I got an ARC of this book.

I am very behind on books. I have had some medical issues and school has been kicking my butt this semester. I promise reviews are coming. I only got to this one, because the audiobook came out and I was able to listen at work.

This one felt different than the rest. The story before Nadya made it to her world just felt so much longer. It felt so much more intense. It might have been because I listened to the audiobook instead of reading it, but it felt like the story before the doorway was longer than usual and might h ave even been longer than her time in Belyyreka.

I am not an amputee or have any visible limb differences, so I can’t speak on how that representation worked or didn’t work. I can look at it from a disablity lens and say that I enjoyed that there was a clear and obvious difference between a prostethic arm being forced on her and her getting the gift from the water. There is a difference in how she view them, a difference in how they functioned, but a huge difference in the consent of the situation. Nadya had agency and it changed everything.

Who doesn’t love a talking turtle. The world was fascinating. It was about support, working hard, and meeting people where they were. This is one of those worlds that I would have loved to be a part of. I would have befriended every turtle without hesitation.

Overall, this was not my favorite book in the series, but I think it was a pretty strong addition to the universe.

I love the Wayward Children series and have devoured all of them; I feel like this one is easily the weakest of the series. Nothing really happens, there's not a lot of self-exploration or growth. There's no evil or bad guy to overcome. Just kind of fantasy slice of life that abruptly ends.

This was not my favorite. At times, I felt similarities to the Up and Under Series (in a bad way), and while it ultimately felt like its own world, it doesn't feel distinct enough for me. Of all the possibilities, this one feels a bit to familiar. Nevertheless, McGuire never fails to make it emotionally resonant.

This was a solid entry into the Wayward children series. I thought Nadya's story was well thought out and carefully crafted. As with so many of the other books in this series, Seanan Mcguire tackles difficult themes beautifully. She dives deep into adoption and ableism. I held my breath through most of this, extremely worried for the turtle companion. You never know with this author... But overall, a wonderful story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC.

A prequel of sorts where we get Nadya's story of how she found her door to Belyrreka. I almost wish we got more at the end, like about how she got back at the end of Beneath the Sugared Sky because I have so many questions about how time passed between each of the worlds, which would change how I feel about this ending here.

Book Summary:

Nadya likes to say that she had three mothers—the first gave her up, the second was her country, and the third took her in and tried to change her. She was born in Russia but moved to the Americas, where the expectations continued to mount.

Until one day, the young girl found a doorway. She didn’t realize it was a door until she went through it, and what she found on the other side was a world of giant turtles, rivers, and great dangers.

My Review:

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear was a slightly difficult book to pick up. It was easily the hardest in the series for me because I already had an idea where it would go. The one downside to this format is that the stories bounce back and forth, giving readers insight into the future.

As with many children's tales, Nadya's story is heartwrenching. She was taken in by a family determined to "fix" what wasn't broken and was lucky enough to find a doorway she didn't know she was looking for.

Unfortunately, this story is also heartbreaking for the readers. The very format of the series tells us that Nadya will not get to stay in the place she'll come to love. That's why I hesitated so long to read it.

Still, it was worth the read. Did I cry a little bit at the ending, even knowing it would come to pass? Maybe. I will not admit to anything. However, Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear may have raised more questions than answers. Every other backstory helped me understand the character more, but this one left me wondering how Nadya was forced out of her world. What did she do to become unsure? (If I missed it and you know, please feel free to say something!)

Highlights:
Urban Fantasy
Magical Worlds
Doorways to the Unknown
Wayward Children Series
Be Sure

Trigger Warnings:
Controlling Parents
Risk of Drowning

This was such a great continuation in a series that is always guaranteed to be an enjoyable trip into a different world with amazing characters!

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

Cry count: 3, one lasted for a good five percent of this book. It’s not McGuire if you’re not crying.

This series breaks me and builds me up every time.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear is so gorgeous and emotionally devastating in ways that are so hard to describe. I’m going to try for the sake of this review, the beautiful humans at Tor who published this, and McGuire as the amazing human who wrote it.

First, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love the length of these books. Anything longer and the balance between heavier topics and adventure story becomes less poignant. They’re absolutely bittersweet books, but in a realistic way. I think that’s what makes it so hard to read them sometimes.

The characters in this book were so good at doing what they were meant to do. The dichotomy we get from both worlds: between the people who are meant to be each other’s foils, and the experiences she has? STUNNING. McGuire’s commentary and the subtle but key differences on the way Pansy brought Nadya into her home while Belyyrekans welcomed her into theirs as well as the perspective on Nadya’s prosthetic was fantastic. This is absolutely a reason to keep reading this series and why I recommend it to so many people. McGuire handles heavy topics so masterfully yet without hiding any of what she’s actually saying about how people respond in these situations.

This is magical realism at its finest without the standard adventure story. Nadya’s is a story of a life lived well, the story we needed after Cora explored worlds and saved other Wayward Children. It’s the one that talks about everyday heroes and being complete in ways that don’t make you less. Honestly, Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear felt a lot like calling back to the first books in this series. This is a refreshing addition to a series that consistently excels at everything it attempts.

So, do I recommend it? Absolutely. Seanan McGuire writes such evocative prose, such heartbreaking stories, and just gorgeous explorations of other worlds and humanity that it’s so hard to let these books go. I think these are definitely must-reads for everyone.

i can’t believe we are ten books into the wayward children series! not to make this mini review about my own nostalgia, but down among the sticks and bones was actually the first physical arc i ever received. and throughout the years, i have also brought these arcs with me to photograph during blizzon, which i am not sure will even be a thing anymore! but what i am trying to convey, is that this series has been a big part of me reviewing books and there will always be something special about it, and i really have appreciated the warm consistency of having a new novella to read, each and every year.

okay okay - this tenth installment follows nadya, who we know is an adult trapped in a kid/teen’s body in the present day school. we get to see her literally born in russia, living in an orphanage, and being adopted by usa missionaries who are told that adopting a “disadvantaged” child is the christian way. we get to see her grow up a tiny bit with this couple who really didn’t want to be parents, and then we get to see her grow up a lot a bit when her door opens for her on the shell of a turtle.

this story very much discusses themes of disability and feeling whole, regardless of others putting their idea of “wholeness” onto you, and while also trying to connect with a culture that you feel abandonment issues with. it discusses adoption and how scary that can be for children, and how the system(s) is very far from perfect, especially sometimes when people bring religion into the process, and even more so when you’re expecting gratitude. this story also touches on wealth hoarding and the distribution of resources that my late-stage capitalist society should really be thinking about. but i really loved the themes of belonging and finding our own community/family who will remind of your wholeness, always.

i expected to like this, like i do with all the wayward children books, but this one made me really cry a lot. i feel like my heart is so heavy for present day nadya, now knowing her backstory and seeing her thrive in her portal home. this was for sure a highlight in the series for me, and i can’t wait to hopefully have this series forever.

trigger + content warnings: abandonment, talk of teen pregnancy with a birthing scene, ableism (always challenged and in a negative light), blood, vomit, talk of sick animal (turtle) who is healed, loss of an animal friend (fox), not having autonomy of oneself, anxiety, and… disaster (i don’t want to say a natural disaster but something that forces you to be displaced)

"No single person could absolutely do everything without aid, and so her own limitations weren't limitations at all, merely different standards."

I loved this one.

- The world explored: underwater cities, talking turtles, river creatures

- The disability rep: MC born without right limb but it no way makes her feel less than compared to her peers

- The portrayal of adults adopting for the wrong reasons (no matter how well-meaning), adults deciding what's good for their children without consulting what the children wanted, the default idea of what a good and happy child should look like, etc.

- And my favourite of all: found family. Finding people who understand and celebrate you for who you are, not viewing you as someone to be changed, but loved.

I want to give Nadya a big hug and I hope to see her again in future installments of this series.

Adrift in currents clean & clear by seanan mcguire is the tenth and maybe final book of the wayward children series?! I said maybe cause it did wrap up nicely as a whole but I can also see the author writing more of this universe and I hope she does!
These are fun short and sweet novellas that comes out every January but I read them for February. It was such an easy read that it litearlly took me an hour to read it cause of short it was! Loved the writing and how we got to know more about our main chracters and seeing animal talking was pretty cool! Hope Seanan mcguire does more in this world and thank you to Tor books for sending me an e-arc and i loved it!!(:

Very interesting story, great world building that was different and new. This was my first story by this author and I liked the writing style.

However, I did not like the ending at all. Very disappointing, I was left feeling dissatisfied and let down and like I waisted all that time reading to just be sad at the end.

⭐️3.5
🎙️none
❤️‍🔥closed door, nondescript marriage night


**Thank you to NetGalley, Tor publishing group, and the author for my free copy of this ebook.

Admittedly when I requested this I had zero idea it was part of a series, let alone book10. Yeah…cue hyperfixation and irrational self induced need to read the first 9 books before delving into this one. Thankfully, these are short stories and the vast majority were available on Libby so I was able to binge listen. Funny enough, I had read the first book many years ago having no idea it was a series that continued past that first one. Random tangent aside, I really enjoyed this series as a whole, it was the perfect mix of whimsy and weird and kept me both questioning what was going on and laughing at the absurdity and humor these characters offer.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear follows the story of Nadya, a girl struggling with her identity as an orphan from Russia with a physical disability suddenly adopted by an American family. Nadya’s family want to help her assimilate and assure her that a prosthetic arm would help her appear “normal”. The problem is Nadya doesn't see her lack of an arm as a hindrance and she doesn’t want to hide it under an uncomfortable prosthetic.

Nadya accidentally stumbles upon (into) a world beneath a lake where she discovers her identity as a “drowned girl”. As doors in the series often do, this “door” opens up to another world, a world that will only open for you when you are ready to receive it. In this water world, Belyyreka, Nadya encounters giant turtles who quickly befriend her and immerse her into their world.

I love each of these stories, these wayward children may find themselves in different worlds but in the end they share in their desire to find themselves or in some cases redefine themselves in times of trauma, grief, anxiety, etc. These are short and sweet stories with a diverse cast of characters who bond through quests and challenges and become a great group of friends.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Net Galley for my copy; all opinions are my own.

This was another absolutely fabulous installment in the Wayward Children series. This one follows Nadya, who we haven't seen since Under the Sugar Sky. I wasn't totally sold on having a story about her, because she felt like such a small side character. However, I think McGuire pulled it off fabulously. I am always amazed at her ability to make us care about the characters so deeply. I think the only thing I would have liked to see is a little more at the end to connect us to where Nadya ended up in book 3 or what happened with her underwater family. I'm sure McGuire left us right where she wanted to, but that is my only critique.

Glad to have gotten Nadya's story later on in the series. This one shows us a new world, and perhaps introduces a new aspect of how things really work in the Wayward Children universe. Some worlds make more sense than others, and this one is more logical than others we've seen. Says a lot that I enjoyed this series entry as I don't usually love stories with animals who speak--- but I hardly cared at all about that in this case. Always love the lore books (every second-ish book that details an adventure in a different world), as it creates more opportunities to recommend the series to others (I think anyone can start on any of the lore ones to get taste for Seanan's writing/this series).

One of the best Wayward Children books! The world building, as always was exceptional. I wanted to know more! One of the kinder worlds, I'm glad Nadya was given the life she needed and wanted. One of the more hopeful in the series.

I enjoyed the characters and the world that this one took place in, but the ending was very abrupt and I always want a little bit more. I enjoyed how the main character had an animal companion, and that she found a family of her own choosing in her world. Definitely interesting commentary on disability and adoption as well.

This is such and incredible series. Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear is the back story for Nadya who we met in an earlier book. Like always the writing it beautiful and the world building is complex.

Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series is a comfort series for me. It's one I go back to over and over for a quick reread in between books or when I need to keep myself from falling into a reading slump. I always look forwards to the next installment.

The world in Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear was so unique, and I loved Nadya's story. Just like all of the other books in this series it made me laugh and cry, and I didn't want it to end. I also loved the disability rep in this book. Portal fantasies will forever have my heart.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.
 
4/5 🌟