*3 stars* This has been my lowest rated Wayward Children book yet. I absolutely adore this series but this book just wasn't needed. We didn't need Nadya's story and it felt like a story where nothing happened. It didn't contribute to what we have already learned and didn't answer any questions.

I always enjoy a return to the Wayward Children series, even if this one felt a little too short for me. The narrator made an interesting choice in portraying a Russian accent throughout the audiobook which lends it an extra thematic layer, as you consider that our main character's internal voice is probably in Russian, which I loved.

Read Completed 11/29/24 | 2 stars

1 | Every Heart a Doorway ★★★★☆
2 | Down Among the Sticks and Bones ★★★★☆
3 | Beneath the Sugar Sky ★★★★☆
4 | In an Absent Dream ★★★★☆
5 | Come Tumbling Down ★★★☆☆
6 | Across the Green Grass Fields ★★★★☆
7 | Where the Drowned Girls Go ★★☆☆☆
8 | Lost in the Moment and Found ★★★☆☆
9 | Mislaid in Parts Half-Known ★★★☆☆
10 | Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear ★★☆☆☆

I'm just not sure why I'm not connecting with these anymore. I found this installment entirely boring and couldn't get any interested in this world. I think I really don't like the worlds that are more folklore & fairy tale with animals as a MAIN part of the world. I have a really hard time with it not feeling like just a nursery rhyme -- which could also entirely be the point.

I really, really didn't like the concept of Nadya's prothesis. In the beginning, when it's her adoptive parents making the decision for her, it's a terrible thing that she's never consulted or asked if it's what she wants to do... but then when she magically gets a prosthesis in the underwater world, it's totally okay. So is it what she wanted all along and that's why magic grants it to her? I thought it would be more lovely if she didn't have that because she kept saying how she was perfect the way she was born. I thought it would make more sense for her to perfectly adept for this world that welcomed her without adding something like that -- that would be better suited for continuing the concept that she was perfect the way she was.

I keep getting disappointed in this series, but I loved the early installments so I keep trying. I think the origin stories are more difficult because they're so separate from the *plot*. I know that's not the point of a lot of these origin stories, but something just feels a little empty at times.

This was just a miss for me because of what the world was and it wasn't something I enjoyed, but there were also elements that I just didn't enjoy and some writing choices I didn't love. I'll keep trying a few more, but if they keep going like this, I may have to abandon this series.

I was so delighted to finally get the backstory on this character, after having seen her outcome earlier in the series. Nadya was a delightful main character who is unique and easy to root for. I was charmed by her no-nonsense attitude and her reflections on her life before going through her door. As always, the ending of these novels can be heartbreaking, but it was tolerable knowing that there is more to Nadya's story. I absolutely cannot wait for the next in this series!

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan Mcguire is the tenth audiobook in the Wayward Children series and shares Nadya’s origin story when the door to Belyyreka first opened to her. Narrated by Barrie Kreinik, McGuire once again held me captive in this riveting fantasy.

We first met Nadya. “the drowned girl” in Beneath the Sugar Sky. In that story her door opened for her again. Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear gives us Nayda’s origin story and how her door first opened to take her to Belyyreka, the world under the lake.

I absolutely love the Wayward Children series and the characters and doors we have opened. It was a delight to learn more about Nadya. We meet her on the day of her birth, and spend time with her in a Russian orphanage before she is adopted by a family. Nadya accepts who she is,feels frustrated she can’t make her adoptive mother happy and loves spending time at the pond with the turtles but others make decisions “in her best interest.” The one she struggles with the most is the prosthetic arm her new parents and doctors are making her wear. It isn’t her, and makes her feel clumsy and useless.

It is then that a door opens for her. Nadya finds herself in the land under the lake known as Belyyreka. Here she meets a fox and finds It’s world of water and creatures, like child-eating amphibians, talking frogs and giant turtles. In this world with impossible ships that sail on wind and air she finds acceptance. A home, and a family.

Of course there are dangers, and trials Nayda must face and McGuire’s storytelling pulled me in. I devoured this almost in a single sitting. Nayda is a wonderful character and I felt for her and loved seeing her find herself. The ending I knew going in, because of Beneath the Sugar Sky but it still left me sad.

Barrie Kreinik narrates this story and did a lovely job with the Russian accents and voicing Nadya herself. I highly recommend listening to the series.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear is the newest installment in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series, a collection centered onchildren who find portals to fantastical worlds.

This particular story, which can be read as a standalone, follows Nadya, a Russian orphan, on her journey from her home country to America and eventually to the magical world of Belyyreka: the Land Beneath the Lake. Belyyreka is an utterly fascinating new creation, featuring massive turtles as the main form of transportation, various talking animals, rivers that can bestow magical gifts, and a landscape entirely devoid of dry land - only water of varying densities. The mesmerizing world-building makes this Drowned world feel unlike anything I have read about before.

McGuire masterfully weaves a poignant and emotional tale, addressing complex themes like inter-country adoption and disability with the utmost care and sensitivity. I really enjoyed watching Nadya find her family and her purpose over the course of this story!

Nadya has quickly become one of my favorite characters in the Wayward Children series, and I’m thrilled to report that McGuire goes above and beyond to do her story justice.

Thank you Netgalley and Tordotcom for providing me with an ALC!

This one was charming and fun. I loved the turtles and Nadia as a main character, and I thought it felt whimsical and remained poignant. One of my favorites from this series.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, like all of the Wayward Children series, gives a nostalgic vibe. There's this almost fairy tale atmosphere to the story. You know the 'fairy tale' logic? Where things don't make sense and in a strange way they do? Worlds where anything seems possible and the questions of how and why are suddenly suspended. Yet at the same time, these worlds have this uncanny ability to ask, with almost childlike curiosity, about the true heart of the matter. It's one of my favorite elements of the Wayward Children series.

My only complaint is that the ending felt incredibly abrupt. I was totally enraptured with Barrie Kreinik's narration. There's something about listening to this series on audiobook which gives me a new appreciation for their transportative quality. But the abrupt ending made me think my audiobook had skipped ahead.

I’ve read every installation of The Wayward Children series and really enjoyed it. This was another solid addition. This time, we learn about Nadya and how she found her door. Her story starts in Russia in an orphanage and moves on from there. While the circumstances that led her to a door were similar to other stories, the origin of her story is quite a bit different from the rest. I won’t say that it was super original, but if you’ve enjoyed the series thus far, you’ll likely enjoy this one too.

I haven't been loving Seanan McGuire's other series this year, so I wasn't looking forward to this book. Ultimately, I'm glad I had nothing to worry about. This book is an honest look at a child, Nadya, born without the lower part of her right arm and the ablism she deals with from her adopted parents, who only see her as a doll. Nadya finds a proper home with people who accept and love her when she ends up in the underwater world. The knowledge that she would return to our world made her story bittersweet because as much as she loved that underwater world, she would be parted from it and end up at Wayward Children's School. I had to reread Beneath the Sugar Sky to remind myself what happened to Nadya, and now I want another book.

I loved Barrie Kreinik's narration. Her Russian accent was pleasant to listen to.

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

I've been reading or listening to the Wayward Children series since I got the very first, Every Heart a Doorway, as an arc many years ago. I was thrilled to receive Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear from Netgalley. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book, just as I've enjoyed listening to or reading the rest of the series. The narrator was spot on, as her voice and reading pattern was able to add the mystical/magic to the book itself. The voice and narration was also consistent with the rest of the series, which I find to be incredibly important. I love recommending this series to people and look forward to recommending this latest installment.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration and the way it brought the story to life.
This was part of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. It is the first book I have read in the series and I definitely want to read more. The books seem to be stand alone and not necessarily need to read together or in order. It was a unique story, about a young girl named Nadya who was born without an arm and raised in a Russian orphanage. She is adopted through a Missionary program that brings her to the States. Her new parents provide everything that she could possibly want, but don't take the time to get to know the real her or what she really needs. she goes through the door, she finds herself in a magical world filled with water, giant turtles and people that understand the Drowned Girl. This book was really good, but a little short. I have to say, the ending I felt was a little abrupt and I found myself wanting a little more. I definitely would recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audioarc to preview.

I consider the latest installment in this series my annual New Year's read and look forward to it every year. McGuire writes with such emotion and depth, allowing you to feel the feelings and longing of the characters and I love the insight into the backstories of each. This installment is Nadia's story, and I loved the detail and enlightening of her inner turmoil. Seeing her as a child was interesting and her stoic view of life and then a glimpse of joy, or at least contentment, was heartbreaking. The vivid imagery of the water world of the drowned girls was lighter and more human than I imagined, but that isn't a negative. I can't wait for the next and I'm just as in love with this series as ever. The narration and added music and sound effect choices added to the listening experience. I enjoyed the audiobook's vocal intonation and accent work and found it easy to tell who was speaking.

I think this was one of my favorites in this series. I really loved Nadya and her journey. I also think that this drowned world was one of my favorites. I think having a turtle friend would be amazing. Nadya’s backstory makes her actions in Beneath the Sugar Sky much more understandable. The Wayward Children stories are always sad and bittersweet and this one is no exception.

Nadya’s story deals with her disability and her adoption from Russia. Her adoptive parents are as ableist as you would expect and pretty soon she is going through her turtle door. She appears into a absolute fabulous alternate world. It is a drowned world where everything is underwater but there are varying degrees of how dense the water is. As always @seananmcguire builds a fabulous world very quickly. This ending was very bittersweet but it also makes Nadya feel more real throughout the series.

This is definitely one to pick up!

Another Wayward Children novella, set this time mainly in one of the worlds before the return. Nadya is a Russian orphan adopted by well-meaning Americans who think her missing arm is a disability in need of correction; when they force a prosthetic on her, she escapes through a Door, but she doesn't really mean to do so, which causes trouble later despite the life she builds in a Drowned world. I thought it was well done.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of one of my favorite series. Although I'm not a huge fan of this genre, something about book one in the Wayward Children series sparked my interested one day while browsing the shelves of my public library and I've been a fan ever since. While some of the titles weren't as appealing as others, number 10 did not disappoint. In fact, it might very well be one of my favorites (perhaps because of the turtles since I'm a huge fan). In all honesty, I fell in love with Nadya and her story that is both sad and inspiring. A very good read!

I still really love the concept of this series. I’ll continue reading each addition to the series as they come out. This wasn't my favorite out of the series, but it was really enjoyable. My only critique for this book is that it seemed less action packed and eventful when compared to some of the others in the series. I did really love the underwater fantasy world, though.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook.

In this recent installment of Wayward Children, we are introduced to a girl named Nadya who has been adopted from Russia by a missionary mom and dad, but soon finds her life is not as "perfect" as her adoptive parents want it to seem.

Though Nadya grew up in an orphanage and with her arm missing since birth, she is an incredibly resilient and determined young girl. She helped the other kids in the orphanage get adopted and tried to help others find a sense of belonging. Her internal hope is that she feels if she does a good enough job, her birth mother will return for her.

However, one day she is adopted from the orphanage by some American missionaries looking for children who are having a tough time. Nadya does not see herself in that light, and does not feel as though her missing arm is a negative aspect of who she is. When they take her to be fitted for a prosthetic, she starts to realize a lot of the things her adoptive parents are doing are more for "appearance" or for themselves, rather than for her. She flees to a turtle pond near her house, and soon finds herself transported to another world.

I enjoyed this book and found it fantastical and emotional at times, but I will say I am not incredibly sold on the way it ended. Maybe I need to pick up more of the books in this series to see if it is a recurring theme.

Have I ever disliked a Wayward Children's installment? Nope and this was not going to be the first! I feel that this was more fun and fantastic than some of the other parts of the series that are really weighed down by trauma and plot (in a great way) so this was a refreshing first read of 2025!

Thank you to Seanan McGuire (author), Barrie Kreinik (narrator), Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for this free advanced listener copy of Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children #10) for an honest review.

I have to admit I am enjoying that I have begun to seek these stories out. The last few had been doing such a great job of starting to bring the threads together, searching for the meaning of the doors, and the beginnings of what all this has come from, is going to, means. Returning to a just-portal-child story was a little disappointing for me. The story was well and truly charming, and I was almost really excited, as the timer for the narration kept winding down, that this was going to be a story where a child didn't fall out at the end—*except.*

I do still feel a bit like McGuire is checking the boxes on identities and disabilities with so many of her characters in an almost too obvious way, but I look forward to when this character joins the main cast and where the books will be when they return to the school.

The narrator was a true delight and I loved every bit of her use of Russian, which sounded lovely.