Book Review: Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde, #3) by Heather Fawcett

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales
Series: Emily Wilde, #3
Author: Heather Fawcett
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication date: February 11, 2025
Length: 368 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves.

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

The 3rd book in the Emily Wilde series picks up right where the 2nd book leaves off, but lacks the forward momentum and much of the charm that infuses the earlier books.

In the 2nd book, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands, dryadologist Emily Wilde locates the door to her fiancé Wendell’s kingdom (he’s actually a King of Fairie), so that he can return from exile; thanks to Emily outwitting (and poisoning) his wicked stepmother who’d stolen the throne, the kingdom is Wendell’s once again. As Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales opens, Emily and Wendell have reentered his kingdom and are making their way to his castle.

And they seem to spend a very long time making their way… we spend an awfully long time just hearing about them walking through the forest, picking up assorted companions as they march along.

Eventually, the action picks up, and the narrative focuses both on Emily’s adjustment to life in the Faerie world, where she’s quite out of place as a mortal Queen despite Wendell’s best efforts to make her happy, and their investigation of a curse that’s infecting the kingdom. The previous queen is still somewhere in the kingdom, and she’s poured her poison into the land itself. It will take a dramatic, dire action to save the kingdom, and Emily wants to make sure that the cure for the infection won’t end up dooming Wendell.

Emily is a scholar and lives for research, so when action is called for, she heads for the books. One of the lovely aspects of the Emily Wilde books is how Emily relies on her academic research into folklore to provide clues to how to actually survive and solve puzzles while amongst the fae. In this case, she finds an obscure tale of a forgotten fae king that provides clues as to how to beat the old queen — but she is dismayed to realize that there may be no saving Wendell himself. Of course, Emily isn’t someone who gives up in the face of a challenge, and dives deeper into the research and also undertakes a highly risky quest in order to find a solution that saves the kingdom and the man she loves.

As in the previous books, Emily interacts with fae and mortals, and we’re treated to her scholarly tangents about the history, mythology, and sources related to all the various types of fae she meets. While some fae are absolutely terrifying, Emily’s scholarly curiosity sees her through, despite her fear and the dangers of her quest.

The book is told via Emily’s journal entries, which is effective to an extent… and yet, also removes any question about whether Emily herself survives any given situation. She’s writing a record of what she’s experienced, so we also know that she made it through any given danger before we even read about it. Something about the writing style puts the reader at a distance: We’re hearing about events after the fact, and even when the narrative describes an action sequence, it’s action that’s happened to the character already, thus depriving the narrative of a true sense of suspense.

I do really enjoy the world of Emily Wilde, but this third book feels oddly flat. By the end, the stakes and the plot pick up quite a bit, but as a reader, it’s hard to feel the sense of investment or emotion provided by the other two. Obviously, this isn’t meant to be a standalone, but it’s still disconcerting to pick up the book and feel like we’ve started in the middle of something. There’s an assumption that we already know the characters… and yet, the lack of character development is striking. We don’t learn anything further about them, and while we see them in action as the plotlines move forward, they don’t particular feel like living, breathing characters the way they did in the previous books.

I loved the previous two Emily Wilde books, but sadly, this one was only… okay. The 3rd book does a nice job of wrapping up the story and provides a very good outcome for Emily and Wendell. The slow start was discouraging, and it really takes quite a while before it feels as thought there’s any sort of story momentum. Eventually, I felt more involved and enjoyed the last half of the book much more than the beginning.

Readers who’ve read the first two Emily Wilde books will certainly want to read Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales. As the trilogy’s conclusion, this book provides a satisfyingly happy ending, even though the slow pacing means it takes a while for the story to really gain traction and feel likes it’s actually moving.

Taken as a whole, I enjoyed the Emily Wilde trilogy very much and recommend them for anyone who enjoys a good fantasy foray into the world of Faerie… especially when narrated by a grumpy scholar. There’s a lot to love here, and I suspect I might not have felt the slow pace of the third book if I’d read the trilogy straight through… so that’s my reading advice to anyone new to the world of Emily Wilde: Start with the first book, and if it captures your imagination (and I think it will), keep going right away with books two and three!

9Feb2025

Book Review: Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Black Woods Blue Sky
Author: Eowyn Ivey
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: February 4, 2025
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey returns to the mythical landscapes of Alaska with an unforgettable dark fairy tale that asks the question: Can love save us from ourselves?

Birdie’s keeping it together; of course she is. So she’s a little hungover, sometimes, and she has to bring her daughter, Emaleen, to her job waiting tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge, but she’s getting by as a single mother in a tough town. Still, Birdie can remember happier times from her youth, when she was free in the wilds of nature.

Arthur Neilsen, a soft-spoken and scarred recluse who appears in town only at the change of seasons, brings Emaleen back to safety when she gets lost in the woods. Most people avoid him, but to Birdie, he represents everything she’s ever longed for. She finds herself falling for Arthur and the land he knows so well.

Against the warnings of those who care about them, Birdie and Emaleen move to his isolated cabin in the mountains, on the far side of the Wolverine River.

It’s just the three of them in the vast black woods, far from roads, telephones, electricity, and outside contact, but Birdie believes she has come prepared. At first, it’s idyllic and she can picture a happily ever after: Together they catch salmon, pick berries, and climb mountains so tall it’s as if they could touch the bright blue sky. But soon Birdie discovers that Arthur is something much more mysterious and dangerous than she could have ever imagined, and that like the Alaska wilderness, a fairy tale can be as dark as it is beautiful.

Black Woods, Blue Sky is a novel with life-and-death stakes, about the love between a mother and daughter, and the allure of a wild life—about what we gain and what it might cost us.

Black Woods, Blue Sky is a creative take on motherhood and the longing for freedom, set in the remote mountains of Alaska, with a fairy tale feel that lends the story a dark, otherworldly undertone.

Birdie is a young single mother working at the bar of a roadside Alaska lodge, often drinking too much, hooking up with random men, and mostly just getting by. She’s devoted to six-year-old Emaleen, even though she sometimes leaves Emaleen sleeping alone in their cabin while she works. She’s doing the best she can, but life is hard and full of frustration. Birdie aches for something more — and daydreams about the mountain peaks she sees from the picnic table out back of the lodge.

When quiet, scarred Arthur retrieves a lost Emaleen from the woods, his gentleness and strangeness appeal to Birdie. Their talks turn into more, and eventually, Birdie and Emaleen go off to live with Arthur in his remote cabin.

It was strange, no one knowing where they were in that immense wilderness. Like free-falling.

At first, it’s perfect. The cabin is in rough shape, and Birdie delights in turning it into a home, cleaning it and making it cozy and safe for the three of them. Sure, Arthur disappears at nights and won’t talk about where he goes, but when he’s home, he’s attentive and kind, and he introduces Birdie and Emaleen to the wonders of the land, the animals, and the wildflowers that surround them.

Birdie wanted to be at ease in her own skin. She wanted to be content. All those afternoons, she’d sat on that picnic table behind the lodge and daydreamed about taking Emaleen away, across the Wolverine River, up into the mountains. Now they were here, and she should be entirely happy. But the hours were circling and meandering and bleeding into each other, and it was like the wilderness had the pull of a dangerous eddy.

Their wilderness idyll takes a dark turn eventually, and the final third of the book follows Emaleen as a college graduate, returning to Alaska for the first time in over a decade, confronting her past and coming to terms with her memories and the truth of what happened up on their mountain.

Black Woods Blue Sky is a hard book to describe. It starts slowly, but a particular revelation about a third of the way into the book takes this book in an unexpected, startling direction. Without saying more about that, all I can share is that the grit and hard work of wilderness living is interspersed with a fairy tale-like element that makes the entire story feel every-so-slightly off-kilter: We’re in our own world, but not quite.

I loved the natural setting and the author’s evocative descriptions. The writing is stellar, and made me yearn for my own little cabin in the wilderness (but perhaps with fewer deadly animals and life-threatening hazards around every turn).

It was the golden hour, the low sun casting a glow that turned the colors to richer shades — the brilliant magenta of the fireweed blossoms, the leafy green across the hayfields and the dark green of the forest with it spruce and cottonwood and birch. In the distance, the evening light brought the mountains into heightened relief so that the rock faces and ravines and jagged, snowy peaks stood out vividly. The air was warm and gentle, and everything was quiet, except for the echoing, lovely trill of the hermit thrush songbirds.

The side characters who interact with Birdie and Emaleen are a mixed bag — they’re supposed to be important to the main characters, but I didn’t always have a very good sense of who they were as individuals. Birdie is a bit of an enigma; her ache for meaning in her life and her passion for living freely are clearly shown, but it’s hard to approve of the choices she makes when they so clearly put Emaleen at risk over and over again.

Black Woods Blue Sky is fascinating and tricky and moving. It’s a book that begs to be discussed — it would make a fantastic pick for a book group book. Readers who loved The Snow Child will love this book too. Its blend of nature and fantasy, plus its focus on parents and children, is affecting and thought-provoking, and it’s a reading experience that stays with you even after reading the final pages and closing the covers.

6Feb2025

Book Review: Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Three Days in June
Author: Anne Tyler
Publisher: Knopf
Publication date: February 11, 2025
Length: 176 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter’s wedding.

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, Three Days in June is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers

Three Days in June is a short, sharp tale of family and marriage. As the title promises, the story unfolds over three days — the days before, of, and after the main character’s daughter’s wedding. Really, all you need to know is that Three Days in June is prime Anne Tyler. If you’re a fan, you know already that you need to read this!

Gail is 61 years old, works in administration at a Baltimore private school, and has lived alone for over 20 years following her divorce. Her only child, daughter Debbie, is a 30-something lawyer about to get married. Gail is slightly befuddled by the wedding plans, which Debbie’s soon-to-be in-laws have taken charge of — combining their abundant money with copious Google searches on how to coordinate a wedding, to produce an event that’s simple yet by-the-book. Of course, it would have been nice if Gail had been invited to the Day of Beauty (not that she’d even known a Day of Beauty was a pre-wedding tradition)… but then again, would she really have wanted to be forced to socialize all day at the spa?

Sometimes when I find out what’s on other people’s minds I honestly wonder if we all live on totally separate planets.

Her work life is confusing as well. A successful staff member, or so she thought, Gail’s just learned that when her boss retires, someone else will get the job she expected to be promoted into — and what’s worse, that new person will be bringing her own staff, effectively replacing Gail entirely. When Gail’s boss tells her, as if it’s supposed to be obvious, that she lacks people skills, it throws her into a tizzy… which is compounded by the arrival of her ex-husband Max on her doorstep. Max has arrived with a foster cat and in need of a place to stay. What’s Gail to do? Determined to make the best of things for Debbie’s sake, she reluctantly lets Max into her home — and by doing so, reopens memories of their past together, and where their marriage went wrong.

Three Days in June is very much a slice of life narrative. The events portrayed are ordinary; they’re one family’s experience of a significant moment, but nothing that happens is terribly dramatic. The beauty of Three Days in June is, in fact, it’s ordinariness. Through Gail’s eyes, we see into the dynamics of a family, with its ups and downs, the relationships that change over time, the impact of divorce on a child, and the ways in which adult parents interact when they lead separate lives.

I loved the writing and the gentle storytelling in Three Days in June. Anne Tyler, as always, excels at showing the inner workings of a marriage, as the sad, complicated story of Gail and Max’s divorce unfolds, but also as we see the two of them reconnecting at this much different stage of their lives. Seeing the realizations that come with age and experience makes this book feel very relatable and real.

That’s something you forget when you’ve been on your own awhile: those married couple conversations that continue intermittently for weeks, sometimes, branching out and doubling back and looping into earlier strands like a piece of crochet work.

At a length of under 200 pages, Three Days in June is a short treat that can be read in one cozy, extended sitting. I felt that I really got to know the characters based on how they lived their lives over these three days. So many little moments ring true. It’s all quite human and lovely.

Over the course of my reading life, I’ve read many Anne Tyler books (this is her 25th novel!), although I don’t always stay on top of her new releases. (I was startled to realize that the last book I read by her, A Spool of Blue Thread, was published 7 years ago!). According to her biography, Anne Tyler is 83 years old. Clearly, she’s still going strong! Here’s to many more Anne Tyler novels yet to come!

For those who are fans, Three Days in June is obviously a must-read. For anyone new to this author, why not pick it up and give it a try? It’s a lovely example of her approach, and I’d imagine anyone reading this book as an intro to the author will be hungry for more by the time they’re done.

25Jan2025

Book Review: The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Bones Beneath My Skin
Author: TJ Klune
Publisher: Tor
Publication date: Originally published 2018; reissued February 4, 2025
Length: 416 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Purchased (Kindle); ARC (reissued edition)
Rating:

A spine-tingling thriller by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, about a 10-year-old girl with an impossible power, her father, and an unlikely stranger, who come together to confront the dangerous forces that want her at all costs. A strange story of family, love, comets, and bacon. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things.

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he’s been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family’s summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It’s not. Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn’t exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

The Bones Beneath My Skin, originally published in 2018, is getting a gorgeous new hardcover edition this year for its re-release by Tor Publishing. Not only is it beautiful to look at, but it’s a terrific book, and I’m only sorry I didn’t read it earlier.

As the book opens, Nate Cartwright has been fired from his DC journalism job due to a pretty major indiscretion. Long estranged from his parents, he learns that they’ve left him their remote cabin by a lake in Oregon. With nowhere else to go and no one in his life, he heads to the cabin to recover, spend time in isolation, and figure out what options he has left.

To Nate’s surprise, the cabin is already occupied by a gruff ex-Marine and a 10-year-old girl who introduces herself with the unlikely name of Artemis Darth Vader. Alex is injured, quick to point a gun at Nate, and highly suspicious and protective. Artemis (Art), on the other hand, is full of sunshine and questions and precocity, and seems to be obsessed with the large collection of Western paperbacks lining the walls of the cabin.

“Besides, Nate will be sad if we leave. He likes us.”

“I don’t like either of you at all,” Nate said.

“You made us bacon.”

“That doesn’t mean I like you.”

“It certainly seemed that way,” she said. “If you give someone something that good, it has to mean something. You can’t just give a gift without having feelings behind it.”

“It was just breakfast.”

Nate is tempted to flee — but doesn’t. As he spends time with Alex and Art, he recognizes that something mysterious and beyond his understanding is going on, but also starts to feel a strange connection to these intruders. Even when dangerous outside forces arrive and force them to make a desperate attempt at escape, Nate finds himself firmly on Alex and Art’s side. As the three hit the road, danger follows — and yet, as they spend time together, the loveliest of found families is formed.

I’m being deliberately vague. There’s isn’t much to say outright about the details of this book that won’t be major plot spoilers. I have a feeling many reviews will reveal exactly what’s going on with Alex and Art — but I enjoyed seeing the pieces come together, and want to leave that sense of discovery for others to enjoy as well.

The plot includes action sequences, but also lovely scenes of personal connection, humor, sharing, and meditations on the intricacies of life and emotions. Nate, Alex, and Art are all terrific characters — I dare anyone to read this book and not fall completely under the spell of Artemis Darth Vader.

There are intense moments that seems pointed toward tragedy and heartbreak, and also moments of calm and quiet beauty. The ending is very satisfying, and made my heart happy.

It’s interesting to read the author’s notes from the Kindle edition (from the original publication in 2018), and then see the author’s notes from the reissue. They’re different, but both explain how he decided to self-publish this book, which was a thematic departure for him from his previous, traditionally published books, and how the self-publishing process worked out.

With the re-release coming in February, The Bones Beneath My Skin should reach a much wider audience, and that’s a very good thing indeed. I loved this book, and already know I’ll want to do a re-read.

Fans of the Green Creek series will love this book too. And hey, the town of Green Creek even gets a mention! If you love quirky, emotional stories about found family, with clever, quippy dialogue and unforgettable characters, don’t miss The Bones Beneath My Skin.

7Jan2025

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2025

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2025.

Despite good intentions (read more from my shelves! request fewer ARCs!), I find myself with an absolute TON of ARCs and preorders for new books releasing over the next few months. Yes, I’m looking forward to reading them all (that’s why I requested/ordered them!), but it feels like a lot to keep up with, no matter how amazing they’ll all be.

Still — I really am excited about reading these upcoming new releases!

Here are (just some of) the books I can’t wait to read in the first half of 2025:

Listed in order of release date:

The Sirens by Emilia Hart (3/4/2025)
The Tomb of Dragons (Cemeteries of Amalo, #3) by Katherine Addison (3/11/2025)
The Martian Contingency (Lady Astronaut, #4) by Mary Robinette Kowal (3/18/2025)
When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi (3/25/2025)
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez (4/1/2025)
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (4/22/2025)
Overgrowth by Mira Grant (5/6/2025)
Death at a Highland Wedding (A Rip Through Time, #4) by Kelley Armstrong (5/20/2025)
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (6/3/2025)
The Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady (6/3/2024)
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune (5/22/2025)

Yes, that’s eleven, not ten: I just couldn’t decide which one to drop!

What upcoming new releases are you most excited for? If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!

3Jan2025

Book Review: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children, #10) by Seanan McGuire

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear
Series: Wayward Children, #10
Author: Seanan McGuire
Publisher: Tor
Publication date: January 7, 2025
Length: 160 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley

Giant turtles, impossible ships, and tidal rivers ridden by a Drowned girl in search of a family in the latest in the bestselling Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Wayward Children series from Seanan McGuire.

Nadya had three mothers: the one who bore her, the country that poisoned her, and the one who adopted her.

Nadya never considered herself less than whole, not until her adoptive parents fitted her with a prosthetic arm against her will, seeking to replace the one she’d been missing from birth.

It was cumbersome; it was uncomfortable; it was wrong.

It wasn’t her.

Frustrated and unable to express why, Nadya began to wander, until the day she fell through a door into Belyrreka, the Land Beneath the Lake–and found herself in a world of water, filled with child-eating amphibians, majestic giant turtles, and impossible ships that sailed as happily beneath the surface as on top. In Belyrreka, she found herself understood for who she was: a Drowned Girl, who had made her way to her real home, accepted by the river and its people.

But even in Belyrreka, there are dangers, and trials, and Nadya would soon find herself fighting to keep hold of everything she had come to treasure.

Adrift in Currents Clear and Clean is the 10th book in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series, and I’m pleased to say that the series is going strong. In fact, Adrift stands out as one of the best in the series, as far as I’m concerned.

In this 10th book, the story never actually ventures into Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, the setting that anchors the series and creates a connection between all of the books and their characters. Instead, Adrift tells the story of one particular Wayward Child, Nadya, and what happens to her in the world of Belyrreka.

Nadya is not a new character — although, if you’re like me, it might take more than a slight hint to put the pieces together. Readers of the series were introduced to Nadya in the 3rd book, Beneath the Sugar Sky. In that book, Nadya was a student at Eleanor West’s home, having gone through a portal to another world and then been returned to our own. Nadya, like the other characters in the series, was left to yearn for the world that feels like her true home and wait for the day when that world might call her back.

Adrift in Currents Clear and Clean takes us back to Nadya’s origin story. Abandoned at birth, Nadya is raised in a Russian orphanage — a bright child who thrives on caring for the other children and helping them find forever homes.

She was young and sweet and innocent and hard, in the way of children raised in job lots rather than individually; she was doing her best to be a good person, and to figure out what that meant in the context of the world she knew and had and understood.

Born without a right arm below the elbow, Nadya has never felt that she was disabled or missing anything at all; this is who she is, and she manages perfectly well. But at age nine, Nadya is finally adopted herself, by an American missionary couple who see taking in an imperfect child as a good deed. They don’t love her for herself; they love having her as proof of their own goodness.

Nadya’s new life in American is filled with things and luxuries that she wouldn’t have had in the land of her birth, and she knows that she must be compliant and grateful at all times — until the day that her adoptive parents take her to the doctor to receive a prosthetic arm. Nadya doesn’t want it — she’s fine as she is — but her objections don’t matter. She’s forced into wearing the prosthetic, which is clunky and hurts her skin. Now, for the first time, children at school see her as other; she’s not Nadya their playmate any longer, but the girl with the strange fake arm.

Miserable, Nadya goes for a walk to her favorite place, the turtle pond near her home. When she sees a strange shadow on the water that looks almost like a door, she leans in for a closer look, and falls in. Instead of drowning, Nadya wakes on the shores of a strange river in a strange world — and finds a wonderful place where she belongs, finds purpose and connection and true family, and knows that she’s finally home.

Nadya’s life in Belyrreka is wondrous. It’s a world of water — people live beneath the river and the lake, in cities where water has different weights. Some water is for breathing, some for swimming. Heavier water is deeper, and people ride boats and turtles through the lighter water to the dry world above, where they fish and farm and bring back sustenance to the cities. I can understand why Nadya would never want to leave Belyrreka — I would willingly have read much, much more about it.

Of course, if you’ve read Beneath the Sugar Sky, you’ll know that in that book, Nadya is introduced as a girl who returned from a watery world — so Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear is a prequel, of sorts, to that book. We read Adrift knowing that Nadya will inevitably be wrenched away from Belyrreka. Seeing her happiness in this world is a special kind of sadness for the reader; we know that her time is limited, even if she does not.

Beneath the Sugar Sky also provides a coda to Nadya’s story in Adrift. When I finished Adrift — with a lump in my throat — I went back to Beneath the Sugar Sky and read the conclusion of Nadya’s part of that story. Without saying too much, I’ll just note that the payoff made my tears go away!

Many readers note having uneven experiences with the Wayward Children series. For me, it’s been generally wonderful all the way through, although yes, some books in the series are more memorable or powerful or affecting than others. We all have our favorites — and now that I’ve read Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, I can say with certainty that it’s one of the best.

As I’ve said with my review of each books in the series, I highly recommend starting at the beginning and continuing from there. Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear is a self-contained story that can be read on its own; there are no other characters or plotlines in it that require knowledge of earlier events in the series. Still, I recommend reading it as part of the whole, in order to get the full impact.

Nadya’s story is incredibly moving, and the world of Belyrreka is a delight. Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear is a terrific addition to an inventive, always-changing series. Don’t miss it.