I don't really know how to talk about my thoughts on this book. Its possibly the definition of a 3 star book. It was fine, no issues with it while reading, but it also didn't do anything special. It felt like a little bit of reintroduction to some characters, felt like a good bye to some other characters, and a platform for Sumi to preach from. This story almost feels like its beating the reader over the head with moral advice.

Its not bad, and honestly if you're this far in the series then read it. Its also not the most exciting book in the series. I still plan to continue reading whatever comes out next year.

Antsy feels like a misfit even at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children. But she can find anything, and when some students learn this, they intuit that maybe Ansty can find them their doors home. And so she is forced to flee and ultimate ends up back in her door-world trying to right a wrong and be sure.

I really liked this. I'm not always a huge fan of the quest novellas, but this felt like a continuation of the last story. It took me a minute to remember everything, but I really loved the message about sometimes you're not ready for the thing you want most in the world and sometimes being a part of change can make you ready. I love Antsy's story and seeing her become more confident and figure out what she wants. Recommend!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for the advanced e-copy!

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

By: Seanan McGuire

Publish Date: 9 January 2024

Publisher: Tor Publishing Group, Tordotcom

general fiction (adult)/ Sci Fi and Fantasy

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Book Review:

I have loved this series since I started reading it years ago. She writes one every year and they always come out in January. This is the ninth book in the series. I gave this book 4 stars.

This book is based off the eighth book which I am sad to say I haven’t read yet. So, I was just a little lost, but it didn’t matter too much because she gave enough information for me to figure out what had happened.

In this book Antsy is new to the school and she doesn’t feel like she fits in. She is a young girl in a teenage body. This is explained in the book. She has a talent to find lost things and has just discovered that she can tell what is behind the door.

Her and a few classmates go on an unexpected quest to get away from a fellow classmate who can use her looks to get what she wants. Antsy ends up taking them through Kades door and he is a little upset about it. He doesn’t want to be there, and he has a good reason for it. They aren’t there for very long, as Antsy finds another door and this one leads to her world. Things happen there that makes her, and her classmates go on another quest before they can go back home.

I am sure I would have enjoyed this book a little more if I had read the other book before this. It really doesn’t matter because these are quick reads and I have a blast reading them. If you like the witch and the wardrobe series, you will like this series.

In Mislaid in Parts Half-Kmown, Antsy is back and we visit Prism briefly. While trying to escape the allure of Seraphina, Antsy takes the gang on an adventure through several doors, including a dinosaur world, and ultimately, they end back in the shop of lost things, where Antsy will have a tough decision to make. Be sure.

January can be a bummer, but for several years, I’ve had adventures with friends from Eleanor’s school to look forward to. The books in this series are short, so you can read them in a single setting if you want. They build on each other, and each book, we get to revisit characters from previous books while being introduced to new characters and going on new adventures. I look forward to them every year.

This was another fantastic addition to the wayward children series. It definitely feels like that special touch in the first four books has diminished a bit, especially in regards to that love for the children and that awe of their worlds. Rushing through them has me wanting more of that delving into the workings of the actual worlds these doorways lead to and how these children truly need them. I understand this was more about what Antsy truly needed, and her choice to be sure. I loved that we got the gang back together. Can't wait to see what comes next from these worlds. Can I have my own door??

Review: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh, how I love this series. My wish last book was to see more of the school and the characters I’ve grown to love so much, and I did… oh I did.

This was interesting because it focused on many of the characters again, which I was so happy about. I love Cora and I loved her growth in this book and seeing her just a bit more happy.

I also enjoyed Antsy’s character arc and growth, and enjoyed seeing more of Emily (who I also really love now).

This instalment was happy and sad as they all tend to be, but the ending especially has me in those emotions and you will see why when you read it.

I can’t wait for the next book, as usual. I highly recommend this series, to honestly everyone. It’s unique and heartwarming and heartbreaking.

Thank you @torbooks for the review copy!

I CRIED. New favorite in the series I think, but definitely not one of the more "stand alone" ones. I love where this series is going, love the way we're getting to see new worlds that have so much depth and life to them, LOVED learning about Seraphina's world and hope we get to see it as well as the Trenches explored more in future books. We definitely haven't visited water-related worlds enough!

Loved the lessons & bits about trauma here, in terms of both surviving & inflicting it. I feel like there was some foreshadowing here about stuff going on at Eleanor's school, so I'm wondering where that's going to go, but overall loved how this wrapped up so much!!

ALSO, DINOSAURS!!! SO so so so fun.

MISLAID IN PARTS HALF-KNOWN by @seananmcguire is book number 9 in this intricate portal fantasy novella series known as THE WAYWARD CHILDREN. If you are unfamiliar, these books all revolve around the concept that some children are called to a special portal world unique to them alone. Sometimes, for multiple reasons, these children somehow wind up being ejected from their portal world. Being one of these children once herself, Eleanor West opened up her SCHOOL FOR WAYWARD CHILDREN in which she tries to help the children adjust back into the "real world."

While all of the books are a continuing story, this one felt like an ACT II to Antsy's story in LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND, book 8. While I wouldn't say this was my favorite of the series, I really love all of these and every one of them is at least solid 4 stars for me. In this installment, Antsy gets to confront the adults that she thought were protecting her when in truth, they were keeping a very important secret from her as well that will affect the rest of her life.

All of these books are at their core about the human yearning to belong while feeling like you don't quite fit into the world and if you have ever felt this way in your life due to being an outsider, being discriminated against, or even just feeling like the perpetually misunderstood or new person, these will tug at your heart strings. The worldbuilding of the individual portals and the character development are supurb in this series! My favorite part of these stories, though, are the found family aspects of these wayward children assisting, comforting and fighting for each other as they each hope to get back to their own personal wonderland.

Thank you to the author, @netgalley, and the publishers @macmillan.audio / @macmillanusa for the e/audio-ARCs and the finished copy. I can't get enough of this series and hope you enjoy it if you plan to dive in! Today is the day this one graces shelves.

If there was a portal world all for you, what do you think it would be like? Mine would most certainly be a gothic library full of books, cats and snacks. 🤓

💚SMASHBOT💚

#bookreview #booknerd #bookstagram #bookish #macmillan #waywardchildren

I wanted to read this book because it continues the story of Ansty, which is one of my favorites. But at the same time, I have to admit that I was a little bit on the fence because I usually don’t care much about the odd-numbered installments, which take place at the school and tend to be quest stories (while the even-numbered novellas are prequels that take place in other worlds). So in a way, I think I can say this was a pleasant surprise. I love Ansty, she is probably my favorite character in the series and seeing her trying to find her place at the school after everything she’s been through just made emotional, to the point where some of her passages truly left me with a lump in my throat.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Mislaid in Parts Half-Known was the serious conversations between the characters as they tried to figure out if they are sure about going back to their worlds. The novella focuses quite a bit on some characters I love like Kade and Emily (I really need a story about her time in Harvest), but it’s worth noting that it also made me empathize more with some characters like Cora and Sumi (I loved how the character who comes from the most nonsensical world had the most logical lines). I also really liked that we return to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go, which is a setting that I love. The characters visit two other worlds that had only been mentioned in previous installments, but I have to admit that those visits were a bit disappointing, especially the one to the dinosaur world.

Overall, I enjoyed this installment and it made me want to go back to some of the previous novels, as I think I might appreciate them more on a second read. I feel like we still have very interesting worlds left to visit and I’m very curious about which one the next novella will take place in.

I loved this book so much! I cried several times while reading and I adore that we got to learn more about students from previous books. It's amazing the amount packed into each novella and the way Seanan continues to weave through the series. Beautifully done, as always.

In this story, we get to go to a new world, with dinosaurs, which is pretty awesome as well as getting a continuation of one of my favorite character's story lines.

I think this series is so beautiful and should be read by everyone. It is fun, engaging, heartbreaking, and so unique, I always get so excited for a new book.

I've been a fan of the Wayward Series books since the beginning, but for some reason, this one fell flat for me. Which feels odd, since I've loved everything Seanan McGuire has ever done. Off day read for me? I dont know, but I'll stick!

All Wayward Children books are good, but some are better than others.

Sadly, this was just good. Lowercase-g good, not Capital-G Good. I think I prefer the books that take place fully through the doors. It’s why Absent Dream and Sticks and Bones are my favorites in the series, and Every Heart is my least favorite. I don’t care nearly as much about the school as I do the worlds through the doors.

So while this one slapped, it wasn’t my favorite.

Also I need Cora’s origin story PLEASE

I have been a fan of The Wayward Children series since the first one came out so I was so excited to read an early version of the newest in the series, especially since the cover had dinosaurs on it.

While I still did enjoy this, the story and plot fell a little flat for me. After I had such an emotional time reading Lost in the Moment and Found I found this next installment just missing some of that magic and emotion. It served as a direct sequel to the last two books and it was nice to "check in" with other favorites and earlier Wayward Children we haven't seen in a while. This was not a bad book, just not as strong as the novellas in the series that follow one world and one child. Also, not enough dinosaurs.

A plus to this novel was learning more about the workings of The Doors and seeing threads come together.. It does feel like Seanan is using this novella as a start of wrap up for the series and a way to finish the children's stories and where they end up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor.com for an advanced copy and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the ARC of this!

This is one of my favorite series, a definite autobuy, and this was no exception. We got back to the school and see what happens after the events of Where the Drowned Girls Go. I ship Kade and Cora so hard 😂 This kept the same vibes I’d expect from the series and I can’t wait for more.

I was especially excited to read the newest book in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series because of the dinosaurs on the cover. I was hoping for a whole novella about a child going through a door to a dinosaur world.

This book is *not* that story, which disappointed me a bit. Instead, we catch up with a number of characters from previous novellas, especially Antsy, who has a skill that lets her find lost things.

This was a pleasant read but didn’t have a very firm plotline or urgency to it. Things just kind of … happened. I realized I connect more with the novellas in this series that work as standalones and follow one or two main characters

I still enjoyed it, and if you’re a Wayward Children completist, it’s worth the read, but I didn’t love it as much as some of the others. And I needed more dinosaurs!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tordotcom for my review copy of this book.

I received an eARC from the publishers and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This review does not contain spoilers for the book, but might for the previous books in the series. I can only do so much on book 9 of a series.
The quest books continue to be my favorites of the series. We pick up immediately after the previous book - literally, we see a little bit of Antsy readjusting to first entering the school before we jump to a couple months after Cora and the rest returned from Whitethorn, when people start hearing the rumor that Antsy can find anything, maybe even a door. Antsy drags the gang on an adventure, visiting new and old Doors.
I'm not going to talk about the adventure beyond what the summary says, but the worlds visiting on this adventure had me very excited. Also, throughout the adventure, the kids are discussing what it means to "be sure" after leaving the doors once, by force or not. What does it mean to want to leave Earth, where family lives and now friends from Elanor West's house, and what does it mean to want to go through your Door even now knowing whats on the other side? It added a string of nostalgia/melancholy to the story.
I love seeing the group together; Kade, Cora, Christopher, Sumi - plus the addition of the girls picked up from the Whitethorn institute being integrated into the mix! New character interactions and old ones alike made my heart soar! I could read a whole novella just with these kids sitting around chatting and be happy.
I rated this book 4.5 stars! Another great addition in the Wayward Children series and I cannot wait to see what world we visit in the next book!

I ended up really enjoying this book in the series. I am glad we were following Antsy again because so far she has been my favorite character. This one technically was at the school but we were barely there. I love our current group of students and I can't wait to get more from their stories and lands. The ending of this one was definitely bittersweet but was perfect in it's own way.

I received an ARC of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known - Seanan McGuire

After losing years of her life in the Land Where the Lost Things Go, Antsy Ricci has found her way to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. But a school filled with kids trying to find their Doors back to magical lands might not be the best place for a girl that can find anything,

This is the 9th book in the Wayward Children series and is best read in sequence. It takes place a bit before and directly after the events of Where the Drowned Girls Go and Lost in the Moment and Found. It’s worth rereading those if you don’t remember what happened.

Antsy’s an interesting character. She’s 9 years old in the body of a 16 year old, with no idea of how to act around kids her visible age. Seeing her face her past and giving real resolution to her story in Lost in the Moment and Found, was wonderful.

I loved Sumi in this story. She can be a bit much but acts like a real mother hen crossed with a real no nonsense attitude. She has some of the most insightful lines in the book.

Despite the rules of the school, a quest is at hand. As a novella it only takes a few hours to read, but has a very satisfying story arc.

If you’ve read the prior novellas in the series, this is a strong follow-up. If you haven’t, I can’t recommend the series enough.

I have loved this series for a long time. I am left feeling sad it's already over, but also so curious after how we expanded the world yet again.

I find the character development, growth and world building to be tied in so wonderfully in this series. I'm always surprised with how much we learn in such short novellas each addition.

I adored antsy she was such a delightful main character.

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the e-ARC! All thoughts are my own as always.

I loved being back with these characters and this world so so much. It always feels like coming home, and I feel that we’ve gotten to a point in the series where you really need to have read all the books to appreciate this setting as it should be appreciated. I adored how this book leaned into the humour and absurdity of the setting a little more, while also exploring what it means to be sure, what it means to travel between worlds, and also how children are so often not taken seriously while adults are the ones fucking up. Antsy and the Store might be my favourites in the series so being back with her was lovely, and I deeply hope we get to explore Kade’s story but also Eleanor’s story (both past AND current, what’s going on with her???) soon. I can’t wait to marathon this series when this comes out and I can buy a physical copy.