1.5 stars... i’ll put it on the higher side as a 2 simply because i’m hoping the presumed third installment might make this one worth it. someday.

i loved Carry On, but i wasn’t overhyping Wayward Son (see: i didn’t even get around to reading it until now after getting it from the library a few weeks ago). so, i feel like there’s no way to put the blame of any overblown expectations on the way this book disappointed me. it had adventure, and i found the explanations of magic intriguing, but in the end it was riddled with holes and bad pacing in my eyes. it fell flat without giving us resolutions to anything from the first book that was left to put this one together, the characters were flatter and many of their decisions made little sense to me. obviously the plot was not as grand as Carry On but it still should have been compelling- yet i can firmly say that the only reason i kept reading was because i was at least hoping for some progress in Baz and Simon’s relationship- yet there wasn’t much, if any, of that either. the new characters didn’t really save that lack of depth, and the many of the things that sounded fascinating (see: mountain dragons, or what part of old vampire tradition keeps them from the virtually limitless power of the NextBlood) were never explored while we fumbled through what constituted as the main conflict.

i think there was potential in this interesting “after the happily ever after” idea, but i don’t think it was executed well. “the happy ending isn’t always happy, and it isn’t always the end!” this book told me... and then it offered to explanation as to why other than confusing and flat characterizations, and a rushed plot that never really went anywhere.