Wayward Son

In Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On, Simon Snow saves the magical world, falls in love, and lives happily ever after. In Wayward Son, Rowell picks up Simon’s story where it left off—and his happily-ever-after isn’t so happy after all. No longer the most powerful magician in the world, Simon is aimless and depressed, moping around his London apartment. His best friend Penelope hatches a plan: she, Simon, and his boyfriend Baz will take a road trip through the United States. The road trip should be a perfect time to relax and unwind, but it turns out America is a lot bigger, a lot more dangerous, and a lot more monster-filled than they would have ever anticipated.

Like all Rowell novels, Wayward Son is replete with lovable, lively characters who readers quickly find themselves invested in. As Simon, Penelope, and Baz run into one conundrum after the other, it’s the emotional and interpersonal dynamics between them just as much as the action-packed plot that keeps the pages turning. The novel’s fast pace makes Rowell’s meditation on “chosen one” narratives less central in this sequel, but with a third book in the series forthcoming, readers can rest assured that more Simon Snow adventures—and greater interrogation of what it means to be the chosen one–are to come.