I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire Series: Wayward Children #9
Published by Tordotcom on January 9 2024
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 160
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: More portals, more angst, and more adventures (and dinosaurs!) await readers in the ninth Wayward Children book.
“We ask, again and again, why the doors take kids, and I think it’s a combination of things—kids are more flexible, they adjust better to things like ‘Oh hey, I’m a mermaid now’ or ‘Oh hey, that’s a dinosaur,’ or ‘Oh hey, the world is made of candy.’ They don’t argue that something can’t exist when it’s looking them right in the eye.”
I can’t believe we’re up to book #9 in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series! I’ve been reading since the beginning, and even though not every book has been a runaway hit with me, I feel invested in finding out how everything ends, so I’m here for the long haul. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is a mix of old and new characters and situations, and for me it felt a bit more scattered than some of the other books. Still, it’s nice to be back in McGuire’s world, where children who have been through doors to other worlds are trying to deal with their experiences.
After Antsy’s adventures in Lost In the Moment and Found, she’s come to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. Antsy was in a Nexus world, a hub with many doors to other worlds. But during her time there, she lost time, since every trip through a door takes away some of your life. Antsy ended up aging—she’s really only nine years old, but she now looks sixteen—and she’s trying to come to terms with this disturbing fact.
Antsy has a cool ability, though: she can find lost things. And here is where the adventure begins. Some of the other kids at the home want her to find things. A girl named Seraphina wants to find her door, and so Antsy, Kade, Christopher, Emily, Cora and a few other kids go on a quest, which by the way is forbidden by Eleanor West. Nevertheless, they find themselves on an adventure and go to some unexpected places.
At the end of the last book, Antsy wasn’t in a very good place, so I was happy to see her storyline resolved in a nice way. McGuire brings back many of the characters from previous books, and I loved how they worked together to solve problems. Eleanor West’s home isn’t necessarily a comfortable place to be, since many of the children who wind up there are feeling uncertain about where they really belong. It’s more of a place to work through issues and come to terms with disappointment, although once in a while children do manage to find their door again.
And if you’re wondering about the dinosaurs on the cover, Antsy manages to find a door to a dinosaur world, where the kids discover several surprises. Although the dinos don’t play a big part in the story, I thought that world fit in perfectly with McGuire’s whimsical imagination. The kids also discover a character from the last book in this world—and in fact, they decide to rescue them and take them home—and I really enjoyed that subplot.
Despite the things I enjoyed, though, one of my least favorite characters in the series makes an appearance. I honestly didn’t like Sumi from the moment I met her in Beneath the Sugar Sky, and she still grates on me. I think of Sumi as Seanan McGuire’s conduit for imparting pithy statements about the themes in her books, like trauma recovery, being yourself, finding your place in the world, etc. Every time Sumi opened her mouth, I cringed at her preachy dialogue (I don’t do well with outright preaching in books, sorry), but thankfully her scenes were short.
And I can’t help thinking this series would be best as a binge read. With a year between books, it’s easy to forget all the ins and outs of the plot and keep track of the characters and worlds. I’ve heard a rumor that the next book is the last in the series, so the possibility of a binge read isn’t too far off.
Still, there is a lot of good in this book. We get a few lovely illustrations from series regular Rovina Cai, whose artwork perfectly fits the story. And I have to say McGuire is a genius at endings. When I least expected it, she hit me with a quick jab to the heart, ensuring that yes, I will definitely be reading the next book.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy. Above quote was taken from an uncorrected proof and may differ in the final version of the book.
This sounds like a great series and I’m glad you enjoyed this. I might try to check out the first book especially if the series would work well as a binge read 😀
Pages and Tea recently posted…Reading Resolutions 2024
It’s definitely worth trying:-)
I am woefully behind with this series and one of these days I will have to bring myself up to speed: your comment about it being perfect for some binge reading is very encouraging…. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…MY BOOKISH STATS FOR 2023
I would binge read it again if I had time:-)
Great review, Tammy! I’m glad you enjoyed this book because I know how much you like the series. 10 seems like a good number to end the series with if the rumor is true and the next one is the final book. Thanks for sharing! 😀
I agree, 10 would be a nice round number to end with:-)
I don’t think I realised how many books were in this series. Wow.
Not one I’ve kept up with unfortunately and I’m unlikely to catch up now – although never say never.
Lynn 😀
I know, with nine already it would be a commitment.
I’m so far behind on this series. I think the last one I read had to do with the Goblin Market 0- maybe 5 or 6. I really need to catch up soon but NOT SUMI! Beneath the Sugar Sky has been my least favorite of the ones I did read so I don’t like seeing her name here. I do love the cover though and considering we now refer to Baby Zeke as Baby Raptor, the dinosaur catches my attention.
Barb @ Booker T’s Farm recently posted…Feed Your TBR – Immortal Dark
I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t like Sumi, lol. And oh how cute, Baby Raptor!
Agree with everything in your review! I do love these books… and I also feel like I lose the plot a bit from year to year and end up needing refreshers on the many, many characters who pop in and out. (I did a reread of the previous book about a month before reading this one, which helped a lot). I hadn’t heard the next might be the last! I hope not…
I’ll be OK with the series wrapping up, but honestly I can see it going on for more books:-)
I love the premise of this so much! And binge reading them sounds fabulous. I might just do that since I haven’t started these yet.
Greg recently posted…Bookcover Spotlight
You definitely want to start at the beginning!
Someday I will read these I think but Robin enjoys them.
They’re all very short, and I think a binge read would be fun once the series is complete.
I’ve been saying for years that I’m going to start this series. Maybe 2024 will finally be the year, lol.
You should! The books are short, and it’s such a fun series.
I really do need to start this series. And another book with dinosaurs, eh? 🙂
Oh yes, and my LAST dinosaur book for a while, lol.
“Although the dinos don’t play a big part in the story, I thought that world fit in perfectly with McGuire’s whimsical imagination. The kids also discover a character from the last book in this world—and in fact, they decide to rescue them and take them home—and I really enjoyed that subplot. […] And I have to say McGuire is a genius at endings. When I least expected it, she hit me with a quick jab to the heart, ensuring that yes, I will definitely be reading the next book.”
Same and same! Also, the surprise ending features my favourite character in the series, so it was bittersweet…but overall, I’m more happy than sad about the whole thing.
I have to say that I do love Sumi…but I understand where you’re coming from.
I wonder if you got the impression that Book 10 will be the last from the same reviews that I’ve read, the ones speculating about the school’s fate in lieu of some recent developments with its founder…or you heard your rumours elsewhere. Anyway, I really hope it’s not the case…I love the series, and there are still so many places it can go (like Emily’s Halloween world!).
Roberta R. recently posted…Seanan McGuire: “Mislaid in Parts Half-Known” (ARC Review)
I know lots of people who love Sumi, I think it’s a “me” thing. And I can’t remember where I read that about book 10. I’ll have to do some googling and try to find it again.
You are literally the only person I know who is up-to-date with this series! It gives me hope that there’s a fun adventure to discover, and I can’t wait to finally read it now. Great review, Tammy! 😀
Lashaan Balasingam recently posted…My Monthly Anticipation | January 2024
Thanks Lashaan! I’m actually shocked I’m up to date, lol.
Of course the dinosaur on the cover grabbed me. And I’ve really got to read this author at some point. But sounds like I need to read all the others in the series first. Great review, glad you enjoyed some of it, even if it wasn’t perfect!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Top 10 of 2023: Top 10 Book Boyfriends (Characters)
I would start at the beginning of this series for sure.
Dinosaurs! I have only read the forst three books in the series so I should get back to it (and I’ll do it, soomer or later!).
I am sorry that there were some disappointing things in there, but all in all it seems like it worked out in the end, yay!
It was a nice change of pace to read about dinosaurs;-)
Good to know that the series continues strong. I’ve missed a couple and want to get back to them.