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Book: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known
Author: Seanan McGuire
Pages: 160
Source: Tor
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Genre: Fantasy, Portal Fantasy
Publication Date: January 9, 2024
Summary:
Antsy is the latest student to pass through the doors at Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children.
When the school’s (literally irresistible) mean girl realizes that Antsy’s talent for finding absolutely anything may extend to doors, Antsy is forced to flee in the company of a small group of friends, looking for a way back to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be sure that Vineta and Hudson are keeping their promise.
Along the way, they will travel from a world which hides painful memories that cut as sharply as its beauty, to a land that time wasn’t yet old enough to forget—and more than one student’s life will change forever.
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known is a story that reminds us that getting what you want doesn’t always mean finding what you need.
My Review:
I was given a free advanced reader’s copy of Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire by Tor books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Tor!
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known picks up a few months after Lost in the Moment and Found. Antsy has made her way Eleanor West’s school, and she is trying to carve a small space for herself there. It’s difficult for Antsy because while she may appear to be a teenager like her schoolmates, she’s still just a nine-year-old girl inside. Interacting with others at the school is often confusing and distressing for her. So, when people like Sumi decide to befriend her, she is cautiously happy to be finally fitting in.
However, Antsy left the Store for Lost Things with a new talent. She can find anything, and she quickly learns that finding Doors is also within the scope of that talent. When some of the other kids at the school find out that Antsy has the ability to get them home through their Doors, they corner her. Antsy, Sumi, Kade, and friends find the only escape they can which is through another door, and they have no idea what is on the other side.
So far, I have loved every single one of the Wayward Children books by Seanan McGuire, and this one was no exception. I really enjoyed Antsy’s introduction in Lost in the Moment and Found, and I was excited to see what became of her after she made her way to the Home for Wayward Children. This book sees her go from a scared child desperately trying to fit in to someone who takes charge of ensuring injustice is stopped.
Her time in the Store also gave her an expertise about that doors that no one at the West Home previously had. She was able to share that expertise with people like Kade to help explain how the doors work, and in turn this gets explained to the reader as well. I think this helped give Antsy some much needed confidence. Once she was confident in her talent, abilities, and knowledge, she was able to make sure the Store was being run properly. No more children would go through what she did in ignorance.
I also feel like this book hints at the beginning of the end of the Wayward Children series. Readers learn more about Kade and the world he fled and why. We also learn more about Sumi and when she may be going back to Confection. Another character, that I won’t reveal which one because of spoilers, finally gets to go back home through their door as well. Even though there are still some new people present from Where the Drowned Girls Go, I think everyone finally realized that the Doors can’t be forced. They appear when they think people are ready, and you really have to be sure before you travel through them.
My Rating:
I gave Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire four out of five stars. This is yet another beautiful entry in an enchanting series. I will definitely be re-reading these books for years to come. I have enjoyed following everyone’s stories and why or why not they seek to go back through their Doors. The ending of this book was so bittersweet, and it almost made me cry with happiness. Anyone who has been following this series should definitely read this book!
Have you read any of the Wayward Children books? Do you plan to start? Let me know in the comments below!
Tea Rex Reads 