Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and most especially the marvelous Seanan McGuire and Barrie Kreinik for this eARC of the audiobook for Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear.

I first met the Wayward Children with the publication of Every Heart a Doorway in 2016 and was instantly hooked. Ms. McGuire's masterful depiction of the inner & outer lives of otherwise-discarded children is spectacular, with each book delving into a different life circumstance & intersection of identities amidst worlds of magic, wonder, terror, and redemption.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, the latest entry, is no exception. Nadya's journey from her nation of birth, to her adopted home, and to her true home in Belyyreka - a world first introduced in Where the Drowned Girls Go. But this is not the Belyyreka we already know; instead we meet new lands and new residents of this incredible world as we watch Nadya navigate integrating her lived experiences to create and save a world she loves.

Seannan McGuire has never failed to delight and surprise, and I can't wait for the next one (over a year away already), and Barrie Kreinik's narration is out of this world! Swim, don't walk, to your local bookseller to pick up a copy of this wonderful piece of literature.

This might just be my favorite in the Wayward Children series yet! Nadya just had me so in my feelings with her thoughts on her adoption and the performative nature of her adoptive parents. I truly loved this one. And I cannot wait for the next? Hopefully there is another! The narrator was great!

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear
by Seanan McGuire
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

I received an ARC of this audiobook through Netgalley.

This book was a departure from the rest of the series, but just as good as the rest.

Where do missing children go? Wouldn’t it be nice to pretend for a little while that they went to a different world that is perfect for them?

This is the story of Nadia and it is delightful.

I won’t share the plot or any spoilers.

World-building: *****
Character Development: *****
Narration: *****
Plot: *****
Secondary Characters: *****

I don’t know of a way to simply describe the other part that makes this story so great. It is a story that pulls you in and makes your own imagination soar.

Examples: The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings

Some stories pull you in and change you forever - this is one of those stories.

I highly recommend this audiobook!!!

I was excited when I saw there is another entry in the Wayward Children series. I have read them all, some in print and some on audiobook. McGuire is an unusual storyteller, someone who brings you into her world and makes you believe there are other worlds out there.
In this book, poor Nadya is adopted from the Russian orphanage she didn't want to leave, ending up with a kind couple who she feels don't understand her. One of the biggest ways they don't understand is their belief that she is incomplete, and they arrange for her to have a prosthetic arm, even though she feels whole without it.
Nadya falls through a door into another world where she has amazing adventures, showing her bravery and acceptance of the unusual. This was fun and imaginative. The narration was great -- there was a Russian accent in the begging, which changed when the location changed. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.

I love this novella series. If you are looking for good fantasy novellas, I’ll always recommend the Wayward Children Series. This installment explored the backstory of Nadya, who we met in a few of the previous stories.

Nadya’s story starts in a Russian orphanage, then continues to America in an adopted family. She struggles with feeling abandoned and unaccepted by her new parents. The discussions relating to disability and how others perceive them felt poignant, and were probably my favorite part of this book..

The world Nadya went to was a fantastical place with many different creatures. It was interesting to hear about Nadya finding her place and purpose. I'd absolutely recommend this latest sequel in the Wayward Children series!

Friends, if you don't have the Wayward Children series in your life, please change that. I hope this series never ends. I loved this one just as much as the others. Maybe more. There are so many important lessons to unpack. Mainly remembering that you are never less than anyone else for simply being you - just as you were created. This book was food for the soul. Oh and now I want a turtle tattoo.

This is the 10th book in the Wayward Children series. These books aren’t written in a linear way and could easily be read out of order. As I have felt after the other books my biggest complaint is that it’s so short. This one was also particularly sad for me at the end, but it was beautiful and I enjoyed the story. This world was fascinating and while I haven’t found all of the worlds in this series appealing but I definitely saw the appeal of this world of drowned girls and giant turtles. Nadya wasn’t asked if she wanted to be adopted and leave Russia for The United States of America. Nadya wasn’t asked if she wanted a prosthetic arm to replace the one she was born without and had never missed. Nadya wasn’t asked before she stumbled through her door, but she was sure and that was enough. I listened to the audiobook for this one and I thought the narrator did an excellent job bringing Nadya to life and telling the story, bringing life to Seanan’s poetic words.

I Loooooooooooove the Wayward Children novellas. This one is no exception. I was instantly sucked into the story and felt Nadya's pain and wonder and delight. I loved the exploration of what it means to be a Drowned Girl, at least in this world. I must confess I don't remember where in the previous novellas we met Nadya (though I do remember her being there somewhere). Clearly I need to do a reread.

As with all Wayward Children novellas it was haunting and lovely and imaginative and painful. Every time I read or hear "Be Sure" I get shivers.

The audiobook narrator did an excellent job bringing Nadya and her fellow characters to life. Her voice really suited the story and her Russian accent fit perfectly.

11/10 perfection and I will absolutely reread and purchase my own copy once it becomes available.

*Thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

I truly enjoyed Nadya's story; the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing her character to life. I felt such joy when she discovered her door, whether it was by chance or design. The ending left me feeling a bit sad, and I sincerely hope we get to see her again—I don't want her story to end here.

In the 10th installment of the Wayward Children series, we get Nadya's background story.

Abandoned by her teen mother, Nadya grew up in a orphanage in Russia. She was a happy, take charge sort of girl and made sure her erstwhile siblings had the best shot at life and adoption. But when a religious group comes to "help" the children who "need it the most" she is adopted due to missing part of her right arm.

Her adoptive parents meet her needs, but they struggle to truly understand and get to know Nadya. So much so that they require her wear a prosthetic arm, until which time she'd never felt she wasn't whole.

Not too longer after, with this new unwanted limb chafing at her in more than one way, Nadya falls through a door into a watery world. There she finds herself, her strength, family, and belonging.

Kinda spoilery, but not really, unfortunately we know the Wayward Children don't get to stay in their world and eventually Nadya ends up back in the world of her adoptive parents.

I was surprised we ONLY got background story in this one. Usually we get snippets of the children's time with each other at the home for other wayward children. However either way, I love this series and this was another great addition.

This was… fine. It felt weird to be stepping so far backwards when we’d already seen the end of Nadya’s story and there are other children (Kade) whose stories are arguably more relevant to the overarching plot and also more current (pun intended).

This one also felt rather surface level, like we didn’t get to break through the barriers in Nadya’s mind and most conflicts were solved very quickly and seemingly with no trouble at all.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear is the 10th book in one of my favorite series, the Wayward Children series.

I love this series so much, but this book was a bit of a miss for me. I just wasn’t sure if the story was needed for the sake of the overall series. In this book we follow a character we saw briefly in the 3rd book in the series and if I remember correctly their story was kinda tied up there, so this backstory just felt kinda odd, or just not needed? At the same time I love the overall series and love any time in the worlds, I was just confused if it being told was needed for the series as a whole.

We follow Nadya and see her as a young girl/preteen get pulled into one of the drowned lands and become a drowned girl (different drowned world than one we’ve previously seen in the series). Nadya was born in Russia to an unwed teen mother who left her in an orphanage. When she was 9, Nadya got adopted by an American couple when a church missionary group visited the orphanage. Nadya was born without one of her arms and we see when she’s adopted how they want her to have a prosthetic arm. Nadya loves turtles and one day is pulled down into the water to the drowned land. She lives quite the life down there before abruptly returning, which we see as it plays out in the story.

This story felt kinda dull compared to others in the series and I wasn’t as invested in this main character. Again, as a whole I love this series, this just wasn’t a favorite for me. I did receive and audio ALC from the publisher, all thoughts in this review are my own.

I don't know what else I can say about this series I haven't already said. I love everything about these books. I have read every single one and given all of them a five stars. This one wasn't my absolute favorite but it's a very close second. I love the drowned worlds and this may he favorite character now. I will never not recommend this series to people. It's one of my absolute favorites!

This book felt a bit short. I know it’s a novella, but I wanted more. At the very least, I wanted to see how Nadia ended up at the school. That said, I love Nadia. She is excellent.

What an absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful addition to the series. Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear focuses on a known character's time in her unique world, which we've only gotten glimpses of before. I think this was an interesting addition to the series; we already knew this character after the events in her door had occurred, and this book has her interacting with no other characters in the series. This all could make it feel like a complete standalone away, but I still think it is very important to the series as a whole, helping us to understand her more.

You know from the beginning that this is going to be a sad story, but seeing Nadia happy in her true home was special.

I can't wait to see where this series takes us next!