a delightful enemies to lovers romance between Simon Snow and Tyrannus Basilton ‘Baz’ Grimm-Pitch. Unfortunately, I can barely remember the second book, Wayward Son. It didn’t grab me at all, I became entirely disinterested in the fates of the characters and I couldn’t remember what I found appealing about Simon Snow.
Good news: Any Way the Wind Blows won me right back because it has what I love in a book: engaging characters and great dialogue. It’s not overburdened by plot or, rather I should say that it is not over-complicated by plot. The plot is perfectly serviceable: magical saviours are gonna save, after all, but Simon’s and Baz’s relationship is so much more compelling and it progresses. There’s plenty of humour to be had – “I’m a broken-down mess, and you’re a rat-drinking monster” and the book touches on their insecurities as a former Chosen One and a rather aristocratic vampire. I also loved the storyline with Agatha, and her pursuit of happiness and love and, well, goat-herding. Penelope shines too, mostly because we get to see her through the eyes of American ‘Normal’ (non-magical human) Shepard, whose goodness is evident on every page.
The main storylines revolve around a new Chosen One, who rather reminds me of one of those tele-evangelists, who claims to cure people and thrives on adoration, and around Shepard and his uncanny ability to become entangled with all manner of magical creatures. We learn more about Simon’s family and we see how Baz is loyal to his family too, in a more tender and caring way than I had anticipated.
I genuinely did not think I would enjoy this book as much as I did but, as promised, it is a book about endings and they are the sorts of endings that make you believe that these characters will have happy lives, long after we’ve stopped watching.
Rating: 4 stars.
TL;DR: Picks up where Wayward Son left off but really sticks the landing.
whelmed.blog 