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 🌟

Thank you to NetGalley for grating me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We follow Nadya a Russian orphan with a limb difference who is adopted by Christian do-gooders and brought to the USA. There they force a prosthetic limb upon her because they wish for her to appear "normal", and totally disregard how this prosthetic limb is non-functional and not something she even missed because she never had a right hand to miss. She falls through a door into the Drowned Lands.

STRENGTHS:
- love the way this series continues to think through fantasy tropes and play/subvert them
- so often in fantasy we have a magical cure that erases disability or difference
- here we have Nadya (spoilers) being gifted a magical hand that is clearly magical and doesn't erase her limb difference (the hand is functional but made of water and can function like a little fish tank with creatures living in her water hand); it's a gift that she opened herself up to accepting AND she sees it's utility and isn't opposed to using the water hand like isn't isn't opposed to using other tools
- this water hand also stands in contrast to the non-functional prosthetic limb which isn't actually a useful tool that makes Nadya's life easier; rather is makes her appear at first glance "normal" and causes her physical pain where the prosthetic blisters her skin

WEAKNESSES: (spoilers)
- sometimes the pacing of events in this series feels really "off" or unconventional; the pacing here felt really leisurely and enjoyable and then we got yoinked/hard pivoted with the role Nadya takes as an adult in the Drowned Lands being an explorer, exploring "too close to the sun" and once again falling through the door to her own world again, but once again being an 11 year old
- I don't understand why the door appeared again? She was an adult, had a husband, had a turtle companion, all of which we're told *should* anchor her to the Drowned Lands

OPPORTUNITIES
- obviously w where the book ends, we'll meet Nadya again (and I'm looking forward to that)

THREATS
- same threat I see for this series overall; they seem like a lot of these stories could stand alone and I've had folks recommend ones randomly from the series, but they really do make sense to read in publication order (in my opinion)

Overall, an enjoyable read! One I'd be happy to recommend as part of this series as a whole.

This book made me feel so many things. Some people should not be parents. Don't treat your kids like things that need to be perfect. Ask kids what they want/need and LISTEN TO THEM. Oh and the portrayal of people adopting children form other countries, bringing them back and trying to remove all their history and culture and everything - just despicable and heartbreaking!
Oh Nadya you sweet girl, I wanted to hug her the entire time and it filled me with so much joy when she found her door. I also love the water and so I related so much to her love of that and the turtles! Her world was truly amazing. Thank goodness this book comes later in the series so I know what else happens to her (from previous books) because I am so invested in her future!

I've been an avid fan of this series since it began, and seeing yet another story arc come into a grand conclusion and having answers was so satisfying.

I personally didn't feel like the ending was sad--as someone who knows the rest of the series--but I can see, if you read it out of order how it could be misleading.

Nadya as a character is yet another great installment to the cast of characters, especially with her being fleshed out and her backstory added.
For anyone who is a fan of this series, this is a highly recommended read.

This is book 10 in the Wayward Children series and follows Nadya, an orphan from Russia adopted by an American couple. Her adoptive parents aim to show their church and the world what wonderful people they are by fixing Nadya. But Nadya doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with herself, she’s lived her whole life doing the same things as everyone else but just with one arm. One day, while visiting her beloved turtles, she falls into the nearby pond and finds herself in Belyyreka, a Drowned world.

I’ve always thought that I enjoyed the odd numbered books more because of the adventures with multiple of my favorite recurring characters, but I’m realizing as the series continues that I equally love reading about the backstories. The last time we saw Nadya was in book 3 in Confection (a world where everything is made up of sweets 🤤) and I forgot almost everything about her, so this was a great reintroduction into her character. If you love this series, you will love this story. And if you’ve made it this far into the series then I’m assuming you love the series lol. This is honestly my favorite January tradition and if Seanan McGuire keeps writing them, I will keep reading them.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear continues the Wayward Children series with Nadya's story. Nadya's story explores disability, adoption, and found family.

I always love the Wayward Children installments that introduce us to the worlds the children go to when they find their door. This one is just as unique and interesting as the rest. I loved Nadya's story and just how adventurous and headstrong she is. I also really loved that Nadya's disability was normal to her and that she didn't understand why everyone else made such a big deal out of it.

This wasn't my favorite in the series but I am always excited to come back to this series every January.

This series has been so up and down. The first few books were great, then they slid downhill, then they came back up, and now we're back in a hole.

I feel like there was no editing to this, or only enough to cover the basics. There was tons of repetition and poorly worded sentences. There were random things thrown in that were never followed up on, and it was so heavy handed. Like I get that the point of the story was to show us that Nadya was fine without an arm. The only problem is there was no showing. We were told, constantly, on almost every single page for the first part of the book, how perfect Nadya was without her arm and how it was so unfair that her adoptive parents got her a prosthetic, but we are never really shown all this. I don't need to be told on every page that Nadya is capable without her arm; I got it after the first couple of times. But I would like to be shown. As for the prosthetic, I know she didn't want one and was very adamant about this and was so upset that she wasn't asked if she wanted one. But then in her world she is gifted an arm and she's just like, "oh yea this is pretty sweet," and carries on with her new arm. After so many pages of being told she didn't want one or need one and no one asked her opinion. But then she was never asked if she wanted one in her world. It's acceptable though, because it was gifted? Sure. She also has a lot of nationalism for a 9 year old child. When she's not talking about her perfect she is without her arm, she's talking about Mother Russia and how she can't believe Mother Russia gave her up and how she would do anything to return to Mother Russia. It's way more nationalism than I've ever seen any 9 year old have (Russia is also an odd choice, considering). She also points out how upset she is about her furniture. Her adoptive parents picked out furniture for her before they brought her home, and she's upset because she can't see it as her furniture because she didn't choose it. What child gets so upset about furniture? What child talks like this? I also can't help but point out that if the author was so keen on reminding us that people need to respect others cultures and such, then she should have actually written about them correctly. I'm not an expert on Russia, but I do know enough about naming structures, namely last names. Nadya says several times that her Russian name is Nadya Sokolov, but last names in Russian that end with -ov decline to -ova for females. Her last name should have been Sokolova (if I'm missing some obscure or not well known fact about name structures, feel free to correct me; however, I'm pretty sure this is how it goes). The grammar for the Russian "Be sure" has been pointed out by others as not being correct either. I'm not knowledgable enough on the language to know if this is correct, so I defer to others who have said it's not. But the point is, don't shame people on not knowing or understanding a culture if you can't write it correctly.

There are other parts that seem like lazy writing, or lazy editing, or both. There is a second child mentioned by Nadya's adoptive parents. They claim to have adopted a son from China, but that is literally the only thing you hear of him. He's never mentioned again. Did he die? Did they give him up? Did he grow up? We don't know. But it makes no sense to mention a second child and then never mention him again, especially when the first part of the book focuses on the family. Later, in Belyyreka, we are introduced to Galina's husband. What's his name? I don't know. He doesn't get the honor of a name. He's just Galina's husband. Alexi more or less tries to kill Nadya, and then wants to marry her in the next chapter. There is no big objective to accomplish, no bad guy to vanquish, no trial to overcome. She just grows and marries Alexi with nothing in between. And then, she goes home. Nadya doesn't do anything to get sent back. She just end up back in the real world one day, at about the same point she left, having de-aged from Belyyreka back to the age she was in the real world. It's more like a fever dream than a lived experience.

I'm back to the point where I don't know if I'll continue with the series. I've hit this point before, and nearly did give up. But the last two books were good enough to reel me back in. It may depend on who the next book is about. We'll see.

Book number ten in the Wayward Children series was less of a continuation and more of a side quest tale. It took readers to the imaginary land of Belyrreka with Nadya, who we did meet earlier in the series. I was very confused by the way water worked in Belyrreka, but I liked the idea of the place overall. There was something almost melancholy and sad about Nadya's tale, and I'm not sure why exactly, but something made me sad whilst reading.

Overall, solid book in the series.

In the latest book in the Wayward Children series book 10, Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, Seanan McGuire has created a narrative that is both poignant and immersive. But I’ve yet to read one in the series that doesn’t break my heart just a bit, mostly for the children who find homes and then are set adrift in a world that fails to understand them. What Seanan does so beautifully is capture how misunderstood children are and how little adults listen to the children in their care. This book tells a new story with these same themes, a story that demonstrates how powerful a child can truly be if we only allow them to be so.
In the story Nadya’s beginning is beautiful as she finds ways to be strong, to survive easily and even after she is adopted, she is majestic in her abilities and her intelligence. I love Nadya’s resistance to being changed by her adopted parents, her resilience and her strength. I love how she grows and finds a home full of love and warmth but the ending was absolutely heartbreaking to me.
If you like Seanan McGuire’s other stories of the Wayward Children, then you will love Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear. It is poignant and immersive, beautiful and heartbreaking but it is a story about strength, resilience and building a home. And it completely steals your heart as does the character of Nadya. And while it helps to have read the other books in the series, this is one that can be read as a stand alone. It will make more sense in the context of the series but much of it is not reliant on that fact. It is an absolutely breathtaking read.