Wayward Son
Simon Snow #2
by Rainbow Rowell
Fantasy
Romance
* * Stars (Just ok)
After defeating the Humdrum in “Carry On,” Simon Snow and his friends have to adjust to normal life – one where magical dangers don’t lurk around every corner. Penny and Baz are handling the transition well, but Simon, who has lost his magic (but gained large leathery wings and a tail), has spent months on the couch in a severe funk (and getting severely funky). Worried and desperate to find a way to return Simon to his former glory, Penny arranges for them all to go to America, where they will embark upon an epic road trip that will revitalize Simon while simultaneously allowing Penny to visit her estranged boyfriend and reconnect with her BFF, Agatha. It’s a disaster from the get go, but all of the difficulties they encounter, and courting danger (once again!) put Simon in a decidedly better mood. And once he’s feeling more like himself, he and Baz can pick up where they left off! This is good, because everyone will need to be in top form to rescue Agatha from a cult of New American vampires that plan to dissect her and sequence her magical DNA.
Slow to get going, and frustrating at times (in that typical romantic plot fashion where tension exists because of characters’ inability or refusal to communicate with one another), it takes off after Penelope gets dumped and they start to encounter other magickal creatures and users (and vampires) on their way to Las Vegas. The Watford grads are at their best when they’re in action, using their magic (or fighting ability). Ends just as things are getting sort of interesting. Might want to wait for book 3 (as others have recommended) before reading this, so you don’t have to suffer the anticipation. This was not as satisfying as the first book.
Reviewed by YA Librarian
