All Wayward Children books are good, but some are better than others.

Sadly, this was just good. Lowercase-g good, not Capital-G Good. I think I prefer the books that take place fully through the doors. It’s why Absent Dream and Sticks and Bones are my favorites in the series, and Every Heart is my least favorite. I don’t care nearly as much about the school as I do the worlds through the doors.

So while this one slapped, it wasn’t my favorite.

Also I need Cora’s origin story PLEASE

I have been a fan of The Wayward Children series since the first one came out so I was so excited to read an early version of the newest in the series, especially since the cover had dinosaurs on it.

While I still did enjoy this, the story and plot fell a little flat for me. After I had such an emotional time reading Lost in the Moment and Found I found this next installment just missing some of that magic and emotion. It served as a direct sequel to the last two books and it was nice to "check in" with other favorites and earlier Wayward Children we haven't seen in a while. This was not a bad book, just not as strong as the novellas in the series that follow one world and one child. Also, not enough dinosaurs.

A plus to this novel was learning more about the workings of The Doors and seeing threads come together.. It does feel like Seanan is using this novella as a start of wrap up for the series and a way to finish the children's stories and where they end up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor.com for an advanced copy and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the ARC of this!

This is one of my favorite series, a definite autobuy, and this was no exception. We got back to the school and see what happens after the events of Where the Drowned Girls Go. I ship Kade and Cora so hard 😂 This kept the same vibes I’d expect from the series and I can’t wait for more.

I was especially excited to read the newest book in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series because of the dinosaurs on the cover. I was hoping for a whole novella about a child going through a door to a dinosaur world.

This book is *not* that story, which disappointed me a bit. Instead, we catch up with a number of characters from previous novellas, especially Antsy, who has a skill that lets her find lost things.

This was a pleasant read but didn’t have a very firm plotline or urgency to it. Things just kind of … happened. I realized I connect more with the novellas in this series that work as standalones and follow one or two main characters

I still enjoyed it, and if you’re a Wayward Children completist, it’s worth the read, but I didn’t love it as much as some of the others. And I needed more dinosaurs!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tordotcom for my review copy of this book.

I received an eARC from the publishers and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This review does not contain spoilers for the book, but might for the previous books in the series. I can only do so much on book 9 of a series.
The quest books continue to be my favorites of the series. We pick up immediately after the previous book - literally, we see a little bit of Antsy readjusting to first entering the school before we jump to a couple months after Cora and the rest returned from Whitethorn, when people start hearing the rumor that Antsy can find anything, maybe even a door. Antsy drags the gang on an adventure, visiting new and old Doors.
I'm not going to talk about the adventure beyond what the summary says, but the worlds visiting on this adventure had me very excited. Also, throughout the adventure, the kids are discussing what it means to "be sure" after leaving the doors once, by force or not. What does it mean to want to leave Earth, where family lives and now friends from Elanor West's house, and what does it mean to want to go through your Door even now knowing whats on the other side? It added a string of nostalgia/melancholy to the story.
I love seeing the group together; Kade, Cora, Christopher, Sumi - plus the addition of the girls picked up from the Whitethorn institute being integrated into the mix! New character interactions and old ones alike made my heart soar! I could read a whole novella just with these kids sitting around chatting and be happy.
I rated this book 4.5 stars! Another great addition in the Wayward Children series and I cannot wait to see what world we visit in the next book!

I ended up really enjoying this book in the series. I am glad we were following Antsy again because so far she has been my favorite character. This one technically was at the school but we were barely there. I love our current group of students and I can't wait to get more from their stories and lands. The ending of this one was definitely bittersweet but was perfect in it's own way.

I received an ARC of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known - Seanan McGuire

After losing years of her life in the Land Where the Lost Things Go, Antsy Ricci has found her way to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. But a school filled with kids trying to find their Doors back to magical lands might not be the best place for a girl that can find anything,

This is the 9th book in the Wayward Children series and is best read in sequence. It takes place a bit before and directly after the events of Where the Drowned Girls Go and Lost in the Moment and Found. It’s worth rereading those if you don’t remember what happened.

Antsy’s an interesting character. She’s 9 years old in the body of a 16 year old, with no idea of how to act around kids her visible age. Seeing her face her past and giving real resolution to her story in Lost in the Moment and Found, was wonderful.

I loved Sumi in this story. She can be a bit much but acts like a real mother hen crossed with a real no nonsense attitude. She has some of the most insightful lines in the book.

Despite the rules of the school, a quest is at hand. As a novella it only takes a few hours to read, but has a very satisfying story arc.

If you’ve read the prior novellas in the series, this is a strong follow-up. If you haven’t, I can’t recommend the series enough.

I have loved this series for a long time. I am left feeling sad it's already over, but also so curious after how we expanded the world yet again.

I find the character development, growth and world building to be tied in so wonderfully in this series. I'm always surprised with how much we learn in such short novellas each addition.

I adored antsy she was such a delightful main character.

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the e-ARC! All thoughts are my own as always.

I loved being back with these characters and this world so so much. It always feels like coming home, and I feel that we’ve gotten to a point in the series where you really need to have read all the books to appreciate this setting as it should be appreciated. I adored how this book leaned into the humour and absurdity of the setting a little more, while also exploring what it means to be sure, what it means to travel between worlds, and also how children are so often not taken seriously while adults are the ones fucking up. Antsy and the Store might be my favourites in the series so being back with her was lovely, and I deeply hope we get to explore Kade’s story but also Eleanor’s story (both past AND current, what’s going on with her???) soon. I can’t wait to marathon this series when this comes out and I can buy a physical copy.

Mini synopsis: for this installment, we’re back with Antsy. In true wayward children fashion, it’s quest time! This time, Antsy leads the group on a quest for safety from the students who want too much from her.

I just love this series & expanding the worlds. In the previous book, we met antsy who went to the place where lost things go & is able to find lost doors & open them. I always love the quest books bc we get a little glimpse into other worlds. This time we get to see a little bit of a world that’s been hinted at since book one!!! Without spoilers, it was the perfect little slice & leaves it open to revisit. We also get to see a dinosaur world 🦕 and learn more about former students met in the previous books. This is a horrible review but these books make my heart so happy!

It’s always a little hard to rate these books, but since I liked this less than Lost in the Moment and Found, about the same as Beneath the Sugar Sky and In An Absent Dream, and more than the others in the series, I settled on a 4-star rating.

I was pretty pumped for this book because it follows Antoinette and is a continuation of Lost in the Moment and Found (my favorite book in this series). I will say it lived up to my expectations because I expected to enjoy it but not as much as LITMAF.

I know some people complained about the lack of dinosaurs considering the cover and description of the book, but I knew that the dinosaur features would be minimal, so I knew not to get my hopes up. That being said, I really enjoyed the plot of this book. It was interesting to see Antsy enter Eleanor West’s home and meet the characters we know from previous installments, and it was fun to read about the Store again and the various worlds (including Prism and the dinosaur world!), but I did feel like there was something missing, thus preventing me from giving this book 5 stars.

I appreciate that Seanan McGuire avoided doing what she usually does with this series which includes stuffing 150-200 page books with plots suitable enough for a 400-500 page book. This was a simpler, smaller story that worked well for the length.

I liked seeing Antsy again, and the other characters, but I still feel some disconnect to the side characters.

The writing, as usual, was very pretty and philosophical in some ways. I enjoy the themes of ending cycles of abuse and childhood as well.

Overall, this was a very solid installment. I loved seeing Antsy again and the adventure at the heart of the story, but I still found myself wanting a little more by the end.

🦕🦖🚪🦅

It's hypnotic, you can't just read one book, you have to read the entire series.
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I always wondered what happened to kids who traveled to other worlds and lived so many experiences but then had to return to their world, to bodies that perhaps were foreign to them and where everything had run its course.
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Like in Narnia , in the movie when Edmund tries to enlist in the army and they don't let him because he is a little kid . This book gives a twist to those stories with Eleanor West and her Wayward children's school where children receive psychological help and support to become part of society again.
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In this book we meet Ansty, a girl who mysteriously arrives at school and who has a great gift, she can find anything she wants, and when her schoolmates find out, a crazy race begins to catch her and make her find the door from which they came . But in her group of friends she finds someone to trust and lean on.
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Thanks to Seanan McGuire and Tor Publishing group for give me a copy of this amazing history in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion.

This was another great addition to the series, as we follow our beloved children as they escape into the in-between and learn more about themselves and the doors. This book can't really be read as a standalone, as it makes references to almost all 8 previous books in the series. We finally get a peek into Kade's world and story as well, which people have been asking for since book 1. I'm excited to see how things are tied up for book 10.

✨Happy Pub Day✨ 
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To another fantastic installment of the Wayward Children series, Mislaid in the Parts Half-Known by @seananmcguire! This series has absolutely stolen my heart and I truly adored this new story that includes past Wayward Children we know and love, but focuses on Antsy.  
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Antsy is still struggling to feel comfortable in a body that has matured beyond her true age at Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children. Soon her classmates find out her talent: she can find absolutely anything, including doors. Antsy and her friends flee on a quest to find the Shop Where the Lost Things Go, making wrongs, right and bringing Antsy home where she belongs.  
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This story was beautiful and Antsy has always had a special place in my heart since she ran away from abuse and lost her biological father. She is a force to be reckoned with and I loved seeing her come into her own. This story was only missing one thing: more dinosaurs! If you haven’t already, I can’t recommend this series and these stories enough. 💚

I love love love this series and especially this latest installment. Antsy has been my favorite character from the recent books and I’m so happy we got more of her in this one. Her entire story arc is one of my favorite things in the series and I’m so pleased how it progressed in this book. It would be a five star just for that. But I do think it’s a bit clunky in terms of story and message and there’s so much going on for such a short installation. And frankly, by the cover, I would have liked more dinosaurs than we got. I still love this series, I’m so excited for more, but I think overall this was a bit weaker than usual, though I loved it for Antsy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Wayward Children is one of my favorite series, and I was trying very hard to finish this ARC before release day and almost made it! Definitely a worthy edition to the series.
Thank you very much to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC!

Rating; Absolutely Loved It, 5 stars

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is a direct sequel to Lost in the Moment and Found, and it continues Antsy's story after she arrives at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children. Antsy and several of our other beloved characters are breaking the questing rule in this one. Other children discover that Antsy can find lost things, including doors, and they end up on a trek between multiple worlds as we seek to resolve Antsy's story.

I think that this was a really lovely wrap-up to several of our characters' stories, not just Antsy's. But it was a very fitting end to her story as well. Sumi as always seems to dispense nonsensical wisdom that actually hits very deeply. I had a fantastic time following along with the group and I was extremely satisfied by the storylines. I am very curious as to how the next book will wrap everything up as it is currently slated to be the conclusion as far as I am aware. I have come to love these characters over the course of these novellas, and I cannot wait to see how it all concludes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tordotcom for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Mislaid In Parts Half-Known releases on January 9, 2024.

I loved this one so much! I cried twice while reading and I love that we got to learn more about students from previous books. We also got to go to a new world with dinosaurs, which is pretty amazing. (I will note, though, that the dinosaurs were not a huge part of the story, which I expected from the cover, but still wonderful!)

Antsy is one of my favorite characters from this series and getting a continuation of her story so quickly made my heart so happy. Kade, another favorite, had some great scenes and I am hoping for a Kade-centered book soon! And Cora — lovely, just lovely!

I think this series is very important and should be read by everyone. It is beautiful, fun, engaging, heartbreaking, and just wonderful. I do want to do a full reread this year and I am so excited about getting the chance to do that.

The next adventure in a consistently lovely series about children slipping through magical doorways is a compilation of world's and stories. Not focused on one main character, like most of the others, this one has a few of the children together on a shared adventure through many worlds. It's, like the others, sweet and charming and meaningful, about friendship and growing up and dealing with personal identity. It feels a little more shallow and playful,l than the others, as the kids skip around world's, but it does pull a few stings together and wraps up a few tales

It’s January, and that means that it’s time for one of my favorite parts of the year. Yup! There’s a new Wayward Children novella out this week! I’ve been a fan of this series since Every Heart a Doorway came out in 2016, and the subsequent titles in the series have continued to break my heart and make me fall in love with Seanan McGuire’s writing over and over again. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is the ninth full novella set in this collection of worlds (McGuire has written several short stories that flesh out some background details of characters as well).

It’s somehow been three years since the last time I reviewed one of these novellas for my blog, which I daresay is a disservice to my readers and friends (and those of you who overlap). I will include a caveat for this title for anyone who isn’t familiar with the series. This is book number 9. This is not a starting point. This book heavily references characters and events from the previous eight books.

Eleanor West’s Home For Wayward Children is a special kind of school, serving as a place for people who have found their ways into other worlds through magical Doors and then made their way back to Earth. The students are given three simple rules at the school, where they learn to adapt to a mundane life (and many wait for their Doors to appear again). “No solicitations. No visitors. No quests.” Rule number three gets broken a lot. In Mislaid, we again find Antoinette, or “Antsy,” our protagonist from book #8, Lost in the Moment and Found. Antsy has found her way to Eleanor’s school and is struggling to fit in (difficult to do when you’re 9 years old, but the magic of the Doors has aged your body to almost twice that) when several of her classmates discover her unique talent. After spending time in a shop of things that are lost from around hundreds of worlds, Antsy can find things again. Most notably for the students at the school, Antsy can find Doors. With sufficient concentration and certainty, she can locate a door to a world once inhabited by the other students. However, as she learned in Lost, the Doors take three days of your life for each one that you open (hence her appearance). She’s understandably hesitant to risk more time to open Doors for the other students.

Eventually, when one of her classmates threatens to force Antsy to find her Door for her, Antsy flees the school, in the company of some of the more adventurous (and friendly) students, Kade, Cora, Christopher, Sumi, and Emily. What follows is a whirlwind tour of worlds we’ve known existed but never visited (including Kade’s Door to Prism) and a lot of references to characters that we know from other earlier books in the series. These continuity nods are almost overwhelming, but serve to tightly pull many threads together in what may be one of the final novellas in the series, as Seanan has said that Kade’s book will likely be the end. While on the run, Antsy and her cohorts make their way back to the store where Antsy used to work, bringing her back into conflict with the shopkeeper who refused to tell her about the cost of opening the Doors.

Not everyone who comes to Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children stays for long, and not everyone who leaves on a forbidden quest gets to come back again. Antsy leads her classmates through the Doors with the best of intentions, but some things (and some people) just have a way of getting lost.

Seanan McGuire remains one of my absolute favorite authors, and Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is a brilliant reminder of why that is. It’s out on store shelves today, so do yourself a favor and grab a copy. My utmost thanks to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for a fair review.

This review originally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients.com/2024/01/09/mislaid-in-parts-half-known-a-review/