ADRIFT IN CURRENTS CLEAN AND CLEAR - Seanan McGuire

Oh, boy, do I love this series!

Nadya is a girl we have met in this world/series before.  In Beneath the Sugar Sky she was introduced as The Drowned Girl who was one of Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children's 'long-timers.' Now we get Nadya's story. In Beneath the Sugar Sky we learned that Nadya, abandoned by her Russian mother who didn't want a child, was adopted by and American couple.

Nadya was born with only one arm. Her adoptive parents insist that she's less than complete and MUST wear a prosthetic arm. Nadya doesn't understand this as she's always felt perfectly whole, but she wears the prosthetic arm to please her adoptive parents. The arm, though, is uncomfortable and burdensome. 

One day Nadya feels extremely frustrated, though she can't exactly explain why, and she wanders off. This is when she falls through the magical door that opens for the wayward children. She finds herself in Belyrreka, the Land Beneath the Lake. It is a water-filled world with amphibious creatures - some friendly and helpful, some threatening (one eats Nadya's prosthetic arm).

It is in Belyrreka that Nadya understands who she is (The Drowned Girl) and finds her home. But even a magical world that is 'home' has dangers and Nadya will have to fight to protect what she loves.

This series, and this book, is so remarkable.  Author Seanan McGuire brings a highly poetic quality to the writing here which really sets a great mood for the story. It would be easy, I think, for someone to take this idea and have the wayward children find perfect lives in their new, magical worlds, but McGuire shows us that these worlds can be as dark, or even darker, than the world they've come from. The difference is that they have more control over their own decisions in these worlds on the otherside of the doors.

I honestly didn't remember Nadya as I started this (I do read a lot of books each year) but I did recognize 'the drowned girl' and went back to see when we had first heard about her. I liked that McGuire ties these books together despite the individual nature of each story.

Nadya is a wonderful character. She's set up as incredibly bright and curious and she takes her arrival in Belyrreka in stride. Even when her arm is eaten, she reacts with more curiosity than fear or anger.

I read a lot of fantasy, but these Wayward Children books take me away more than any others.  I get completely lost in McGuire's wayward world - it is perfect combination of language, story, and character.

I highly recommend this book, but I do think it's important to read the entire series.

Looking for a good book? Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear is the 10th book in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series, bringing us a back story to a character we've met before. It's dark and marvelous.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

* * * * * *

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear

author: Seanan McGuire

series: Wayward Children #10

publisher: Tordotcom

ISBN: 9781250848338

hardcover, 160 pages

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