Mislaid in Parts Half-Known
by Seanan McGuire
Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky

I received an ARC of this audiobook from Netgalley.

I like this book, but I liked others in this series even more.

What I really love about this book series is that it sweeps you in and calls you home to that place inside all of us that truly believes we are meant to be a part of fairytales, quests, danger, safety, and friendships that love you exactly as you are and fully for who you are.

The words are poetic and prosaic. I find myself constantly feeling like I’ve lived this story in my dreams. It is truly magical how deeply intuitive these books are. They bring an inner you, too long neglected, into the limelight and let it dance around a bonfire at night with scarecrows.

I think Seanan Mcguire is the most enchanting author of this generation. There are other good authors, even other great authors, but none of them spin magic the way Seanan does.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, along with the entire series!

For as prolific as Seanan McGuire is, it always amazes me how she just never misses.

Book 8 in this series - Lost in the Moment and Found - admittedly didn't work for me. This installment also follows Antoinette - Antsy, for short - and wraps up the rest of her story.

If there's any criticism here, it's that waiting a year between novellas to complete the same character's journey is a little frustrating, as Mislaid in Parts Half-Known feels like the second half to Lost in the Moment and Found.

Onward!

Antsy's landed herself at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children. Immediately word spreads that due to her history in her own world, in the Shop Where Lost Things Go, Antsy has the unique ability to find doors. At a school where most students are mourning the loss of their own worlds, this sends people into a frenzy and Antsy leads a crew through a maze of doors to escape.

This was the book this series and I needed, I think - we're treated to glimpses of other worlds including one filled with dinosaurs, yes - but more importantly we learn about the how and why doors appear, the languages and desires of each world, and why some people get to go home and others do not.

There was an overall message here that hurt people hurt people which further contextualized and applied meaning to the events of the previous book. It was a brilliant wrap-up and yes, you know that Sumi was in her finest form.

Wishlist for future installments:
I want to go to Harvest and I want to spend more time in Christopher's world. PLEASE.

I received an ARC audiobook from Netgalley. I have liked other books by this author. Unfortunately, I picked this one up without understanding that it was part of a series, and I found it very difficult to get into the story without more of an understanding of the world. The other problem I had was that the cover art and even the jacket blurb impy that there are dinosaurs in this story, but we don't see a Dino until the last quarter, and then only briefly. I did like the concept of the school, the shop, and the doors, so I may have to go back and pick up the 1st one of the series to get the complete picture.

4.75

I wanted more dinosaurs! I also found the pacing of this to be a little off. There were a few moments where it didn’t seem like this book knew which direction it wanted to go. That being said, I thought this was a great ending to Antsy’s story (I highly recommend (re)reading Lost in the Moment and Found before this) and I loved that we got to see more of the logic behind the doors and the further exploration of the themes explored in Lost in the Moment and Found. I also loved that we got to see so many of the characters I have grown to love.

Considering this is the 9th book in a series, I think at this point you know if you want to continue or not but I will say that this arc in books 8 and 9 is probably my favorite of the series. So if you, like me, considered giving up on the series because you found books 5-7 to be a bit of a slog, I highly recommend giving the rest of the series a shot.

I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was another most excellent addition to the Wayward Children series. Some of these books can be read out of order or read as a stand alone but not this one. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is more plot heavy than some of it's predecessors and advances plots started up in previous books and leaves us hanging for another update too.

McGuire is always so intentional in her word choice and the messages she wants to explore in each of these books, and Mislaid is no exception. Even though this is a swift read, it packs a punch and didn't leave me feeling like it was lacking anything due to it's short page count.

If you are a fan of fantasy, especially portal fantasy, you must give this series a try

This series is very consistent.

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire is the 9th book in the Wayward Children series. This time the plot follows Antsy and the gang as once again go on an accidental quest to avoid the wrath of another student. I will say, plot-wise this book was not as strong as the others. The writing is solid though. While this book primarily takes place in other worlds, I think I am a bigger fan of individual student’s stories overall. This being said, it is a solid and quick read.

3.5 out of 5 stars

This ARC was received courtesy of NetGalley and will be published on January 9, 2024.

Another book, another forbidden quest.

The first Wayward Children book I read was actually Lost in the Moment and Found where Antsy is introduced, so it was cool to have completed reading the series and then be able to read the next book to be published in the series. This book specifically focuses on generational trauma and breaking the cycle. Antsy is the main focus of this, but I see it with Kade and Eleanor too.

These books never fail to make me feel so hopeful and so sad and so nostalgic all in one go. I think as I continue the series, each book will be followed by the end of Lundy's story. Far more characters have been able to return through their Doors than not, but the fear that the kids who want to go back won't be able to lingers.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

This story picks right up from the previous book, but as with all in the series you won’t be totally lost if you just pick up this one.

The overall story in this one is that you don’t get to hurt others just because you were hurt.

I love following the stories of these kids and the many worlds they inhabit.

*3.75 stars*

This next installment in the Wayward Children series was a fun adventure featuring some past favorites off on another unsanctioned quest.

While I tend to like the solo contained stories better, I do like the continuation of the overarching plot. This story was a little chaotic but tied up nicely in the end. I am definitely looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

When I requested the title I didn’t pay close enough attention to where the book fell in the series, as this was my first of McGuire’s work, so I was pretty lost for the first 25%. There are a lot of characters and a lot of plot lines and a lot of worlds to keep straight, especially for an audio. But that is all on me. Once I found a groove I really enjoyed this #BiteSizedBook the world building and McGuire’s ability to jump from world to world through the doors is impressive. I would suggest starting earlier in the series to get the full experience.

I really enjoy The Wayward Children series, so I was very excited to see the next installment in the series being released. I enjoyed this book. I like Antsy as a MC and I really enjoyed seeing her interact with the other wayward children. I also really liked the discussions around aging and knowing what you're trading away as you open each door. All in all, this was a fun installment and anyone that is a fan of this series will likely enjoy it.

4.5 stars rounded up

I love this series so much and am always happy to be back in the world and with these characters. This was interesting because it picked up with Antsy's story where the last novella left off and brought along several of our well-loved characters on an adventure that includes a world of dinasours! I found this to be an enjoyable and satisfying installment in the series, though not my favorite of them. The audio narration is fantastic! I received an advance copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.

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.

I'm always amazed at how much Seanan McGuire can put in a short story. There's world-building and character development. My one problem is, can Kade be happy? That's all I'm asking.

Jesse Vilinsky is an amazing narrator.

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

This is another great installment in the Wayward Children series. I admit that I held off on Antsy's first book due to the content. It's handled well, but it can be hard to read. However, with this one coming out, I went ahead and listened to both today and loved them once I got past the main part of the conflict.

This volume brings back one of my favorite parts about this series: traveling through many different worlds with some great characters. I like how this series brings in and lets the characters leave when they've played their part in the story. I also really liked Antsy's world and her particular story. I could honestly see this series going on forever, and I'd read every single one.

The audiobook is great as always! It's my prefered way to consume this series.

I think some people may be disappointed in this one because there could have been more dinosaurs! But overall, I had a great time with it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy of Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children, #9) in exchange for an honest review.

I love Seanan McGuire’s writing and I really enjoyed the world-building in this novella.

Revisiting three of my favorite characters from this series; Antsy, Kade, and Sumi, felt like a warm hug, it was so nice to finally learn where Antsy's story leads.

These little books are usually hit or miss for me, but I really liked this one. It may have been because NetGalley let me preview this as an audiobook, and the performance was terrific.
These books are darker than they seem on the surface, as they all deal with children who basically get lost into other worlds that are extreme and strange. When the children end up back in the "real" world, they feel lost and disoriented.
This story has the kids on an adventure. Antsy can find anything, and she escapes with several schoolmates who want to use that. It's quite an adventure, never knowing where they'll be next, and there are dinosaurs.
I'm looking forward to the next adventure in this universe

This is such a great series! It has endless possibilities and characters you can't help but root for. This was no departure from the school and it was nice to meet faces and see how they're living. I was hoping Antsy would find herself and her journey was exciting. I'll be awaiting the next installment.

I love this author and all these books. This one is quick listen. The narration is absolutely perfect! It is so nice to have more details about the various characters and their teacher.

After not enjoying the last two installments in the Wayward Children series, I thoroughly enjoyed Mislaid in Parts Half-Known.

This book gave a much deeper insight into the cost associated with opening doors through the lens of Antsy. Not only do we get to see Antsy's world, we also get the opportunity to see Kade's world. I love that we also got to see more of our familiar friends Kade, Sumi, and Cora.

While this story was not Kade's story, which I am still holding out for, it really sets up nicely the importance of Kade taking over the school from Eleanor, and how Eleanor isn't the perfect caregiver for the next generation of students.