The three quickly run out of money, get lost, receive a less-than-warm welcome from a friend. Penny and Baz, usually so skilled at magic, find that being in America has lessened the effectiveness of their powers and the vastness of the country and its unique subcultures are a mystery to the Brits. Instead of a movie-worthy journey, the three of them seemed destined to cause problems on a catastrophic scale. The trio plans a road trip across America and sets out to visit friends, each of them hoping that the change of scenery will do them all some good. While Penny and Baz love Simon deeply, they are growing worried that his depression will make him do something drastic.

Yet the normal university days he longs for are out of reach, instead, he tries with little luck to build a relationship with irrational, angry Simon. Baz is so ready to pursue a normal life with his boyfriend Simon, all the danger and battles all behind them. Penny, once so focused on the “save the world” mission and used to having all of the answers and knowledge of all of the necessary spells, is out of her depths with Simon’s physical and mental crises. To make things worse, he is not a regular Normal who can just go about his life his transfigured state means he must constantly hide. Forced into hiding because a spell gone wrong left him with wings and tail, Simon is depressed and filled with rage that the one amazing thing about himself, his towering magical might, is gone. The battle is won, but Simon was forced to sacrifice his magic in order to do so and his powerlessness and mangled looks have left him bereft.

Now living in London, the stars of Carry On - brilliant magician Penny, part-Vampire-part mage Baz, and former “chosen one” Simon - are recovering from their years-long battle to save the magical world. Last year at Watford, the magical boarding school that brought together Basilton Grimm-Pitch, Penelope Bunce, and the famous Simon Snow, this unlikely trio was forced together to fight off a dark entity that threatened the entire world of magic. (For an added bonus, the review I wrote for Carry On is below.) I love every single word ever written by Rainbow Rowell (for evidence see my reviews of every single one of her books #rainbowrowell) I have been waiting patiently for the sequel to her Young Adult fantasy fiction novel, Carry On, and Wayward Son is finally here! NOTE: The review below has definite spoilers and Carry On is too wonderful to miss…if you haven’t read it, do yourself a favor and grab a copy.

Simon snow series in order