Read MISLAID IN PARTS HALF-KNOWN by Seanan McGuire if you love thrift stores, maple syrup, reunions, mischiefs of magpies, classrooms, nonsense, running as fast as you can, dinosaurs, goblins, beautiful girls, seeking justice, vegetarian food, croquet, crushes, and goodbyes.

Seanan McGuire returns to the multiversal universe of the Wayward Children with the ninth installment, Mislaid in Parts of Half-Known. Longtime fans of the series will know what to expect from one of the "odd numbered" entries to the series which continues the overarching narrative of our favorite former-portal fantasy world heroes.

I'm always a bit hesitant going into the one of the more "overarching plot", odd numbered volumes. The previous novellas of this kind have always been the weakest in the series vs. the profound and powerful even-numbered standalones.

Unfortunately, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known proved my hesitations correct. While still a worthy way to spend an afternoon, this might be the weakest installment of this series yet. I in no way regret reading it, but it was a bit dissapointing to wait an entire year for another Wayward Children novella and then to get this.

This novella is essentially two different books colliding into one another, for better and for worse.

The first book, which has the strongest elements, is a sequel to last year's stunning Lost in the Moment and Found (which is sitll one of my all-time favorite books in the series!). This ninth entry continues the story of Antsy as she meets many of the friends we've made in previous books. What results is a cathartic narrative of Antsy's healing as she direclty confronts the trauma (and traumatizers) of her toxic and painful past. Her story is one of my all-time favorites, and Mislaid in Part Half-Known beautifully continues (and ultimatey wraps up, at least for now) the arc that Antsy began last year. I am so happy we got to spend more time with a character I grew to really love and admire, and this novella was more than successful in addressing some of the lingering questions and plot lines that we were left with after Book 8.

Where Mislaid in Parts Half-Known falters is continuing the story-line of everyone else, including Cora, Kade, and Christopher. It is not that any of these characters are bad or that their plot arcs jump the shark; rather, McGuire has brought together much too large a cast for this novella to handle. We spend so much time dealing with Antsy's trauma and healing (which as I said, is great!), that everyone else feels a bit underdeveloped and their arcs are unsatisfyingly put into overdrive.

Having to deal with so many characters also brings the pace to a frustratingly slow crawl, even in the novella format. The first half of this book is actually quite boring, as we have to check in with everyone and remind ourselves who these characters are. This is perhaps one of the problems with this series and its release schedule - because every other novella is a standaone that doesn't advance the main narrative, its really 2 years between "plot progression" entries to this series - which is FAR too long when we are dealing with novellas. After that kind of wait I have not only forgotten what has happened in the overarching plot, but I realize I don't care about it either. And seeing how McGuire deals with the bigger narrative here, she doesn't care about it much either.

As I see it (as a non-author, to be clear!) McGuire has two options to revitalize the series moving forward. Either stick to the standalone format, with other characters making guest appereances when necessary. Or really go all in and develop an engaging and stimulating overarching plot. Either can be successful. We've seen how amazing the standalones can be, but Mislaid in Parts Half-Known also shows that McGuire has a lot of themes to explore with the characters and plots she has already introduced. This novella brings some interesting ideas related to the classification of the worlds that we have been taught, the nature/rules of the Doors, and more. The thing is that McGuire needs to start going all in on one of these, are start pumping out 2 of these novellas a year.

Ultimately, this one was kind of a dud; but then again, McGuire's duds are still thought-provoking and readable. Just don't go into this one expecting the same fast pace and high quality of the previous books. Even the dinosaurs, so prominently featured on the cover, play a pretty minor role in only about 10% of the entire book. Hopefully this was only a one-off weaker entry and the series can right itself again; heck, this isn't the first so-called "bad" entry in the series (books 5 and 6 were also not McGuire's best), so this is definitely not the time to give up on the series entirely!

Concluding Thoughts: McGuire returns to the world of the Doors with an entry that slips a bit because it tries to handle too many characters and too many plot threads in its short page count. This novella fully succeeds as a sequel to last year's Lost in the Moment and Found, but fails to continue the plot and character arcs established in previous entries in a satisfying, meaningful, or exciting way. Antsy's story continues to wow, but everyone else just kind of languish on the page as McGuire struggles to service her growing cast of characters. Don't come for the dinosaurs (they play a small role), but do come for Antsy's cathartic healing. Hopefully future "odd-numbered, over-arching plot" books in this series can recapture some of the magic.

This new installment features a lovely quest and all of our faves. Word gets out about Antsy's secret skill, and one of their classmates demands Antsy use it to find her door. It's not quite that easy, so Antsy bolts with her friends, taking them through a series of wayward worlds until they arrive in one with dinosaurs and several familiar faces. I continue to love everything that comes out of Seanan's brain. I appreciate the relatively low stakes story ambling with the gang. I will anxiously await our next journey with them.

This book was even better than I hoped for! 10,000 stars!!
While I do love every single book in this series, the books where we get our little group of all my favorite characters going on a quest are my favorites.

We are following Antsy whom we met in the previous book Lost in the Moment and Found. She has returned to the regular world with the ability to find lost things. and when a fellow student realizes that she might be able to find the DOORS well that isn't ideal. So Antsy and the rest of our favorite group end up on a quest!

I really loved Antsy and how she looks as the world, and what shes willing to do to help others. I love getting to see Kade, Sumi, and Cora, and enjoyed getting to know Emily better. The quest was full of fun, friendship, emotional moments, and Sumi as always the comic relief whom nobody knows when shes being serious or not. I flew through this and loved every single page. This is one of my top favorite series, and I can't wait to see which wayward child we are going to be following next!!!

I love the creative word-building that McGuire has done in the Wayward Children series. Some of the books focus mainly on one child and their world, but I prefer the stories that involve the group of students from Eleanor West's school. I like seeing their interactions and how the different, quirky personalities blend! Although the school has a "No quests" rule, Kade leads another one. I won't ruin any surprises, but this book continues Antsy's story. More worlds are explored, with surprising results. The students examine their feelings about the question, "If you could have someone lead you to your door, would you?"

McGuire's books pack A LOT in smaller volumes, which says much about her talent. The books have depth and are beautifully imagined. This is a great addition to the series.

“Children of the doors know about being mislaid.” Here are reasons to read the Young Adult Fantasy book:

9th in Series - In this 9th book in the Wayward Children series
Lost Girl - We again follow Antsy, in a continuation of the previous book
Fit in - She is now at the Wayward school and trying to fit in especially now that she has a gift to find anything that is lost.
Connections - Through connections with the other kids, she finds another quest.

This is a relatively short book so let me try to sum up without spoiling. I highly recommend reading at least the previous 2 books - Where the Drowned Girls Go and Lost in the Moment and Found as both Antsy and Cora fit pretty heavily into this book. There are quite a few other characters we have met before and they find themselves on another adventure, and it has to do with Dinosaurs! I continue to love this series and will still be picking up all I can.

‘No Solicitations, No Visitors, No Quests’ has really gone out the window now! This is another quest if ever I saw one.

I loved how this followed on fairly directly from Antsy’s story in Lost in the Moment and Found, while simultaneously winding together the previous novellas in the series. The stories are all so beautifully intertwined between the past, present, and future, and I love seeing how each new piece slots into the wider world of the Wayward Children.

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known gave us more insight into some of our favourite characters as well as a closer look at some of the newer ones. It showed us a greater slice of the worlds than we have previously seen, and hinted at more information to come - particularly for Kade and his compass. It was a twisty-turny accidental adventure, which turned into a righteous quest.

As ever, I adored Mislaid in Parts Half-Known and can’t wait for the next book in the Wayward Children series!

I really love this series.

This book continues Antsy's story while also bringing together a number of the crew we have grown to know and love over the course of the series. Of course there are also DINOSAURS although perhaps not enough time with them.

We have the expected blend of magic and emotion with bittersweet moments for some of our characters.

This is tied with Every Heart a Doorway for my favourite book in the Wayward Children series. It's also the only one that I would say you have to have read the prior two books minimum (Where the Drowned Girls Go & Lost in the Moment and Found)

We get to continue following Antsy's journey (unlike most of the other "Door-book") which was very satisfying, as well as have the ensemble cast of kids back together.

We find out more about the Doors, and I can't wait to see where the story goes next. If you're a fan of portal fantasy and you haven't picked this series up, you definitely should. And even though this is book 9, because they are all novellas it's not too much of a length commitment to catch up with the entire series.

My reading order continues to be 4, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Thanks to Tor on NetGalley for this eARC

A continuation of the previous story. It was fine but I found the cover misleading, there was about a chapter and half spent in the dinasour world. The title makes me think it would be a much bigger focus.

Thanks NetGalley,

Seanan McGuire never seems to amaze me! I stubbled upon this series like a child finds a door and all I want to do is go back again and again. I hope this series never ends because I will never tire of it. Like the characters in the book I get to experience multiple doors and a bonus, who doesn't want to hangout with dinosaurs!!!!! McGuire always does an excellent job drawing you into the new world and incorporating previous doors and characters in a new and exciting way. Antsy was a wonderful character and I'm glad her story continued and I also look forward to meeting new children and keeping my fingers crossed that the ones I have grown to love over the last 9 books get to find their doors again.

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!

A story that reminds us that finding what you want doesn't always mean finding what you need.

Another solid Wayward Children installment! It more or less follows the same formula as the previous odd-numbered novellas, and the formula still works. While not anything particularly new, this is an entertaining book that brings us back to the richly imagined world of Wayward Children and reunites us with the characters we know and love.

It's always a treat to read one of these books. I love the length and ease of these books. Shorts reads with deep feelings. I loved getting more of old characters we know.

I love the Wayward Children series with my entire heart. This one is the 9th book, so it makes sense for it to not be as much of a stand alone as some of the others in the series. I don't think a reader would understand what's going on in this book if they haven't read the others. This one isn't as fluid as the other ones, but I get the feeling it's setting up for a much deeper dive of an adventure in the future. I am a faithful reader and will wait patiently for the next installment.

The Wayward Children is one of my favorite series that I anticipate the new installment every January. With every being a bit different, there are ones that I love more than others. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known was fun but overall, wasn’t a favorite of mine.

I really enjoyed the prior volume, so I was excited to follow Antsy again. This one though fell a little flat to me. There was a lot of explanations of the way the world and the Doors worked. Some of the dialogue felt inauthentic and there just to explain one thing or another instead of fluid conversation. This seemed to be more about building out the world building than about the characters and the story.

The characters that this follow are some of my favorite and I did enjoy going on this adventure with them but the momentum would stall to explain something that happened in prior books or info dumping about the Doors.

I still enjoyed reading this, but there are far better books in this series. And yes, I will still always pick up books in this series as the Wayward Children series is so unique in the style and way each book is done.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

3.5 stars - I really enjoyed the world building in this one in terms of how the doors work and getting more insight into how the different worlds' logic operates. It was also good to see where Antsy's story leads. However, I think this felt a little messy and unfocused at times which I would say is a pacing issue. Still entertaining, but one of the lesser books in the series.
Also, considering the cover... I needed more dinos!!

Thank you to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. This review is my own.

"Mislaid in Parts Half-Known" by Seanan McGuire is easily one of my favorite installments in this captivating series. McGuire, with her masterful storytelling, seamlessly weaves a tale that not only features our newest student to the series, Antsy, but also brings back familiar favorites, creating a delightful ensemble for another journey through the mysterious doors that lead to magical worlds.

The strength of this latest installment lies in the way McGuire builds upon the relationships between our intrepid travelers. The dynamics between old and new characters add layers of complexity to the narrative, offering readers a fresh experience with each book. The camaraderie and banter among the ensemble cast bring the story to life, making it easy to get lost in the enchanting worlds they explore. And the journey they venture on becomes not just about the magical realms they encounter but also about personal growth and the connections they make. McGuire skillfully balances the fantastical with the human, creating a narrative that is both emotionally resonant and thoroughly engaging.

For fans of the series, this installment is a treat. It not only continues the tradition of captivating world-building and magical exploration but also deepens the bonds between characters we've come to love. "Mislaid in Parts Half-Known" is a testament to Seanan McGuire's storytelling prowess and her ability to keep the series fresh and compelling, leaving readers eagerly anticipating the next door to open in this enchanting universe.

Although I have my little complaints, I loved this book.

In this instalment, we see Antsy again, after delving into her origin in the prior book. Antsy is now at Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children, though hasn’t been for long, and she finds her learned knack for finding things may cause trouble she does not want - and thus, suddenly finds herself fleeing the school with a few other students, through the first door that she could find. It’s a lovely look at the trauma that many of the other worlds may have on these kids, even if there is a part of them that wants to return.

This one in particular was a very fun journey, and it was very much a continuation of the prior book and Antsy’s story within it, with the ongoing impact of everything she has suffered, but it is a downgrade to the last. In saying that, the last was one of my favourites; it was incredibly done, and hard to top. I particularly enjoyed that this one sowed the seeds of problems with Eleanor's ways, and I'm hoping that that is something we see more of going forward.

I think, as a general rule, I prefer the origin stories in this series to the ongoing stories. I almost feel that some parts of this were too easy in some ways, but honestly, perhaps it wouldn’t have felt it had it just been a few more books down the line. It was two books in a row focusing on Antsy, whereas breaking up the narratives and intertwining them a little more works better for me in general. Other characters move back and forth in focus in the books, whereas it makes Antsy's arc fly by when she doesn't get that to nearly the same extent.

I did find too that the way that McGuire continues to write Cora being overweight continued to be grating. There was a focus on Cora's weight in a way that there isn't a focus on any other character's physical appearance, in a way that made it as though everything that Cora is is in spite of her weight, and it felt reductive of Cora as a character, as though McGuire didn't trust readers to remember this about Cora at all otherwise. But that wasn't unique to this book.

"Portals and danger, and a girl who can find both in the next book in the Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Wayward Children series from Seanan McGuire.

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

When the school's (literally irresistible) mean girl realizes that Antsy's talent for finding absolutely anything may extend to doors, Antsy is 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, they will travel from a world which hides painful memories that cut as sharply as its beauty, to a land that time wasn't yet old enough to forget - and more than one student's life will change forever.

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is a story that reminds us that getting what you want doesn't always mean finding what you need."

Second week in January, first Seanan McGuire book. Does that mean she's already behind her most prolific author goals?

Antsy is struggling to be comfortable and accepted in the land behind the doors, where wayward children often find themselves. She had gotten kicked out of The Shop Where the Lost Things Go in the previous book and now finds her way to Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children. She'd like nothing more than to fit in but word gets around that she has the innate ability to find things and now some of the other wayward children want to know if she can find the Doors which remain hidden until needed.

Antsy is bullied into trying to find the doors and ultimately this bullying works as Antsy searches for a Door in order to escape the bullies. This leads her to strange new (and old) worlds (did you note the dinosaurs on the cover?) and she'll question her choices.

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Seanan McGuire's work and that I absolutely love this series. One of the rules for world building is to have a set of rules by which the world operates, but McGuire has cleverly created a world where the rule is that you can access any or every rule. Our characters come from different realities - mermaids from a waterworld, children from nonsense worlds, Halloween worlds, Fairy worlds. They all come here - allowed here by a Door - which makes it seem as though there is a purpose, but here we finally see, with Antsy's struggles, that 'purpose' is perhaps not the case. Are they here, then, for their own safety - coming from a dangerous place or dangerous people? If so, why does Antsy not feel safe here?

This land for wayward children is still dark and not as comforting as it might seem on first glance, but it's definitely interesting and worth reading about.

Looking for a good book? Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is another fantastic adventure in the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.