A review by ajsterkel
Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 I finished the Simon Snow series Nooo! What will I do with my life now? I've been spending all my free time reading these books.

Does the series really have to be over? There are a bunch of dangling plot threads because the characters decided to let somebody else save the world. They could change their minds and keep things going . . . .

Anyway, this series is about a group of 20-somethings who have finished wizard school and are now in college or starting careers. The final book is Any Way The Wind Blows. It's slightly less plot-focused than the previous books, which is kind of the point. What's a Chosen One supposed to do when his enemies have been vanquished? How's he supposed to live without the whole world watching? What if fighting monsters is his only job skill, and he doesn't want to do it anymore?

The humor and quirky characters are the best part of this series, but I also love that it's set after a wizard war. The characters have regrets about how they behaved during the battles. They're now trying to correct their mistakes. In the process, they make friends with the classmates who had to get out of their way during all the saving-the-world stuff.

This series is awesome because it takes the villains and background characters from traditional fantasy series and turns them into main characters.

My biggest complaint about the final book is the kissing scenes. Most of them become biting scenes. It makes sense because the characters involved are a vampire and a dragon boy who used to be enemies, but it grossed me out. Kissing is unsanitary enough without breaking the skin! I couldn't stop thinking about infections. I hope they brushed their teeth before literally attacking each other's faces.

I'm scared of germs. If you're normal, maybe the biting is fine. Don't let it stop you from reading the book. I enjoyed this series. I'm sad it's over. 

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