Into the Windwracked Wildss has a signature Seanan McGuire lyrical quality to the writing. There's always a sense of whimsy and gorgeous phrases mixed with sentences that kind of stop you in your tracks. They manage to be profound and simple all at once if that makes sense? Either way, it is what I've come to associate with Seanan McGuire and Into the Windwracked Wilds has it! Additionally, this sequel has that fairy tale quality and logic. The ways it will take you back in nostalgia to the rules you follow because it's a fairy tale world and why wouldn't you?

To all the things that just make sense without thinking? It's a world with rules none of us know and has an almost Alice and Wonderland kind of vibe. With this entire series, there's a hidden piece of wisdom hidden underneath quests, infinite falling, and magical creatures. To channel my inner story, "Into the Windwracked Wilds is a story that feels like a story". Throughout it also focuses on ownership and agency as a theme. This idea of who owns us, the power in a name. Additionally, the theme I loved the most was this idea of how does one become a monster and how do we remain ourselves.

Into the Windwracked Wilds by A. Deborah Baker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yet another step upon the improbable road. :)

I've been enjoying these quite alchemical books probably more because they're the actual fictional books showing up in the Middlegame series by Seanan, informing THAT series how to assume godlike powers, more than I enjoy it as a regular middle-grade YA adventure.

Of course, it's still fun as a middle-grade YA adventure and I'm always happy to see representations of heartless kids, crow girls, wind queens, and improbable roads. :)

Plus, this is Seanan, after all. I'm ALWAYS down for another Seanan because they're consistently wonderful. This is no different.

Seanan McGuire once again puts on her sunglasses and false mustache to publish a book as A. Deborah Baker. The Up-and-Under is a series of books mentioned in McGuire’s *Middlegame* (which I have not read, so I’ve no idea how exactly this ties in) that she has expanded on and published as standalone middle grade books.

For those unfamiliar, these books are in the *Alice in Wonderland* tradition: children swept up into a world of whimsy and wonder, but with plenty of monsters and wicked things about as well. In this case, the children in question are Zib (a child who avoids wearing shoes whenever possible) and Avery (a child who places a great deal of importance on his shoes being polished to a proper shine). After stumbling into the Up-and-Under on their way to school one morning, Zib and Avery met and befriended the Crow Girl (a girl with no name who is also an entire murder of crows) and Niamh (a girl who has lived in an underwater city of dead people ever since she drowned as a baby). For two books now they’ve been trying to follow the Improbable Road (which appears in the least likely of places) trying to get home.

For those familiar, in this book they encounter the Queen of the Air, she who creates all of the monsters in the Up-and-Under. Notably, these monsters include none other than the Crow Girl, who gave the Queen of the Air her heart and her name in exchange for being turned into a murder of crows.

This series remains, in my opinion, perfect for readers of the age where they’re just discovering Narnia and Prydain and Pern. As an adult, I am enjoying them as quick, whimsical, and nostalgic reads, though I’ll admit I found myself getting a bit bored by the Up-and-Under for about the first two-thirds of this. That didn’t really change until things really started coming to a head between the Queen and the Crow Girl, who is probably my favorite of the quartet.

Looking forward to book 4, though not quite as eagerly as I was looking forward to books 2 and 3. I’m assuming book 4 will wrap things up (with books 1-3 dealing with the monarchs of Earth, Water, and Air, that just leaves Fire). The journey has been delightful, but it’s time to wrap up, I think.

These books are fairytales for grownups. Or the overly bookish child that’s a bit too old for their years and would enjoy the flowery once upon a time language. It’s a drifting sort of feeling to the words. I think with the right narrator it would make a very enjoyable audiobook and I usefully hate listening to audiobooks because they’re so much slower than reading. But I think the books would be an audiobook to go to sleep too. Not for a road-trip you need to stay alert on. The writing feels like someone is telling you a bedtime story of once upon a time. Just remember that fairytales were once cautionary stories for the woods and wild were filled with danger

**3.5-stars rounded up**

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Into the Windwracked Wilds is the third installment to Seanan McGuire's, writing here as A. Deborah Baker, The Up-and-Under series. This fantastical series is connected to McGuire's tour de force of SFF, Middlegame, and is perfect for Readers of all ages.

The series follows two children, Zib and Avery, who upon a normal commute to school one day encounter a giant wall where it shouldn't be. Together they decide to go up and over this wall, thus finding themselves in a different world, known as the Up-and-Under.

In the first novel, they travel through a magical forest while following the improbable road and the second book finds them traversing the Saltwise Sea. Along the way they collect new friends, encounter challenges to overcome and enemies to out-maneuver.

After a final, very Pinocchio-esque, adventure on the Saltwise Sea, Avery, Zib, the Crow Girl and Niamh, finally find themselves on dry land. More specifically, they've entered the Land of Air, ruled by the intimidating Queen of Swords, who is known to have a habit of turning people into monsters. Although, by this definition the Crow Girl would be considered a monster and we love the Crow Girl!

It doesn't take long before they come across Jack Daw, the Queen's son, but he's giving off a serious vibe that he's not too crazy about Mommy Dearest. Can he be trusted though, or is he playing double agent with our intrepid heroes?

They eventually end up at the castle and have to stay on their toes at all times to avoid being tricked by this Queen. She is a devious one indeed. Will they all be able to make it out in one piece? At this point, Zib and Avery are beyond ready to get home to their parents. But the Queen of Swords is tricky and coming out on top is going to take all their mental stamina. She may be their biggest challenge yet.

After a bit of a slow start, this wrapped up with an absolutely beautiful ending. Once they finally made it to land was when it really started to pick up for me. The Queen was quite the character. She's got the dangerous, evil Queen thing down and I was living for it.

The intensity was high once they reached the castle. I love these characters so much. I can't wait to see what's next. I'm really looking forward to the 4th-book, when I believe we'll be entering the Land of Fire.

McGuire's writing, as always, continues to impress. There's such intention behind every word. The nuance is stunning and truly mind-boggling. This entire world, the connection to the Alchemical Journeys series, the characters and the lore of it all is so fun to read and think about. There are so many layers, it's the type of thing you could read over and over and still find new things each time. I love that kind of story and will definitely continue to pick up anything in this world for as long as McGuire is putting them out.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I just adore this series and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a dark, whimsical read.

The first book in the series was cute and this one was as well. We continue to follow our main characters Avery and Zib as they continue in this new fantasy world. This is a very cute middle grade novella!

I’m an enormous fan of Seanan McGuire’s Up-And-Under series so I am incredibly thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy of the latest installment! ⁣
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INTO THE WINDWRACKED WILDS is the third book in this middle grade fantasy series and in it we continue to follow Avery and Zib’s adventure along the improbable road in the hopes of finding a way back home. But before they can make it to the Impossible City they have to survive the Land of Air and the ruthless Queen of Swords... ⁣
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This book has all the distinctive writing that makes McGuire’s books sparkle for me. I don’t ever get tired of reading her work and I appreciate how she tackles things from a middle grade perspective. In this book, we get even more development for the story’s sidekicks, to my delight. I definitely recommend this series and I will be waiting eagerly for the next book! ⁣
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However, I will say I had a tiny reservation with this particular book because at times the pacing felt a little stalled. After three books, I wanted Avery and Zib to be a bit further along in their journey. But at the same time, I want McGuire to continue writing these books forever (and the Middlegame series too) so I don’t want the series to end.

I'm not too sure where this series is wanting to go. I liked this one, but I can tell this series is getting... nowhere. I'm getting a bit bored from it if I'm honest.

This was the best of the series so far. The kids find themselves off the impossible road again, and end up almost drowned before landing in the Queen of Swords domain. This had the most character development and shifts between all the kids. They must outwit the Queen to escape whole and safe. It was the simplest plot wise, but also enjoyable that way. There was a lot fewer mental gymnastics this time.

Into the Windwracked Wilds is the third book of a series, and yes, you should read the other two books first in order to understand what is happening in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling, plot, and characters in this book. Highly recommend.

This is the third book in a series, so you are involved in this series all ready, yes? It keeps up the exquisite tone of the previous books. Our heroes encounter a new set of challenges, one of them gains something, one loses something, and they all have to examine what's important to them and their identity. It is a wonderful entry into the series. If you liked the earlier ones, you will want to keep reading.

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.


I've been eyeing this series for a while, even though I haven't been as into middle-grade books recently. I just adored Middlegame and Seasonal Fear so much, that I needed to get more of this world in any way possible. When I was approved for this book, it was finally the push I needed to read the rest of the series as well! Over the past two weeks, I've been reading this series and finally made it to the long awaited finale… or so I thought. I went into this book expecting it to be the last, but about halfway through I realized that the main story wasn't actually anywhere close to wrapping up, and there definitely had to be more books coming. Luckily, I realized this soon enough, so I wasn't left confused by the ending of this book, which was clearly not an ending to the series. It actually does make sense for there to be at least four books (one for each of the elements), so I'm glad by this choice overall, though I might have waited to read this whole series until it was completed then. At least each book does start with a semi-summary of the past books, so that helps!

Into the Windwracked Wilds, while not my favorite installment of this series, was about exactly what I was expecting, in both good and bad ways. I'm now three books into this series, and while the world itself is unpredictable and improbable, the stories do seem to fall into similar patterns. It does help to give the world structure, but it also means that reading them all in a row has begun to feel a bit repetitive. The plot itself is also generally continuous, with not super clear separation between books beyond character/element focuses, so it honestly feels like I've been reading one long book so far!

Overall, though, I do really like how this series has been set up, with each book getting a specific element and character that's explored. This book was clearly air, and revolved a lot around the Crow Girl, or at least her background, and exploring her bargain and the bargain of other birds more. We also were introduced to a new side character, Jack Daw, who I've actually grown quite fond of quite quickly! I do still really appreciate the writing in this book as well, even if it does make the book itself a bit more of an intense and draining read, since a bit more focus is required to catch every dip and nuance of the writing.

It'll be nice to have a small break now until the next book, but that doesn't mean I'm any less a fan of this series overall! I know that coming back to the series will be comforting again, and I already am looking forward to it!

The third installment in this series I felt was a mixed bag. As we continue to following Avery and Xib on their quest to get home, they encounter another set of improbable situations.
I loved the start with the Pinocchio vibes and but got a bit bored with the land of air and the Queen of Swords. The kings and queens of this world are just evil!
I did like the older and wiser new character Jacks. Does still give off Wizard of Oz vibes following the improbable (yellow brick) road. Whilst not my favourite instalment I will still be following on with Avery and Zib all the way to the improbable city.

Thank you NetGalley and Tordotcom for an eArc!

Eee! I am SO excited about the latest installment of The Up-and-Under series. The series is a spin-off from the world of Middlegame. As such, it is written by one of Seanan McGuire's pseudonyms, A. Deborah Baker. Adorably, the latest novella is titled Into the Windwracked Wilds.

Avery and Zib have been following the improbable road for quite some time. More accurately, they've followed, lost, and found it again. They hope to follow this road long enough to find their way back home – with the help of their new friends, of course.

Their path has taken them into the land of the Queen of Swords, one of the last places they want to be right now. But perhaps with the help (or is it a hindrance?) of Jack Daw, they may find a way out and continue on their path. Or perhaps not.

She's done it again. Into the Windwracked Wilds is every bit the story readers could have hoped for – and then some. This tale is enthralling, and while it feels like we're lost in the moment, it also reads as a children's tale. At least, the twisted sort of tale we'd see in Middlegame. In other words, it's perfect!

I have loved this series from the first installment, but honestly? I think Into the Windwracked Wilds is my new favorite. It's the perfect balance of many of my favorite elements with a heavy dose of that Seanan McGuire magic.

As always, the children of this tale are so different and, at times, conflicted. They are struggling to get home, and yet they miss their home for very different reasons. Avery and Zib are still very much opposites; now and then, an event will remind us of this fact.

The other children of this tale are still a delight, and I feel like we got to know them a bit more throughout Into the Windwracked Wilds. The introduction of Jack Daw was a nice touch. I run the risk of having him become my favorite character.

Into the Windwracked Wilds is a fascinating continuation, once again playing with common themes and tropes of childhood stories; consequences, adventures, friendships, and more. It makes for another delightful addition to the series. So, get reading!

Its amazing how much story Seanan McGuire manages to pack into these books! The writing is beautiful and whimsical and the world building is done so well you can easily picture our group walking the Impossible road across The Saltwise Sea facing new foes, and making new friends.

Into the Windwracked Wilds is more Crow Girls story, and we see Avery and Zib getting more emotional about the things they have given up to survive in the Up and Under. We even get a new member who is as frustrating as he is facinating and I can't wait to see what next adventure our group will be facing next!

First, thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.

Ultimately, I don’t have too much to say about it. I thought it was good overall, I thought the story was interesting and the characters compelling, but it just wasn’t my favorite. In truth, that is really more of a me thing than anything to do with this book (and series)—it was a bit too fairytale/whimsical feeling, if that makes sense. But it was good, I’d recommend it if you like that kind of thing!

As a fan of Seanan McGuire and disappointed with the last book in the series, I was hesitant to read the newest entry. I had nothing to be worried about. This was a great story. It’s always amazing how much Seanan McGuire can put in her short works. There’s adventure, character development, the introduction of new characters, and deeper world-building.

Review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

DNF. It wasn't that I didn't like it. Because I am sure a lot of people will like it, and it would totally be up my alley normally. But it was just SO confusing. Like 3/4 of the way in, I still didn't understand what was going on. So I thought it would be best to just stop, because I only got annoyed when reading it and didn't want to read it. So yeah, not a good one for me personally.

This one felt rather unbalanced to me. It was, on its face, about the Crow Girl but she had very little part in any of it - unlike the last book which was Niamh centric. Instead we see our human children be petulant and petty (and, shockingly, childlike) but in a bland sort of way that doesn’t much further the development set up in the previous books.

Basically, it felt more like the stories McGuire is emulating than a book McGuire herself would sign off on. It was okay but not great.

I absolutely love this series! No matter what book I have picked up by this author, it never disappoints! This series has been described as being a bit like The Wizard of Oz, a classic that never captured my interest. However, I picked this series up despite that because I love the author that much. I can see where the connection comes from, but as usual, Seanan McGuire has created something totally unique and magical. This book, like many of her others is a kind of dark fairy tale. Despite the fact it is a middle grade book, the humor and writing are really engaging for adult readers as well.

I picked these books up not realizing they were connected to the author's Alchemical Journey series. I don't think reading he Alchemical Journey series is necessary to enjoy these books, but the Up-and-Under books should definitely be read in order.