Another installment in a series I will always devour! Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is sure to whet the appetite of Wayward Children fans. While this entry felt a bit less robust in advancing the storyline, I still thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish and am eagerly awaiting the next novella!

A continuation of some the children we have already met and a sequel to the last story. This is one where it would be a lot easier to follow along if you have read the previous books (especially the last one). It isn’t necessary as each one can stand on its own but it would certainly help as this one leans on the others more than previous titles have. It’s always a joy to renter this world and this latest installment is no exception as we get some conclusions and some more to be continued stories. Interesting to see where it will end up next

This book continues this wonderful series with another solid entry to it. This book goes back to the school as all the odd books do in the series, but this time, we get a continuation of the last book's character with Antsy. I enjoyed going back to this world, though I wish there were a few reminders of who a couple of characters were since it's been some time since I read the drown girls (I forgot who Emily and a couple of the other side characters were). I was satisfied with Antsy's conclusion and how this book settles some theories of the Doors. I think the characters get some growth knowing this information and feel better about missing their worlds. Though not my favorite in plot or action, It was a quick, satisfying read, and I look forward to the next one in the series.

I gave Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire 4 stars

Antsy is the latest student to pass through the doors at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children.

When her fellow students realize that Antsy's talent for finding absolutely anything may extend to doors, she's forced to flee in the company of a small group of friends, looking for a way back to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be sure that Vineta and Hudson are keeping their promise.

Along the way, temptations are dangled, decisions are reinforced, and a departure to a world populated by dinosaurs brings untold dangers and one or two other surprises!

--------- REVIEW --------

In the pasts months I have read all 9 books in this series and the previous one, Lost in the Moment and Found, was my favorite. Since I knew this book was picking up where the last one ended, I was very excited to read it. It was wonderful, and I liked that we got closure on Antsy's story. However, I wanted more dinosaurs. We only got to spend two chapters in that world, but I was expecting more from the look of the cover.

All in all, this is another great installment to a fantastic series that I recommend to all fantasy lovers out there. Usually you don't have to read the books from this series in order, but book 8 and 9 really go together, so don't skip the previous one.

This book comes out Jan 9.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children #9) by Seanan McGuire
Expected publication date: January 9, 2024

Date read: August 10, 2023



Antsy is the latest student to pass through the doors at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children. When her fellow students realize that Antsy's talent for finding absolutely anything may extend to doors, she's forced to flee in the company of a small group of friends, looking for a way back to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be sure that Vineta and Hudson are keeping their promise. Along the way, temptations are dangled, decisions are reinforced, and a departure to a world populated by dinosaurs brings untold dangers and one or two other surprises!

This is one of my favorite book series, and I'm always excited when a new one comes out. I was surprised to get another Antsy story right after the last one, but I like Antsy, so I was okay with it, despite having a few other character's stories that I'd like to hear.

While this wasn't my favorite of the series so far, I would rank it somewhere around the middle; it was still enjoyable. I liked seeing where Antsy's story led, since her story wasn't completely wrapped up in the last book. The remaining characters at Eleanor West's School are some of my favorites anyway, so anytime I get an adventure featuring Sumi, Cora, and Christopher, I'm always happy. It was also fun seeing a few new worlds, including (as shown on the cover) dinosaurs! I only wish we had been able to spend more time there.

I will always recommend the Wayward Children books (until/if they fall off in quality), so I highly recommend this book to any lovers of fantasy or adventure. I will remind those interested, however, that this series really should be read in order. Some of the books are standalone, but as a whole, readers will get more out of the series if they read it in order.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

› 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.
› 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.

At this point in the series, I am a die-hard fan. I will follow these characters wherever Seanan McGuire takes us.

This world is my world with its portals to worlds that are meant just for those who go to them.

This book is everything I’ve expected from the last eight books since discovering the series. Whisking us away into lost places with a family that has been found together.

From this point on, I may have spoilers because talking about this far into a series, I want to talk about what I love based on continuity.

This felt like a wonderful conclusion to Antsy’s story. Lost in the Moment and Found remains to be my absolute favorite book and it paralleled the choices made by Lundy in book four, but she knew not of the consequences like Lundy did.

This book is definitely not a book that can be read without reading the past books, especially books 7&8 - so many of the actions that took place in those are resolved in this one.

What I loved most was the deeper understanding of the children and their connections to one another and their connections to their doors. The students are beginning to understand their choices more and the longer we follow them, the harder it is to say goodbye to them. The ending, oh the ending broke my heart.

How many close friends is Kade going to have to say goodbye to?

My only minor criticism is I wanted MORE DINOSAURS! But I feel like that with every book. I always want more.

Seanan McGuire just has a way of entrancing you as a reader and hooking you in from start to finish. This is a dazzling installment to a brilliant series.

I just adore this.

Thank you so much Tor and Netgalley for so generously giving me an unpaid for e-copy in exchange for my honest review. This one was such a treat to start 2024

This book is the 9th in the Wayward Children series and a direct continuation of Antsy's story from last year's Lost in the Moment and Found. To that end, this book is less of a standalone adventure than many of the others and relies on the reader having read the previous installments.
I found Mislaid in Parts Unknown to be less of an essential entry in the series, but remain intrigued to see how McGuire will wrap up a decade of novellas with next year's finale.
Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an arc for review.

It’s really well written and easy to read and follow, but I’m not finding it personally engaging. I stopped after chapter 3 (21%). It’s too slow-paced and overly-expositional for me. Solid three to four stars for the target with five for the right reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

I’m torn between three and four stars but I’ll round up to 4 on the strength of the series as a whole. It rambled a little which isn’t great in a novella but it’s a good wrap up for Antsy’s story.

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known picks up a few months after Lost in the Moment and Found. Antsy has made her way Eleanor West's school, and she is trying to carve a small space for herself there. It's difficult for Antsy because while she may appear to be a teenager like her schoolmates, she's still just a nine-year-old girl inside. Interacting with others at the school is often confusing and distressing for her. So, when people like Sumi decide to befriend her, she is cautiously happy to be finally fitting in.

However, Antsy left the Store for Lost Things with a new talent. She can find anything, and she quickly learns that finding Doors is also within the scope of that talent. When some of the other kids at the school find out that Antsy has the ability to get them home through their Doors, they corner her. Antsy, Sumi, Kade, and friends find the only escape they can which is through another door, and they have no idea what is on the other side.

So far, I have loved every single one of the Wayward Children books by Seanan McGuire, and this one was no exception. I really enjoyed Antsy's introduction in Lost in the Moment and Found, and I was excited to see what became of her after she made her way to the Home for Wayward Children. This book sees her go from a scared child desperately trying to fit in to someone who takes charge of ensuring injustice is stopped.

Her time in the Store also gave her an expertise about that doors that no one at the West Home previously had. She was able to share that expertise with people like Kade to help explain how the doors work, and in turn this gets explained to the reader as well. I think this helped give Antsy some much needed confidence. Once she was confident in her talent, abilities, and knowledge, she was able to make sure the Store was being run properly. No more children would go through what she did in ignorance.

I also feel like this book hints at the beginning of the end of the Wayward Children series. Readers learn more about Kade and the world he fled and why. We also learn more about Sumi and when she may be going back to Confection. Another character, that I won't reveal which one because of spoilers, finally gets to go back home through their door as well. Even though there are still some new people present from Where the Drowned Girls Go, I think everyone finally realized that the Doors can't be forced. They appear when they think people are ready, and you really have to be sure before you travel through them.

I gave Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire four out of five stars. This is yet another beautiful entry in an enchanting series. I will definitely be re-reading these books for years to come. I have enjoyed following everyone's stories and why or why not they seek to go back through their Doors. The ending of this book was so bittersweet, and it almost made me cry with happiness. Anyone who has been following this series should definitely read this book!

Starting the new year with a Seanan McGuire novella is always such a treat!

I, once again, didn't read the synopsis for this so I was pleasantly surprised to be back with Antsy in this installment. With her, the world-building developed further and we got more answers about the Doors and how they worked. That's always been the most fascinating part of this series for me and McGuire did fantastic work at plucking at those threads here.

It was so much fun to go back to the Store and then through another Door. The quest here was intriguing from beginning to end and the fast-pace made it impossible for me to stop reading. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen with everyone and what decisions they were going to make through it all. Some tiny characterization bits (Sumi) did get a little repetitive, though.

I also very much enjoyed Cora's character journey here! It's no secret Cora isn't my favorite character, but her progress in such few short pages and the way in which she came to terms with what she wanted for herself was lovely. The ending even made me tear up a little bit because of that!

Overall, a lovely installment!

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Tor/Forge for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

A while ago, I decided I wouldn't write full reviews anymore for certain types of books, including novellas. But since I've been reviewing this series in full from the start, I'm making an exception here, and I intend to go on doing so for all its future installments. So, I'll keep writing a mini review after my first read, and a full one after my second.

WE ARE FAMILY

If I have a bias when it comes to the Wayward Children universe, it's towards stories with an ensemble cast, especially if going on a quest (OK, so maybe I didn't love-love Book 1, but that one was peculiar, and the series still had to find its footing somehow). They merge two of my favourite tropes - found family and alternate worlds - and they usually feature at least a couple of characters that I love fiercely, so I tend to write more enthusiastic reviews when all these things are involved. This is precisely what happens with MIPHK, where old fan favourites Cora, Sumi, Kade and Christopher and later additions to the group Antsy and Emily are forced to flee the school and reckon with the past of some of them, all while touching base with a familiar face and righting some wrongs in the process. For a book so short (160 pages), the 9th installment in the Wayward Children saga delivers with a vengeance, and despite the rather large cast, you never feel like one of the kids doesn't get enough attention, though the main focus is on Antsy and her peculiar relationship with the doors (established in the previous installment, but explored in more detail here). The found-family dynamic is spot-on, and so what if "family" is a broad term here, that may or may not include talking birds and ancient predators 😉.

CRUX OF THE MATTER

After so many years and installments, McGuire's portal universes system still has some surprises in stores (and what surprises!). To be fair, the most shocking has been introduced in the previous book, but as MIPHK is a direct sequel to that one, it serves the purpose of making us fully grapple with its implications. In the same way, even so late in the game, the latest WC adventure manages to make us become more intimate with characters we've known since Book 1, while fleshing out relatively new ones and teasing us with snippets of the worlds they visited (if I know McGuire a little, it won't be long until we get a tour of Emily's Halloween world, and I'm so here for it). Full of humour, wisdom and adventure, suspended between Logic and Nonsense, MIPHK is also - like Antsy's world - a small nexus itself, full of doors leading to a number of emotional places, sometimes when you less expect it to happen. It's a bridge between the past and the future of the series, providing some closure and heartbreak (but of the good kind) and building towards more revelations and plot twists. And yeah, it has dinosaurs in it - but they don't "make" the book, and they're not the point. Come for the dinos, stay for found family, witty banter, justice warriors (I consider it a positive label, and anyhow, I'm using it for lack of a better one here), and kids who find their (peculiar) happy ending, if with a side of melancholy. It doesn't get any better than this 😀.

Antsy is one of the newer students at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children and possesses a unique talent: the ability to find almost anything that has been lost. Her fellow students, all longing for the doorways that led them to their true homes, soon find out about this ability, and some of them will stop at nothing before they make her open doors against her will. When Antsy and her friends must escape, they find themselves traversing through various worlds, all leading back to the people who stole Antsy's childhood.

This was a thoroughly engaging and whimsical entry into the franchise, with McGuire's usual knack for balancing humor and emotion. There was a clear theme of breaking cycles of abuse, which is, of course, powerful and necessary. Still, I did feel that the action would often stop for various characters to monologue about both that and the feeling of belonging they found in their portal worlds. At this point in the series, we understand that the characters went where they felt most at home. This one is too steeped in lore from the other books to act as an entry point, so I'm not sure it was necessary. Overall, though, I was happy to revisit Antsy, and honestly, I want Kade to have a Good Day sometime in the very near future.

I absolutely adore this series and I chose to request the audio and the e-book to try and tandem listen and read. I took a leap of faith with the audio because I tend to struggle with fiction narration due to the narrators changing their voices for the characters. I was totally thrilled to find that I loved the narrator and the way that they chose to voice each of the characters. It gave a unique voice to characters that are well loved and new characters that we met along the way.

I absolutely loved this new adventure in the wayward children series and the bonds that the reader gets to see grow and strengthen as they go on yet another quest, this time with Antsy leading the charge as they follow her ability through the Doors. I can't wait to see where they end up next!

Seanan McGuire's latest Wayward Children installment, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known, picks up amidst during some of the events from Where the Drowned Girls Go and Lost in the Moment and Found, before catching up in time and becoming its own story, focusing once again on Antsy.

When Seraphina discovers that Antsy's talent of finding anything may include her door, she tries to force Antsy into service with her own unique ability, being able to persuade almost anybody to do anything for her. With the help of Cora and Christopher, Antsy is able to escape to Kade's attic, but when Seraphina brings a mob to Kade's door, she does the only she can, finding a door to escape.

What follows is a slightly madcap race through various doors and worlds, as the kids try to find their way back to the school. However, when the door to Shop Where the Lost Things Go opens, Antsy decides she needs to set things right once and for all, making sure all children who come to the Shop understand the cost of opening the Doors.

Another fantastic entry in the series, I particularly enjoyed McGuire's weaving the elements of WtDGO and LinMaF into the beginning of the book, before giving this story its own space. I'm worried that the series may be coming to a close. There are hints, or at least what I'm reading as hints, that things may be coming to a head at Eleanor's school, and that changes may be coming. All series must come to an inevitable end, but I've enjoyed this one so much over the years that I would love for McGuire to keep it going indefinitely. But alas, all stories must end at some point, and if the story of Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children is coming to that inevitable final chapter, I'm sure McGuire will be wrapping everything up just as it should be. But maybe I'm wrong, and I'm reading too much into the story. Either way, I'll be looking forward to more Wayward Children adventures!

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan Mcguire is out January 9, 2024, from Tordotcom Publishing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another lovely installment for the Wayward Children series! I thought this one was a bit different than the others in that it didn't focus on a particular child and their world specifically. While different I still loved it! Wonderful characters, wonderful worlds!

the upside of this series is that disliking one book doesn't mean you won't like the next, but the downside is that the inverse is true, too. this still had characters i'm a fan of and the same magical world, but it felt more shallow than some others — a lot of truisms and forced banter. but i still had a good time and will continue with this series!

One of my personal holiday traditions has become reading the newest Wayward Children novella on or right after Christmas. Tordotcom has been kind enough to facilitate that tradition for the past 6 years by sending me a galley copy of each installment before its publication, usually in January. It’s always one of my most exciting pieces of book mail of the year. Some installments have been more successful (for me) than others. Unfortunately, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is not one of those more successful installments. While not in anyway a bad book, it was missing the magic of the eighth installment, Lost in the Moment and Found. It’s the book that I expected after the seventh installment, Where the Drowned Girls Go, though it could never have have worked without learning Antsy’s story in Lost in the Moment. And yet, even though this was the book I’ve been expecting, it fell a bit flat for me.

I think that, in comparison with previous books, the tale being told here had too much story packed into too small a space. We had so many threads coming together in one slim book that the plot felt muddled. We had so many important characters from the past sharing the page that all of them felt somehow lost in the shuffle. And not lost in the way that attracts Doors. They felt less real than they have in the past.

Because some of these characters departed the mortal coil in prior books only to return, I won’t be discussing anyone by name except for Antsy. The sole protagonist of Lost in the Moment and Found, she is also the reluctant star of the show here. Abilities she developed in that book are the focal point of this one. Through her, we get reacquainted with Eleanor’s Home for Wayward Children, as well as getting to revisit some worlds and meet others for the very first time. As always, McGuire’s settings are one of the greatest strengths of the series. Her representation is also a huge strength but, while it there was plenty of that here, I felt like she relied too heavily on the characters’ backgrounds in previous novellas for that to come through quite as strongly as normal.

If I was going to draw comparisons between this book and any of the others, I would tie it most closely to Beneath the Sugar Sky or Come Tumbling Down. Some novellas in this series stand beautifully on their own. The aforementioned do not. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known relies on every single installment that came before it. If you’ve not read the other eight, and if they’re not fairly fresh on your mind, you will be missing a lot.

There were some good messages here, about how the abuse in your past does not excuse abuse done by your hand and that, while we can’t fix the injuries of our own past, we can use them to protect the present and future for others. There was the series-spanning emphasis on finding who you are and embracing it, no matter what the world has to say about it. These are positive, uplifting messages, but they were hazy beneath the muddled plot.

While this wasn’t one of my favorite installments, it wasn’t a bad book. I think that the books in this series that are the strongest are those that can stand alone. When the storylines come together, the characters and messages seem less powerful instead of more. But regardless, I’m so thankful for this series, and I’m already looking forward to wherever McGuire takes it next!

I just finished an advanced copy of Seanan McGuire's Mislaid in Parts Half-Known that I recieved from netgalley. This is the most recent entry in the Wayward Children series. Unlike some of the other entries in the series, this one is absolutely not a stand alone. We catch up with our core group of remaining inhabitants of Miss Eleanor's school as they go on an absolutely not a quest. This novella does a lot to further the overarching story that lies in the background of the other novellas. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this one, it lacked some of the magical wonder of the others. Seanan is not introducing us to new places, but rather wrapping up some old story lines, and as usual friends are gained and lost along the way. If you've read the other novellas, this is a great entry. If you're new to the series, absolutely go back and start from the beginning. Easily one of my favorite series.