It's flashy and fun and full of adventure, but underneath all of that lurk difficult questions about identity and colonialism. 'Wayward Son's American road trip narrative reflects America itself. In the American West, where people are often spread out across great distances, a magician may reach for magic and find nothing but empty space.

In England, there's magical power everywhere waiting to be tapped because the people are all crowded together in a small island nation.

She also examines the idea that geography matters. In Wayward Son, Rowell explores this further by having our heroes realize that the phrases which work back home may not hold power in a new place where language is used differently. So nursery rhymes, clichés, songs - all the things we repeat again and again are the source of magic power. My favorite aspect of Carry On was the magic system, where the phrases that magicians use to do magic are given their power by repeated usage. Rowell is free to do her own thing, giving us the post-high school road trip of our dreams but with magic and tumultuous romance. This is a very enjoyable read, rendered even more fun than its predecessor by the fact that it isn't encumbered by its inspirational material. Maybe a change of scene and a new mission is just what they all need to put the trauma of saving the world behind them. She's got three tickets to America, and proposes a cross-country road trip to save their friend Agatha, who's gotten herself into some kind of trouble while trying to break ties with her magical past. Baz feels like he's losing Simon – and Simon feels like Baz would be better off without him.īut Penny has a plan. Now he's going through the motions, feeling unworthy of Penny and Baz and unable to match their enthusiasm about the future. He even found unexpected romance with his vampire roommate, Baz.īut in order to save the day, Simon gave up his magic, lost his only parental figures, and opened up a bottomless well of emptiness inside himself. He survived the final showdown with the Insidious Humdrum, he prevented the destruction of magic, and he managed to keep his best friends Penny and Agatha alive through it all.

What happens once the ultimate battle against evil is over, the world is saved, and the chosen one is left traumatized? In Wayward Son, Rowell picks up where she left off. In Carry On, Rainbow Rowell offered us an alternate universe fanfic-inspired love letter to Harry Potter, wherein the chosen one, Simon Snow, falls in love with his nemesis Baz and comes face to face with the fact that being the chosen one is really not so great. Your purchase helps support NPR programming.

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