~ Warning! Spoilers! Book Review: Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow #3) by – Rainbow Rowell (2021) ~

REVIEW

Any Way the Wind Blows is the final book in the ‘Simon Snow’ trilogy. Thinking back when everyone was first reading and falling in love with Carry On, fans didn’t imagine there would be two more books. The series has really grown, and the covers only get better. I have so many copies of this book because of how beautiful every edition is.

The first book, Carry On, I gave a 3.8/5. The second book, Wayward Son, got a 3.5/5 from me. The series has been decent, but I wasn’t wholly in love. I was worried going into this third installment. I wasn’t particularly excited, but I was eager to read it. Luckily, the hold on the audiobook wasn’t too long.

After the second book, I had assumed this last book would finally explain Simon Snow’s birth and history to the character. In the final pages, he is reunited with Lucy’s family, his grandmother, and his uncle, but it didn’t hit the spot for me. I believed Simon would learn more about this mother and have more time to process that he committed patricide. There was a delicacy and time needed that wasn’t given.  

Let’s be honest: the biggest selling point for these books is the relationship between Simon and Baz. Who didn’t fall in love with Baz from when he first appeared late in Carry On? Their relationship takes a giant leap in Any Way the Wind Blows, and it made me very happy. Their relationship was adult and had its ups and downs.  

Next, Penelope also has a grand adventure (facing off a demon) and matured in her own right. The relationship that blossomed between her and Shepard worked; it was unexpected but sweet. Shepard was a fantastic addition; he was hilariously stumbling into the world of magic as a normal, which just made him stand out brightly. Of the main four, Agatha probably has the lamest story. She definitely developed the most from the first book. She went from running away from magic to kind of being the next Ebb. I don’t know how I feel about her end. It was weird to me. Plus, her love story came out from the left field, and her choices didn’t make much sense. It all happened to happen is what it felt like. By the way, did the main storyline in the second book just get completely dropped?  

Well, the issue of lesser magic mages feeling not adequate and wanting more magic was intriguing. The boom of a bunch of newly chosen ones was a cool new angle. A lot was going on in this fascinating book.

This review is kind of all over the place because I have a lot of thoughts, but I feel that they don’t matter. All in all, I was entertained. Towards the middle half, I couldn’t put it down. I so badly wanted to know how this group of friends was going to be. The conclusion was satisfying, even if I wanted more. I know this is supposedly the end, but I’m still curious about Simon; he’s such an anomaly, and it bothers me that readers will never know. I know I stated before that I found the magic system lame, but it didn’t bother me this time around. I feel like magic wasn’t really used, huh?

I was going to wrap this up, but then I went on a new tangent. I need control. To conclude, this was entertaining and a solid ending for the trilogy. My rating is a little high, but I have nostalgic and finale feels to deal with: 4/5.