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  • Wayward Son

  • Simon Snow Series, Book 2
  • Written by: Rainbow Rowell
  • Narrated by: Euan Morton
  • Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (152 ratings)

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Wayward Son cover art

Wayward Son

Written by: Rainbow Rowell
Narrated by: Euan Morton
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Publisher's Summary

One of AudioFile Magazine's Best Audiobooks of 2019: "[Euan] Morton brings distinct voices and emotions to every character.... Listeners will be hard-pressed to believe they aren't listening to a full-cast production." (AudioFile, Earphones Award Winner)

The hotly anticipated sequel to the number one best seller Carry On

Simon Snow is back and he's coming to America!

The story is supposed to be over.

Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain. He won the war. He even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after....

So why can’t Simon Snow get off the couch?

What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. He just needs to see himself in a new light....

That’s how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West. They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place....

With Wayward Son, Rainbow Rowell has delivered an audiobook for everyone who ever wondered what happened to the Chosen One after he saved the day. And an audiobook for everyone who was ever more curious about the second kiss than the first. It’s another helping of sour cherry scones with an absolutely decadent amount of butter.

Come on, Simon Snow. Your hero’s journey might be over - but your life has just begun.

©2019 Rainbow Rowell (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

What the critics say

"Morton brings distinct voices and emotions to every character - from posh vampire Baz's deep frustration to fast-talking wizard Penelope's snappy repartee, from de-magicked and be-winged Simon's formless longing to a whole bevy of American wizards, vampires, and Native-inspired creatures. Listeners will be hard-pressed to believe they aren't listening to a full-cast production." (AudioFile Earphone Award)

What listeners say about Wayward Son

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A great sequel to Carry On

I loved Carry On but I knew Rainbow Rowell doesn't write a lot of series so when I heard Wayward Son was being made I was excited.
The story takes over where Carry On left off. Simon is not okay and I have to give Rowell so much credit for not just glossing over the events of the first book. Everything changed for Simon and where a lot of authors might choose to gloss over that fact and focus on Simon and Baz's love for each other this book does not do that. Despite the fact that he still has Baz and Penny, Simon is suffering from the mental and emotional ramifications of what happened. He is depressed and miserable and nothing can seem to pull him out of it. So in an attempt to help him, Penny suggests they take a road trip across America.

If you are expecting the Harry Potter fan fiction feel that the first book had you will not find it here. Simon still has wings and a tail, and magic still exists, as do magical creatures and the human world is still unaware of it but this book is more of its own thing. Whereas the first book almost like a retelling of events that you were already familiar with, this one feels like something new and its kind of refreshing.

Baz and Simon are still wonderful together but if you are expecting their relationship to be easy you will be disappointed. The two of them almost broke my heart in this book to the point where I was getting seriously concerned about how they ended up. I knew I was going to be seriously upset if they didn't end up together... not upset enough to not buy another book should Rainbow Rowell produce one because I love the characters and I'm addicted but upset all the same.

When the group finds out that Agatha might be in trouble they rush off to save her and find themselves in trouble several times along the way. The characters are well rounded and enjoyable for the most part and I can honestly say I look forward to getting to know some of them better in upcoming books.

That being said,

This book is not heavy on the romance and while I would be completely fine reading 400 pages of just Simon and Baz making kissy faces at each other, I understand the choice and respect it. I did, however, feel that the majority of the book was spent leading up to a conclusion that was not nearly as satisfying as it should have been. So much emotional energy spent wondering if there would even be a Snowbaz when the book was through only to get a couple sentences in conclusion.
I also HATED the fact that it ended in a cliff hanger. I hate cliff hangers. To be fair the events of this book were finished and the cliff hanger added more as a teaser to the next book I would have honestly just preferred to be an actual teaser instead of something tacked on to the end of this book.

Euan Morton once again did an amazing job with his performance. He has the type of voice you just want to keep listening to and he made listening to this audiobook all the more enjoyable.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fun adventure, a little cringe

Still a fun read, definitely more of a dive into Simon's and Baz's relationship but there were enough times I just wanted to hit them and TALK shit out for fucks sake. I love Penelope but she was definitely a lot more ignorant and aggressive than I would have liked.

Overall, I still enjoyed and must now read the next book - fucking cliffhangers!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

i love and miss this book already

very good and cool. its exciting to learn more about their world. i feel like one of the characters, shepard, eager to learn more about this world. cannot wait for the next one.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

fine

good book for the most part, but i found the ending pretty bad in comparison.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

love these characters

the story takes the characters from the first book and gives us so many more reasons to love them. The conflict wasn't the best, but the characters moments were good enough to keep me entertained throughout the whole novel. love it!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good times

Didn't love this one like I loved Carry On, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I wouldn't call it queer bait either. The relationship between Simon amd Baz didn't progress, sure, but I don't think it was the goal here. This felt like a big side quest, basically. And some coming to terms. I'm still heartbroken for Simon, though. :'x

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

love it!

it's got comedy, action, a fun storyline that keeps you wanting more! Definitely get the second book if you've read the first one in the series!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing!

The voice actor made me laugh a little whenever he had to voice one of the girls, but it was a lovely performance overall! I really loved the book and can't wait for it's sequel!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Meh

This series feels very queer baity. You can definitely tell this "gay" story is not written by a gay author. Also this book served SO little purpose to the characters. it's the equivalent of a filler episode in a TV series. Truly a waist of time. You gain nothing from reading this. Also kind of frustrating the amount of time waisted because the author kept hopping back and forth between character perspectives for seemingly no reason but to fill time/pages.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Queerbait

Kinda queerbaity if you ask me. Baz and Simon never got closer. Not once in the whole story.

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