Oh, this book. I ordered it months before it came out. I had it the day of the release. I read one chapter... And I had to stop. Simon's struggles re his relationship with Baz hit too close to home at the time. It took a lot of effort for me to pick it back up a year later, but I'm so glad I did.

I love the Simon Snow universe. I was already in love with it when reading Fangirl. After it came out, I remember describing Carry On as "Harry Potter for grown up HP fans". Back then I already felt that I preferred this universe, perhaps because it doesn't take itself too seriously, perhaps because it's so much more diverse. Wayward Son cements that conviction. 

Here, Rainbow Rowell subverts the "Chosen One" trope beautifully. All we normally see of heroes after they have fulfilled their destiny is an epilogue where they are unbelievably well-adjusted, or years into the future when they have already dealt with their trauma. Wayward Son picks up merely a year after the events of Carry On, and we get to see the effects of what happened in the first book, the loss and trauma that Simon experiences after everything he trusted, everything he thought he was, is destroyed.

Simon crumbles down. Baz is desperate to get through to him. Penny is lost and frayed. Agatha is in denial. They've all lost so much, and they cling desperately to their pasts in need of security. Throughout the book they learn to let go, and by the end I think they're ready to find themselves again and anew—even if they don't know it yet.

The final chapters deserve a special mention for giving Penny a depth I had been missing since Carry On, she's finally depicted as the star we readers knew she was.

I was convinced I wouldn't like Wayward Son as much as Carry On because it hurt so much more to read, but I was wrong. This sequel is, in my opinion, better than the first book. It breaks free from all expectations and invents something new.

I love the Simon Snow universe with all my heart. And I really can't wait to see what's next in Any Way The Wind Blows.