Another brilliant, heart-touching tale of a girl who slipped through a portal into the magical home where she'd always belonged.

Nadya's story

The origin stories of Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series have a formula. They start with a child who doesn't fit. He or she is abandoned by those who should under ordinary circumstances take responsibility for providing them with a healthy childhood. In some cases the abandonment is more figurative than literal. In others -- and Nadya is one -- the abandonment is literal and explicit. This child comes across a door, always bearing the words "Be sure" that takes her to a new world where she fits better.

Unusually, we are often told the ends of the Wayward Children stories before the beginnings. We have met Nadya before, in Beneath the Sugar Sky, where we met her as one of the students of Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, where she was introduced as a "Drowned Girl" who "was one of the school’s long-timers: five years so far, from the age of eleven to the age of sixteen." Thus we already know that Nadya's story will eventually bring her to Eleanor's.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear tells the beginning of Nadya's story. Nadya begins as a Russian orphan, abandoned by her mother, who doesn't want a child. As we learned in Sugar Sky she eventually was adopted by an American couple. That after that she ended up with Eleanor and no desire to return to her adoptive home tells us how well that worked out. There follows the story of her sojourn in and eventual ejection from Belyyreka, the Drowned World.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear is, I would say, a typical and average Wayward Children novel -- not bad, but not the best. It feels like it exists to fill in a story that, since Sugar Sky, we've known needed to be told.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear
By Seanan McGuire

Still loving this series and was so happy when I was approved for it on netgalley!! Each short story is just wonderful and this was no exception. This one explored adoption and what family and belonging means. As well as disability and how she thinks about it vs. how others perceive her.

Thanks to @netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I first found out that we were getting Nadya's story I was a little confused. Nadya was a blip of a character at the beginning of the series, and we had spent so much time with Cora (who is also a Drowned Girl and comes from a water world) that I thought we would be getting her story. Nonetheless, I found Nadya's story to be an interesting one.

The only thing that I had remembered about Nadya was that she loved turtles and would always hang out by the turtle pond. So when I started this book I was surprised to see that she was born with half of her right arm. After being adopted by an American couple, Nadya is brought to Colorado from Russia to become the "perfect American daughter". As part of this process, Nadya is given a prosthetic arm. As someone who has loved her body, never felt insecure about her disability, and didn't understand how others couldn't see the same thing, Nadya was angry at the loss of autonomy over her own body (which I thought was a clever way to speak to what is currently happening to women's rights in our country). In trying to escape her situation, she finds the door Belyyreka and accidentally falls in.

Belyyreka is an entire world that is under a lake. The entire world is covered in water, but the water is of different weights (some water is so light that everyone can breathe normally without the need of gills) so some parts of the world feel more underwater than others. I had a very hard time trying to picture the actual world because the physics behind it was hard for me to understand (Nadya even claims that some of the adults might not understand it either but just go with it). We see giant turtles that become companions, we see ships that can travel above and below water, and there are talking animals. There was no real sense of danger or urgency that we've seen in some of the other worlds. Instead, this really just felt like a slice of life and we really got to see how everyone lives in this world. I think Belyyreka is one of my favorite worlds that we've seen so far.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but it didn't break into my top 3. I think it's a solid book in the series, but at the same time I kept thinking "Why are we getting this story?". There is no mention of the School for Wayward Children or any of the characters we've seen before so like "Along the Green Grass Fields" this book could be read as a standalone or a starting point to see if someone is interested in reading more in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This tenth book in the Wayward children's series tell the story of Nadya, the Drowned girl.
And while we knew a of her story from previous novellas, "Adrift," gives us her full tale, how she found her door and lost her way.
I loved reading Nadya story and getting to see the lives she had as a child, and growing up in the world her door sent her to... and of course the turtles!

I really liked this one. I don't remember much about Nadya from before besides the fact she was a Drowned Girl, so I can't speak to any potential inconsistencies with the earlier appearances.
Thank you very much to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC! This is one of my favorite series, so I was so happy to be approved!

I love this series and am now devastated I have to wait until January 2026 for the next installment. I loved nadyia's story and I am heartbroken for her that she got dropped back into the old world. I know she ends up going back, but she was never unsure so why did she get banished?! Poor Alexie 😭

Ohhh my gosh this one hit me particularly hard. Nadya's story was deeply relatable for a number of reasons, and the undersea world in this book was so beautiful. I felt both melancholy and happy after reading this one.

This might be the best Wayward book in the series. Nadya's story was so heartbreaking but also so full of hope. Even knowing where she ends up did not prepare for the sadness I felt for her.

Another sensational addition to the Wayward Children universe. This time around we are given Nadya's back story and oh man did this come with some feels!!!

What I loved:
- GIANT. FUCKING. TURTLES.
- Disability rep and all that comes with
- Underwater world
- Found family
- Beautiful descriptions of nature

Honestly, this story may have skyrocketed to near the top of my power ranking for this series. It gave major Moana vibes in terms of the underwater world, the fishing, the riding giant turtles. There was a unity with nature that was so beautifully depicted.

McGuire perfectly expressed the life of being seen as "less" due to a birth "defect". That Nadya never felt as though she needed her other arm; never felt lacking. But the world saw it and imposed their feelings onto her. Her journey with her adoptive parents felt very familiar. The idea that the adoptee doesn't get a say. And what I'm sure many adopted into foreign cultures to parents who try to erase their home world from them must feel.

All in all just - continued perfection! I never want this series to end. Now I need to go back and do a re-read of the other books Nadya appears in because I feel that her story is going to hit harder. And ultimately, I hope she finds we way home.

Thank you soooooo much to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for this book. Seriously screamed so loud when I saw I got approved for it. Was going to be my #1 most anticipated read for 2025, so I’m super grateful I got the chance to read it so early!!

Something I’ve always adored about the Wayward Children series is how whimsical it is. All of the stories take place within a world (or worlds plural?) where doors can open into new worlds and possibilities, which means there are endless chances for new adventures and stories.

I know people were shocked when the synopsis for this book was revealed, but back when I was reading Beneath the Sugar Sky, I mentioned in my review that I would love to see a book for Nadya! I’m aware how little she was in that book, but I’ve always found it fascinating when other doors are mentioned by side characters, so I was absolutely thrilled to see we were getting a book about Nadya. It’s fun to explore new doors that are mentioned in passing but don’t get much attention past that! I know a lot of fans of this series are dying for Kade’s book or Eleanor’s door, but those stories will come in time and I am more than perfectly happy getting fun adventures through doors that allow Seanan McGuire to explore more of the unique world she has created!

And this book truly did do that! I had so much fun discovering the world of Belyrreka! I was fascinated with it when Nadya mentioned it in Beneath the Sugar Sky, so getting to truly explore and learn more about it was amazing. I adored the bond that drowned girls and boys got to have with the turtles and how it helped Nadya feel even more at home in Belyrekka. The found family and unexpected romance that bloomed between her and Alexi was so heartwarming. Seanan McGuire sure does now how to build the story up before having it all come crashing down! I had to remind myself numerous times throughout the book that Nadya eventually returned to Belyrekka, but it still broke my heart knowing how the book was fated to end!!

The nostalgia for my childhood that I feel reading this series is so intense and this book did not give me a break from those emotions. There’s just something about this series that makes me reminiscence about being as young as the characters in this series (I’m 21, I need to chill out with how old I’m making myself sound, hah!) but getting to read a story about giant turtles and talking foxes and doors in lakes feels like a warm hug, one that I can cling tighter to with each turned page. It’s such a comforting series, and Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear continued those feelings.

I truly do not think I will ever get tired of these books. I’m glad Seanan feels comfortable writing the stories she finds interesting and wants to write! We will get the highly anticipated stories eventually, but I can say with full confidence that stories like this one, are ones that I would be delighted to read more of. I truly had so much fun reading this book and cannot wait to purchase it in store when it comes out next year! :)

Another great world and addition to the Wayward Children series. I enjoyed following the adventure of this Russian girl who was adopted and brought to the USA. Wish it was longer.

The next installation of the Hugo award-winning Wayward Children series focuses in on a specific character rather than the whole school. This time, we get to see Nadya's world, Belyrreka, the world where all is water, the people are Drowned, and the turtles grow to enormous size. We first met Nadya in the third novel in the series (Beneath the Sugar Sky), and I know for my part, I enjoyed her characterization and her relationship with the other characters (in particular Cora).

While I love all of the Wayward Children books and I love this one too, I think the early part of the novella works better for me than the ending. Seeing Nadya's relationship with her home in Russia, and the orphanage where she was raised, and the conflicts and contrasts to the American parents who adopt her (without thinking who she is or what she wants). Her early time in Belyrreka is fascinating, and I wish we had gotten to see more of Nadya's adventures there (the way we did in In an Absent Dream and Down Among the Sticks and Bones). And while we know that Nadya does indeed end up back in Belyrreka, we end here without any understanding of how she goes from almost drowning in a pond in Colorado to Eleanor West's school. I would have really enjoyed that little bit extra, especially since we know from past novels (and the earlier parts of this one) that Nadya doesn't have a good relationship with her adoptive parents. It could have been cool to see the relationship after she returns, especially given the circumstances.

Overall, I did love this book and I love McGuire's writing so I'll absolutely be purchasing this when it comes out in January!

There are rarely times with Wayward Children that I want to go back and start from the beginning, but this was one of them. I have no memory of Nadya, but I fell in love with her journey and now want to go back and reread. This series has gone many places, forward and back, over the years, and is now so expansive that perhaps an odd-book rereading is in order.

This had no sense of rushing, and much less of a sense that you are being told a story, and rather just reading one, as the last few books. It's just lovely words and tense moments and some true sadness.

The 10th installment of the Wayward Children series continues to captivate with Nadya's journey to an underwater world and her transformation into a Drowned Girl. I love that the series blends different worlds with the characters' struggles with identity and acceptance.

I prefer the parts of the story set in Eleanor West's school, where the children are together. However, the exploration of diverse worlds, like the underwater realm in Nadya's case, adds depth and intrigue to the series.

Nadya's experience of finding a place where she can truly be herself, without the pressure to conform to others' expectations, resonates with themes of self-discovery and acceptance that are central to the series. The underwater world's concept of different layers of water and unique inhabitants like the traveling turtles adds to the richness of the storytelling.

Readers who haven't followed the series from the beginning might feel a bit lost with the ending. The "end" of Nadya's story is captured in earlier installments..

This installment continues to deliver on the series' creativity and exploration of identity. It was a satisfying read for a fan of the Wayward Children series.

An interesting story. I hadn't remembered who Nadya was since she appeared quite a few books ago in the series. While the world of Belyrekka was interesting and I love that similar to other stories, she found belonging in her new world, for some reason, I found the story leading up to her walking through the door to be just a little more insightful and engaging to how she thinks and interacts with the world around her. Her experience in the orphanage and as an adopted child was presented really well and in a very thoughtful way. Her point of view was very fascinating and McGuire did an incredible job building her character and history. Will definitely continue on with the series.

I liked this one. We met Nadya previously in Antsy's book, but this is her story. I enjoyed it along with her love of turtles/tortoises. I felt for her when she was adopted and expected to be a perfect, grateful little doll instead of a disfigured and wild child. The one spot of happiness was crushed by a narcissist and that just ruins everything. She doesn't let the fact that she was born without part of her arm bother her however, she never knew she should miss it. Belyrreka was a very interesting world this time around. The entire world is made up of different densities of water and people and creatures live there helping each other. Nadya ends up paired with a turtle named Burian and they're perfect for each other. When I got close to the end I knew SOMETHING was going to happen to send her back but wasn't entirely sure what.

I am curious about what happens when she returns back to Belyrreka after being sent back home. There's a reunion short I'd love to see on her patreon one day.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear is a fantastic return to The Wayward Children series. In this installment we get Nadya’s story and her journey in Belyrreka, the Land Beneath the Lake. It’s a world filled with turtles, amphibians, and a strong community that is familiar with “the door-swept.”

I love how Seanan McGuire includes so much representation in her books, from LGBTQ+ rep to disability rep. Nadya has a limb difference and is fine with this. Yet her adoptive parents get her an uncomfortable prosthetic arm, without bothering to seek her input. So much of Nadya’s story is about her lack of agency and inability to choose what she wants for herself. As a Drowned Girl in Belyrreka, she is finally able to make her own choices and go on her own adventures. The descriptions of the underwater world are imaginative, with a strong sense of found family.

Nadya is a caring and kind character. In the orphanage, she wants the other kids to be adopted before her and takes care of a little pet tortoise. When Nadya gains a turtle companion of her own, it is a heartwarming and satisfying moment. I liked learning more about the Drowned Worlds and how different this world was compared to Cora’s world. I enjoyed Nadya's story and can't wait to read whichever story comes next!

Thank you to Seanan McGuire, Tordotcom, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Another amazing story by Seanan McGuire! I love the backstory this one gives on the main character with her arm and adoption.The world building is believable in a fantasy realm and you are immersed in the story, rooting for Nadya. I am always excited to see another installment in this series and can't wait to see where Mcguire takes us next.

I enjoy the Wayward Children's series and am always excited to see a new book. This was another great story in the series!