Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire

Title: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children #10)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tordotcom 2025

Genre: Fantasy

Pages:160

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Cover Lover - Aquatic Animal

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

The last book in the Wayward Children series? Maybe? This volume is really just the story of Nadya and her time in our world and in the Drowned World. We get connections to the rest of the series just in the larger multiverse way. None of the other characters appear in the pages. I did love seeing Nadya find her place in the Drowned World and become something more than she was. I loved exploring a new strange world. But my favorite parts were definitely the conversations with the foxes. I really wanted to spend more time with them. Overall, a very enjoyable small novella.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

• #6 Across the Green Grass Fields

• #7 Where the Drowned Girls Go

• #8 Lost in the Moment and Found

• #9 Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

• #10 Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

Title: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known(Wayward Children #9)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tordotcom 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages:146

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - No People on the Cover; Library Love

Antsy is the latest student to pass through the doors at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children.

When the school’s (literally irresistible) mean girl realizes that Antsy's talent for finding absolutely anything may extend to doors, Antsy is forced to flee in the company of a small group of friends, looking for a way back to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be sure that Vineta and Hudson are keeping their promise.

Along the way, they will travel from a world which hides painful memories that cut as sharply as its beauty, to a land that time wasn’t yet old enough to forget―and more than one student's life will change forever.

“People who’ve been hurt often think they have some sort of right tot go around hurting other people,” said Sumi. “They think trauma’s a toy to keep handing down forever. Bu the fact that someone hurt you and tied you up in knots doesn’t give you the right to it to anybody else.” Pg. 94

That quote right there sums up the entire series and literally had me in tears. Beautiful story about a collection of characters struggling to find their places in the world (or multiple worlds). This volume is most definitely directly continues the story in the previous volume. We get a concise story of Antsy finding her way back and helping other characters on the way. I felt something akin to catharsis when I reached the final page. One of the best feelings.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

• #6 Across the Green Grass Fields

• #7 Where the Drowned Girls Go

• #8 Lost in the Moment and Found

• #9 Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

Next up on the TBR pile:

Under the Smokestrewn Sky by A. Deborah Baker

Title: Under the Smokestrewn Sky (The Up and Under #4)

Author: A. Deborah Baker

Publisher: Tordotcom 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 195

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Since stumbling from their world into the Up and Under, Avery and Zib have walked the improbable road across forests, seas and skies, finding friends in the unlikeliest of places and enemies great in number, as they make their way toward the Impossible City in the hope of finding their way home.

But the final part of their journey is filled with danger and demise. Not everyone will make it through unscathed. Not everyone will make it through alive.

We finally come to the end of Avery and Zib’s adventures in The Up and Under. Overall, I really enjoyed this series so much. There’s a bit of Alice in Wonderland in there, a bit of The Wizard of Oz, and so much wit and introspection from Seanan McGuire. Adding Jack to the mix in the last book really completed the group for the last adventure. The reveal involving the Crow Girl was just about the most perfect way to continue the story and bring the threads together. I appreciate the fact that we get a definite end to the storyline. Seeing the characters find their places was the perfect way to conclude. I’ll be excited to see what McGuire writes next.

The Up and Under

• #1 Over the Woodward Wall

• #2 Along the Saltwise Sea

• #3 Into the Windwracked Wilds

• #4 Under the Smokestrewn Sky

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire

Title: Lost in the Moment and Found (Wayward Children #8)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tordotcom 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages:146

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; 52 Book Club - Under 200 Pages

Welcome to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go.

If you ever lost a sock, you’ll find it here.
If you ever wondered about a favorite toy from childhood... it’s probably sitting on a shelf in the back.
And the headphones that you swore this time you’d keep safe? You guessed it….

Antoinette has lost her father. Metaphorically. He’s not in the Shop, and she’ll never see him again. But when Antsy finds herself lost (literally, this time), she discovers that however many doors open for her, leaving the Shop for good might not be as simple as it sounds.

And stepping through those doors exacts a price.

CW: Grooming, Child Abuse

First, a note about the content warning. No child abuse happens on the page. As the reader, you know that’s where Antsy’s life is heading. But then, she runs aways before anything actually happens. The threat is so big that she runs away from her life pretty spontaneously. From there, the story really gets started.

I absolutely loved this story of lost innocence and the prices we pay in life. This volume felt very personal, almost as if McGuire was letting us glimpse her own life. And therefore, the story felt more real, more important, than some of her other writings. I was rooting for Antsy from page one, hoping she would be able to find her place. We get to visit another interesting world while glimpsing a few others (including an appearance by a certain set of twins). I read this in one sitting and that felt just right. Dazzling volume in this favorite series!

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

• #6 Across the Green Grass Fields

• #7 Where the Drowned Girls Go

• #8 Lost in the Moment and Found

Next up on the TBR pile:

Into the Windwracked Wilds by A. Deborah Baker

Title: Along the Saltwise Sea (The Up and Under #3)

Author: A. Deborah Baker

Publisher: Tordotcom 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 224

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

When the improbable road leaves Avery and Zib in the land of Air and at the mercy of the Queen of Swords, escape without becoming monsters may be impossible. But with the aid of the Queen's son, the unpredictable Jack Daw, they may emerge with enough of their humanity to someday make it home. Their journey is not yet over; the dangers are no less great.

We continue on with Avery and Zib’s journey on the Improbable Road. Or more accurately, their journey after losing the Improbably Road. We finally get more information about Crow Girl’s past and specifically her making. And we get to meet some great new characters. The mosasaur was an intriguing “monster” lurking the sea. The Queen of Swords was suitable mercurial and cruel. But my favorite was Jack Daw. I loved seeing his interaction with the other characters and especially his explanations for the inner workings of The Up and Under. It looks like Jack Daw will continue with our misfit band for at least a little while. I am very excited to continue reading this series.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

Title: Where the Drowned Girls Go (Wayward Children #7)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 150

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

"Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you’ve already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company."

There is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again.
It isn't as friendly as Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.
And it isn't as safe.

When Eleanor West decided to open her school, her sanctuary, her "Home for Wayward Children," she knew from the beginning that there would be children she couldn’t save; when Cora decides she needs a different direction, a different fate, a different prophecy, Miss West reluctantly agrees to transfer her to the other school, where things are run very differently by Whitethorn, the Headmaster.

She will soon discover that not all doors are welcoming...

Thankful that this series returned to its roots with this volume. I wasn’t really a fan of the last volume, but Cora pulled me back into the world of the Wayward Children. Cora was a bit of a side character in a previous adventure, but this is her book. We follow her as she deals with the disappointment of her circumstance and decision to leave the Home for Wayward Children. I found the Whitethorn Institute to be a fascinating counterpoint to Miss West’s school. Of course, there is a mystery to solved and familiar faces that pop up in the story. I sped through this one, reading it in only 24 hours. Love this series of vignettes.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

• #6 Across the Green Grass Fields

• #7 Where the Drowned Girls Go

Next up on the TBR pile:

Along the Saltwise Sea by A. Deborah Baker

Title: Along the Saltwise Sea (The Up and Under #2)

Author: A. Deborah Baker

Publisher: Tordotcom 2021

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 193

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

After climbing Over the Woodward Wall and making their way across the forest, Avery and Zib found themselves acquiring some extraordinary friends in their journey through the Up-and-Under.

After staying the night, uninvited, at a pirate queen’s cottage in the woods, the companions find themselves accountable to its owner, and reluctantly agree to work off their debt as her ship sets sail, bound for lands unknown. But the queen and her crew are not the only ones on board, and the monsters at sea aren’t all underwater.

The friends will need to navigate the stormy seas of obligation and honor on their continuing journey along the improbable road

Another installment in Avery and Zib’s adventures in the Up and Under. I’m still getting the vibes of a cross between The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. For this slim volume, we are treated to a whole new area on the sea with a fascinating cast of characters. Captain Alas is a gem in this one. I do think that Baker could have pumped up the path to the sea and cut out the big “previously on” chapter at the beginning. But I really enjoyed the adventure and cannot until the next one is published.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

Title: Across the Green Grass Fields (Wayward Children #6)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2021

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 176

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

“Welcome to the Hooflands. We’re happy to have you, even if you being here means something’s coming.”

Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.

When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to "Be Sure" before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines―a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.

But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem…

I have absolutely loved the Wayward Children series, but this volume felt very disconnected and flat to me. I have loved the horror elements to previous volumes, but this one was a little too twee for me. I kept expecting Regan to encounter more creatures and adventures. Unfortunately it felt like the story went nowhere for 70% of the book. It didn’t really get interesting until she encountered the kelpie. I just would have liked more from this story. Here’s hoping the next volume brings back all the elements that I have loved.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

• #6 Across the Green Grass Fields

Next up on the TBR pile:

Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker

Title: Over the Woodward Wall

Author: A. Deborah Baker

Publisher: Tordotcom 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 208

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Avery is an exceptional child. Everything he does is precise, from the way he washes his face in the morning, to the way he completes his homework – without complaint, without fuss, without prompt.

Zib is also an exceptional child, because all children are, in their own way. But where everything Avery does and is can be measured, nothing Zib does can possibly be predicted, except for the fact that she can always be relied upon to be unpredictable.

They live on the same street.
They live in different worlds.

On an unplanned detour from home to school one morning, Avery and Zib find themselves climbing over a stone wall into the Up and Under – an impossible land filled with mystery, adventure and the strangest creatures.

And they must find themselves and each other if they are to also find their way out and back to their own lives.

Oh goodness… This is definitely going onto my year-end Top 10 Reads! A new fun and twisty book from Seanan McGuire was just what I needed this week! Right away I got Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz vibes from this tale of two opposite children transported to a very improbable world. And those feelings kept getting stronger as the story progressed. I loved following Avery and Zib (hello A to Z!) as they attempt to escape the Up and Under, but ultimately find themselves and each other along the way. This is for fans of twisty fairy tales and nonsense worlds. I imagine that I will be pushing this book onto all my friends for the rest of the year.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire

Title: Come Tumbling Down (Wayward Children #4)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 203

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

When Jack left Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister—whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice—back to their home on the Moors.

But death in their adopted world isn't always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome.

Eleanor West's "No Quests" rule is about to be broken.

Again.

What a delightfully dark ending to the series! I loved every single page. McGuire creates such twisted worlds for us to explore. I loved going back to the Moors and revisiting Jack and Jill. Unfortunately this story was over just too soon for my tastes. I want more and more and more from the worlds in the Wayward Children series. For fans of dark fairy tales, this is just perfection. I feel like I need go back and read McGuire’s back catalog.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

Next up on the TBR pile:

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

Title: In an Absent Dream (Wayward Children #4)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 208

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Women Author; Seasonal Series - Dark Cover

This is the story of a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.

When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise. Alas, everything costs at the goblin market, and when her time there is drawing to a close, she makes the kind of bargain that never plays out well.

Finally! We get to hear Lundy’s story. She is just an interesting side character in the series and I had been intrigued by her background. In this volume, we get her entire story up until moving to the Home for Wayward Children. In the overall scheme of books, I seriously loved this story and am going to give it 5 stars. Within the context of the series, I think this is my least favorite so far. It didn’t have as much weirdness as the others. But I really did love visiting the Goblin Market and meeting Moon and The Archivist.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

Title: Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 174

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Share-a-Tea; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Hyped Series

Beneath the Sugar Sky, the third book in McGuire's Wayward Children series, returns to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children in a standalone contemporary fantasy for fans of all ages. At this magical boarding school, children who have experienced fantasy adventures are reintroduced to the "real" world.

When Rini lands with a literal splash in the pond behind Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, the last thing she expects to find is that her mother, Sumi, died years before Rini was even conceived. But Rini can’t let Reality get in the way of her quest – not when she has an entire world to save! (Much more common than one would suppose.)

If she can't find a way to restore her mother, Rini will have more than a world to save: she will never have been born in the first place. And in a world without magic, she doesn’t have long before Reality notices her existence and washes her away. Good thing the student body is well-acquainted with quests...

A tale of friendship, baking, and derring-do.

Still so in love with this series and the worlds McGuire has created. I love that we finally get to see Confection and Sumi's story gets to continue. Plus we get to visit Nancy and are introduced to new characters. Such a great adventure story. I devoured this one in less than two days. I just couldn't help myself. This volume was great, but what I really want is more of Christopher's story. I really hope we get to see more soon.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway
• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones
• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky
• #4 In an Absent Dream
• #5 Come Tumbling Down

Next up on the TBR pile:

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

Title: Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 190

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Twins; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Fantasy Series

Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.

This is the story of what happened first…

Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.

Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.

They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted. 

They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.

All through the first book in this series, I wondered about the history of Jack and Jill. Thankfully McGuire wrote an entire book just about their story and it was truly horrifying. I loved the world of The Moors and the cast of characters that live there. The Master and Dr. Bleak are great villains in a world of villains. I loved reading through the twins's story and ultimate expulsion back to our world. Such a great slim novel.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway
• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones
• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky
• #4 In an Absent Dream
• #5 Come Tumbling Down

Next up on the TBR pile:

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Title: Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2016

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 173

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - LGBTQ+ Protagonist; What's in a Name - Shape; Seasonal Series - LGBTQ+ Characters

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the Home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of things.

No matter the cost.

This slim book is just so incredibly beautiful. I know it's cliche to say that a book is beautifully written, but in this case it's true. I loved devouring every single word of this story. I loved how McGuire dumps the reader into the story without much introduction and world building. Instead we are left to figure out the situation along with Nancy. I was fully immersed from page one. I loved it and can't wait to pick up another book in this series. 

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway
• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones
• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky
• #4 In an Absent Dream
• #5 Come Tumbling Down

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire

Title: Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 182

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Time of day; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Sunglasses

When her sister Patty died, Jenna blamed herself. When Jenna died, she blamed herself for that, too. Unfortunately Jenna died too soon. Living or dead, every soul is promised a certain amount of time, and when Jenna passed she found a heavy debt of time in her record. Unwilling to simply steal that time from the living, Jenna earns every day she leeches with volunteer work at a suicide prevention hotline.

But something has come for the ghosts of New York, something beyond reason, beyond death, beyond hope; something that can bind ghosts to mirrors and make them do its bidding. Only Jenna stands in its way.

Such an atmospheric novella. I randomly picked this one up while looking for some of McGuire's other books. I didn't even know this one existed. I immediately dove into the ghost world of Jenna's Manhattan. McGuire created a full-fleshed world in just a few pages. I was drawn in and didn't get out until the end of the book. I loved the mystery surrounding the ghosts and witches. Sophie was definitely my favorite character. Loved it!

Next up on the TBR pile: