Wayward (Witherward)

Beautifully written with intricate characters and some of the most tense and exciting scenes I’ve ever read! I found Wayward full of magic and mystery and all kinds of love and I’d recommend it to anyone - especially Witherward fans!

Wayward, Hannah MathewsonReview from Jeannie Zelos book reviewsGenre: Sci-fi and fantasyI struggled a bit at the start, I was expecting more of the Changelings and Ilsa, Gideon, Fyfe etc and instead it was Cassia and a whole new group. Once past that though I was pulled into another riveting story.I did feel though that as part of a trilogy ( or series? I think trilogy) it feels only very loosely connected to book one and I would have liked to know what was happening in the changeling world over these two years.One thing that surprises me each time its mentioned is how young these characters are. They don't feel like teens, act like teens, and I think that's why this has such a broad appeal, its not written to appeal purely to teens and YA, their ages are irrelevant, its the story, plots and actions that make it such fun.I love this alternate London with its scary magics and characters, with the usual power struggles and abuses that factor in real life. Even in fiction human nature rules, with some being empathetic and others rule bound, or who see rules as for others, not them and power as an entitlement not a privilege.I loved that the characters have flaws, are not perfect, suffer petty jealousies, irrational dislikes, and react from them. I felt one way about them, then things happened, I understood more and changed view and then even more came up and I was “ what now??”I did really struggle at the start because I was waiting for the connection to last book, to see more of those characters not just Cassia, and it stopped me from really enjoying the story for itself. Once I put that expectation away I really got to enjoy this book for itself. Its a story that kept me guessing how it would end, who would come out on top, but I'm really glad it looks like we may be back with the changelings next book, they're still my favorites.Stars: Four and a half, that rocky start knocked off a five but that's all.ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

Wayward is the loose sequel to last year's Witherward, a fantasy story that takes readers to an alternate, hidden London attached to our own in the Victorian era, where magic rules supreme. Instead of following on from the previous book directly, Hannah Mathewson has chosen to jump forward in time a few years, and to follow a minor character from the first novel in a new setting. As such, Witherward is a sequel that fans of the first will enjoy, but also a perfect jumping on point for brand new readers.The story focuses on two siblings, Cassia and Ollivan. Both of them are the grandchildren of the High Sorcerer, the leader of the Sorcerer's region in London. Cassia spent several years growing up in 'the Zoo', the part of London run by the Changelings (and where we met her in the first novel). Since returning to her people a few years previously, she's been studying to use her Sorcerer gifts and wield magic; hoping that she can prove herself and join an illustrious club, the Successors, for important Sorcerer families. Ollivan, the older of the two siblings, has spent the last year banished from the Witherward, forced to live amongst regular, non-magical humans in the other London. Having been accused of murdering a member of the Wraith faction, Ollivan was banished from his world by his grandfather, but has a plan to return home.When Ollivan stages a daring scheme to have himself elected as the new president for the Successors using hidden promises, underhand dealings, and half forgotten bylaws, he's able to return to the Witherward for the duration of his term. This allows Ollivan two years in which to find a way to convince his grandfather to let him stay. However, before that happens he need to disarm a dangerous magical artefact he left behind before his exile; a weapon that he left to ensnare the person who caused his exile. Unfortunately, Cassia has the item in her possession; and if Ollivan can't disarm it the entire city could be at risk.As someone who reads a lot of books each year I really do appreciate it when authors return to the worlds that they've created, but aren't relying on you to remember everything. When you've read close to two hundred books between the first and the sequel it can be hard to remember every character and every plot point, so having the sequel be almost a stand-alone story in its own right is absolutely my kind of thing. Not only that, but Mathewson really expanded the world she created by leaving the group of characters we followed in the original and taking a look at another part of that universe. We got to see how a different group of people live, how a different part of that society operates, and it led to some great expansion.Wayward does assume that you've read the first book in some ways. Where the first one had a character being introduced to this other, magical version of London this one doesn't. Both of our POV characters grew up there, they understand the rules and the way the world works. We don't get as in-depth a breakdown of what this other version of London is like. But, I never felt like it was skipping over things, or that new readers could get lost. The book dropped in the background details as they became important, allowing the reader to learn things as they happened organically, rather than giving big info-dumps or explanations that could slow the action down.One big difference here, over the first book, is that we follow two characters, rather than having the one lead. Cassia and Ollivan are very different types of people, and jumping between their perspectives lets the reader see the same scenarios in very different ways. Cassia is more reserved and introverted. She doesn't really have any friends, she feels slightly uncomfortable in the Sorcerers part of London thanks to growing up with the Changelings, and her magic isn't as strong or well honed as she wants it to be. Ollivan is a huge contrast to this. Despite having been accused of murder and exiled he managed to keep some strong friendships, he's outgoing and tends to be a smooth talker, he walks around with confidence and believes himself to be the smartest person in the room, and his magic is powerful.The narrative switches between the two of them at various points, and Hannah Mathewson does a good job at picking the right moments to do so. We will see events from the point-of-view of one of them, seeing several plot points unfold, leading us to come to certain conclusions about what's happening; then the point-of-view will change and we either get more information that gives further context, or we learn something that completely changes what we thought we saw. Mathewson uses this to great effect, with the two perspectives working together to build on each chapter, either building a bigger and more developed world, or giving us a twist or two.I also really liked that because our two leads were siblings we don't really get the romance sub-plot that books in this genre have. Yes, there are romances in the book, including wonderfully healthy queer relationships that aren't treated as anything but normal, but these aren't the main thrust. Instead, the book is about family. It's about the people that you don't choose to love, but are obligated to because you're related to them. And sometimes those relationships aren't great, you might not particularly like each other. This is what Wayward makes the focus. I think most readers will have someone in their family who they don't always see eye-to-eye with, who might even drive you to the end of your patience at times, so I think a lot of readers will be able to relate to Cressia an Ollivan to a certain degree.The threat in Wayward is also a lot more straight forward than the first book. The first novel had mystery to be solved, hidden goals and secret plots. It was complex in a lot of ways. Wayward, in comparison, is much more straight forward. There's a threat that becomes apparent, and the heroes have to find a way to stop it. And I don't mean simple in a bad way, there's still a lot of layers here and stuff to uncover, but the threat is definitely more overt. I loved this approach, and found the threat to be a really cool and even creepy opponent.I really enjoyed Wayward, I liked that this wasn't just another story with the same characters, that Mathewson didn't try to come up with more adventures that might have felt like it changed the way things ended in the first book. Instead, we got a book that expanded the universe, that went to new places and did some exciting new things to the mythology that's just making this series all the more exciting. I hope that this is the way this series is going to go with future entries, that we'll be getting new characters and new places each book; and if it is, I can't wait.