My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Some of you may know that I am a huge Rainbow Rowell fangirl, but more specifically for her contemporary books like Fangirl and Attachments (and I of course have my eye on the new paperback/Christmas-y edition of Landline). Although I did really like Carry On when it first came out in 2015, I’ve felt kind’ve mixed on the Simon Snow trilogy. I’ll read anything that Rainbow Rowell writes but I’ve been really hoping she’ll come out more contemporary books soon. Wayward Son fell into unexpected middle book syndrome, since most readers thought that it would be the finale of the series (I did like Wayward Son better during my reread this summer, knowing that the book wasn’t the end), so I was really looking forward to seeing how Rainbow wrapped up Simon Snow & company’s story with Any Way the Wind Blows. 

I enjoyedAny Way the Wind Blows but I 100% am here to admit that I thought this book was way too long. I actually sometimes don’t mind ‘fluff’, especially when it comes to series I really enjoy and characters I never want to let go of, but there was so, so much fluff between all the ‘couples’ in this. Listen, I LOVE, love Baz like the rest of us do, but I am here with a quite unpopular opinion: I’m not the biggest fan of Simon. I really love Rainbow Rowell’s concept with the second & third books – what happens when the Chosen One isn’t really the chosen one & after he saves the day – but I still struggle sometimes to understand Simon’s relationships with characters like Baz and Penelope. I also wish we got to spend more time with who unfortunately does not get the spotlight she deserves, Agatha. Ultimately, I did really enjoy Agatha’s storyline in this and I thought her ending was so fitting to the story. 

I also wasn’t super invested in one of the main storylines, as the world of Mages looks to find their new Chosen One. I was kind’ve confused by the Smith storyline. I honestly would’ve rather had the story focus on Simon facing his trauma and figuring out his future, along with our other main characters also figuring out their lives instead of getting the Chosen One storyline. It was kind’ve hard to follow at times, especially with the addition of new characters. In contrast, I really liked the Lady Ruth parts of the story – even though I thought it was kind’ve obvious that we knew someone in her family was related to Simon already…

Overall, I enjoyed Any Way the Wind Blows for some of the character storylines, mainly Agatha and Baz, and yes, for getting to finally know what happens next. I’m pretty content with the ending of the story, although I do think it leaves room for another book… My biggest takeaway about Anyway the Wind Blows and the Simon Snow trilogy is that this fantasy series is truly a character driven story. If you’re someone who likes fantasy but wants some romance and character driven plot vs. focus on the fantasy, this series might just be the one for you. 

Have you read Any Way the Wind Blows or any books in the Simon Snow trilogy? What are your thoughts? What fantasy books have you been loving lately? Share in the comments!