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I can’t get enough of The Wayward Children series and was excited to receive a Netgalley arc of the ninth book, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known.

“The series as a whole has wonderfully internally consistent world building and characters, no matter how far in the background, with complexity and depth.” —Booklist

About The Book 📚

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

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publication Date: Jan 9, 2024

Publisher: Tordotcom

Genre: LGBT+, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Pages: 149

Content Warnings: bullying, child abuse, transphobia, grief

About The Author

“Seanan is the author of the October Daye urban fantasies, the InCryptid urban fantasies, and several other works both stand-alone and in trilogies or duologies. In case that wasn’t enough, she also writes under the pseudonym “Mira Grant.” For details on her work as Mira, check out MiraGrant.com.”

• See her full Bio at https://seananmcguire.com/bio.php

My Review

› The cover of Mislaid in Parts Half-Known gives the impression that dinosaurs have a big part of the story, which is not the case. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this installment of The Wayward Children series. The character development, world-building, writing style, plot, and intrigue are always top-notch in every book that I’ve read by McGuire.

› “Children of the doors know about being mislaid. They are well-acquainted with stepping through an opening or following a passage that should lead from here to there, and finding themselves someplace entirely else, someplace entirely new.”

› Antoinette, Antsy to her friends, sometimes gets a sort of static in her head which she’s learned is a signal that there is something nearby that wants to be found and she can find anything. Before living at Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children, she lived in The Place Where the Lost Things Go. She loved being there, but something changed, making her feel unsure and you can only stay in your magical door-land if you are sure. Her inside age doesn’t match her physical appearance because she aged differently in her previous world. A couple of the children at the school discover Antsy’s ability and try to force her to find their doors. Cora, Kade, Sumi, and Christopher help Antsy look for a safe place for her to live.

› Characters: 10
The Wayward Children series has a diverse cast of interesting and well-developed characters.
Sumi is my favourite. She made me laugh many times with her quick wit and dry humour.
“If I was nice all the time, that would be predictable, and if I become predictable, I die inside.”

› Atmosphere: 10
Incredible descriptions and world-building. I love how McGuire’s writing creates a unique atmosphere for each door-world.

› Writing Style: 10
The whimsical writing style is easy to read with authentic dialogue, however, there are dark parts that are hard to read.

› Plot: 6
The beginning had me immediately engaged, lost me a bit in the middle, but ended strong. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known didn’t make me worry about the characters like other books in the series did.

› Intrigue: 10
I didn’t want to put it down. Antsy’s story is heartbreaking and the message of breaking cycles of abuse is important.

› Logic: 10

› Enjoyment: 7

Average 9
My Rating ★★★★★

Average Story Graph Rating 4.38

Average Goodreads Rating 4.3

› Final Thoughts
• Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is an adventurous, emotional, fast-paced sci-fi fantasy about the pursuit of freedom, found family, and healing trauma.

 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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I want to acknowledge that I am on the traditional territories of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Wendake-Nionwentsïo, and Mississauga. https://native-land.ca/