It took me a while to get round to reading this book but I'm very glad I gave it the time. The characters were brilliant and the storyline kept me interested throughout. I didn't read Witherward first but will be adding it to me TBR list straight away.

Great read.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley & Titan Books for my ARC.

When I first requested this I thought it was a sequel to Witherward so when i realised it was a prequel featuring Cassia as our MC, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

This book is set (i think) a couple of years before the events in Witherward, and mostly within the Sorcerer district. Cassia has gone back to her family home to try and improve her magic, but her family are distant and her Grandfather is a tyrannical leader of their faction.

At the same time as Cassia is trying to improve her magic, her brother has found a way out of his banishment from the Otherworld.

The book then follows dual POV of Cassia and her brother, Ollivand. As they learn how to trust each other and get to know one another having been separated for most of their lives.

It took me a bit to get into this book but I genuinely really enjoyed it. I always wanted to see more of Cassia after reading Witherward so was glad of that opportunity. In the context of the whole Witherward series it didn't necessarily need to be written and could easily be a standalone in it's own right, but I enjoyed it.
I appreciated getting to know Cassia and Hester more, as well as having more of a deep dive into the politics of the other factions and all the corruption.

I really love the world building and magic systems that Mathewson has created within the Witherward series and very much look forward to the next installment.

CW: injury, fire, torture, death

Great read for youngsters!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I was so impressed with this! I hadn't read the previous (next? as this is a prequel) book before this but I saw online that you can read this one without any prior knowledge so I went with it, and now I'm soooo keen to read Witherward. I loved the world and the characters and the pacing of it all, I liked the two protagonists and their character arcs and how things developed with them and the people around them. The magic system is intricate without being complicated, yet still mystical and exciting to read about. In fact, I'm so keen to read the next one I've just bought it even though I'm really low on money this month. I don't even care I'm hooked!!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan for the free review copy!!!!

I was glad to be back in the world of Witherward and I was glad to read this sort of prequel.
I enjoyed it even if I wasn't a big fan of Oliver and Cassia.
As I already wrote I'm a fan of alternate city and this London was as fascinating as I remembered.
The story is well plotted even if it drags a bit at time.
It can be read as a stand alone or as the first in this series.
I enjoyed it and it' recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Wayward is a magical rollercoaster and a great prequel to Witherward.

Wayward gives us the backstory of Cassia, a character already established in Witherward, but who always seemed a bit of an odd one out within the cast of Witherward. Giving Cassia her own book, and her own backstory, makes her character so much more interesting.

Once again the London of Witherward swept me away. I loved the characters, the different types of magic (great to see some more of Sorcerer magic, after the Changeling magic from Witherward!), and the politics. I really hope future books will have some more of the newly introduced characters as well, as I got quite attached to some of them.

Wayward did miss a bit of the wonder that Witherward had. Despite it being a prequel, I’d definitely recommend reading Witherward first, to get to know the world through a stranger’s eyes. Other than that, this was a solid installment in the series, and I’m looking forward to any future books.

I like a few others, made the error of not knowing that this books was a prequel.
Putting that aside, this was a decent YA fantasy. Magic, mystery mayhem. All the good elements.

It didn’t quite work for me as other books have in this genre. Possibly it’s the prequel thing, or maybe this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Hannah Mathewson, Titan Books, and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I started this book, I had no idea that it was a prequel to another book from the author, and honestly? I'm happy to have read it this way. 'Wayward' is an excellent book to ease you in to the world Mathewson has created, even if that world is one where your worth is determined by your magical aptitude. In short, this book is a beautifully fast-paced YA fantasy read that many will enjoy. Myself included.

I am a sucker for cities in our world being infected with magic in books, and 'Wayward' was no exception. Set in a magical London, with magic that flows freely rather than being firm and stoic, the book almost has a gothic Alice in Wonderland vibe. Not only that, but I found the magic system to be incredibly interesting. With spells that succeed or fail based on the intention behind them, you can do almost anything as long as you intend it specifically. It opens up a whole world of possibility for future books.

Another thing I'm a sucker for is a character-focused book, one that creates and builds off of the dynamics and relationships of the characters within. With two quirky main characters who each have room to grow, 'Wayward' hit just about all of my checks on my list. Sibling dynamics are always interesting to read and, honestly, difficult to get right, but Mathewson managed to delight me even there and even reminded me of myself and my sibling in my own life.

I do think this book was a teensy bit too long for the plot, maybe another subplot would've filled it out a little bit? But other than that, I enjoyed reading this a LOT and would recommend it to anyone in need of a new YA fantasy read. 4/5 stars!

Wayward is a magical journey in a unique and mystical world.

Hannah Mathewson has developed a huge, detailed version of London full of distinct characters, races and environments. This London felt to me like a steampunk world of magic and relationships teetering on the edge of a knife.

Hannah has a very clever way with words and fantastic expressive prowess wrapped in an imaginative, explanatory mind. The world building in Wayward is phenomenal, each aspect of the story is described in the utmost detail allowing the reader to form a clear and personal picture of the environment the characters are living in.

The characters themselves are very deep, fulsome in their personalities. From the adolescent innocence and bravery of Cassia to the arrogant, cockiness of Ollivan. Hannah makes sure that each of her subjects are given ample focus in order to support the terrific story being formulated.

Wayward takes you on a other-worldly ride through mystic London. Fans of the latter Harry Potter books (the darker ones) will surely enjoy this book but if that doesn’t describe you, you should also find a place within this story. Hannah’s skills as an author ensure an enjoyable ride.

trigger warning
<spoiler> child neglect, domestic violence, identity theft, being convicted for a crime you didn't commit </trigger warning>

Cassie, one of the two grandchildren of the High Sorcerer, is working on her presentation for the induction to the society of young sorcerers, but despite knowing that in theory, she's capable to do magic, nothing works. But at least this distracts her from the fact that her brother was exiled a year ago, for murder.

Since nothing ever works out like it should, Cassie doesn't succeed <i>and</i> her brother returns from the magic less world where he was exiled, and all of that <i>after</i> Cassie unknowingly unleashed powerful, ancient, dangerous magic on the city of London.

As I started, I had the famous "oh no, is this part of a series?" moment, but it turns out this is a prequel and you need no prior knowledge. I had none and it worked out fine for me.

The world-building is intriguing, it seems to be Victorian London, but the city is parted in seven groups with borders that do see fights, and everybody should stay in their part or risk a breach of the Principles, the rules the current High Sorcerer helped to develope to get them out of constant war times. It's a fragile peace, both between different fractions and within them, as people are vying for power.

Each fraction has their own magic, which is passed down to decendants. Each person has only one. I won't go into detail about what the magic systems are, since figuring it out is part of the fun, but our protagonists are sorcerers, as you can guess by their grandfather being "High Sorcerer". They can do what we associate with wizards: Cast spells, enchant items. Wave hands, use big words. Make things go poof.

It felt at all times like a whole world that is ready to be explored. You're dropped into it, there are past things to figure out while waiting for what the future holds - as the best books are supposed to do.

I am not sure how this relates to the other book in the same world, but I am determined to find out. While I think that I have heard enough about Olliwan and Cassie, as I said, the world is fascinating and I am here for it.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Um.

So, whilst this is the second book, following on from Witherward, it actually takes place before, which wasn't quite clear from the offset, so I was a little confused. Especially as, Witherward felt like it was prepping us for a book that would follow on from the events of it. Witherward also felt much more clear in it's direction and setting; building a world of a parallel London that is divided by factions of different magical ability. I was hoping for more exploration of this, but Wayward seemed to neglect much of what we learnt in the first book. It really had me wondering why Wayward wasn't scheduled as the first release...

I did however enjoy some of our characters; Ollivan as a character was probably my favourite. His scheming, motives and relationship with his sibling, friends and former partner were really interesting. He felt much more fleshed out than Cassia who readers would have met in Witherward. Cassia on the other-hand felt like a completely different person - I think the aim was for her to have been changed by the events of Witherward in time for when we meet her in Wayward - again, an odd choice to not have had Wayward first.

Overall, I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if I'd read it prior to Witherward. I look forward to more of Mathewson's work, as I really enjoyed the first book and hope that we see more of this universe expanded upon.

I could not finish this one. It started with such a promising plot line but the story was quickly diluted.

I think I might have enjoyed this book more if it hadn't felt so jarring. This is technically book 2 in the WITHERWARD series, though it happens before it, but it honestly feels like it comes from an entirely different world.

If I were to describe WITHERWARD it would be as a portal fantasy about a divided (not-)London on the brink of civil war. Thus I'd expected WAYWARD to have the same feel about it, but it just does not. This is a story about a monumentally stupid decision and some drama that comes from it because the central family has awful interpersonal dynamics.

There is pretty much nothing about the city tensions in WAYWARD, and barely anything about the rest of the city, save as a periphery thing that has no effect on it, and absolutely no "our" London. This all made this feel like it was a story that had been dreamt up in another world and then painted over to this world in order to sell as the same series. Particularly as I'd just re-read WITHERWARD before hand.

Not to mention that WITHERWARD ends in such a way like it's setting up a clear sequel - there are prophecies about the future and so so so many unresolved plot threads. <em>That</em> is the story I wanted, and to have an entirely different story that didn't even fit into world that had previously been created just made it so hard to get into the book because it was like trying to relearn <em>everything</em> I already knew about the world and characters.

As I said, this is set before WITHERWARD. How far, I don't know. I imagine it has to be several years as Cassia seems so much younger than she did in the first book. This extreme youth/immaturity made this whole book feel very YA when combined with her arc of dealing with a personal issue in order to overcome her magical block. The first book feels very much like it's in the adult category.

I do think that, had it been sold differently, I would have enjoyed it more, because it's a story about siblings and magic going spectacularly wrong. Those are elements I like, and also Ollivan is scheming and I like that too. But it just felt so <em>off</em> from what I'd expected, what defined this world for me.

There was also a fair bit of jumping about in time (by a few hours or days) between Ollivan and Cassia's chapters at time. Some were signalled. Some were not. It was really confusing keeping track of what was happening because you had to work out when this all was happening. This is because the book was strictly swapping between POVs each chapter. If that pattern had broken, it could have all been linear, and then I might have not got muddle (which of course made it even harder to get into the book.)

Wayward, Hannah Mathewson

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Sci-fi and fantasy

I struggled a bit at the start, I was expecting more of the Changelings and Ilsa, Gideon, Fyfe etc and instead it was Cassia and a whole new group. Once past that though I was pulled into another riveting story.
I did feel though that as part of a trilogy ( or series? I think trilogy) it feels only very loosely connected to book one and I would have liked to know what was happening in the changeling world over these two years.

One thing that surprises me each time its mentioned is how young these characters are. They don't feel like teens, act like teens, and I think that's why this has such a broad appeal, its not written to appeal purely to teens and YA, their ages are irrelevant, its the story, plots and actions that make it such fun.
I love this alternate London with its scary magics and characters, with the usual power struggles and abuses that factor in real life. Even in fiction human nature rules, with some being empathetic and others rule bound, or who see rules as for others, not them and power as an entitlement not a privilege.
I loved that the characters have flaws, are not perfect, suffer petty jealousies, irrational dislikes, and react from them. I felt one way about them, then things happened, I understood more and changed view and then even more came up and I was “ what now??”

I did really struggle at the start because I was waiting for the connection to last book, to see more of those characters not just Cassia, and it stopped me from really enjoying the story for itself. Once I put that expectation away I really got to enjoy this book for itself. Its a story that kept me guessing how it would end, who would come out on top, but I'm really glad it looks like we may be back with the changelings next book, they're still my favorites.

Stars: Four and a half, that rocky start knocked off a five but that's all.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

Wayward is the loose sequel to last year's Witherward, a fantasy story that takes readers to an alternate, hidden London attached to our own in the Victorian era, where magic rules supreme. Instead of following on from the previous book directly, Hannah Mathewson has chosen to jump forward in time a few years, and to follow a minor character from the first novel in a new setting. As such, Witherward is a sequel that fans of the first will enjoy, but also a perfect jumping on point for brand new readers.

The story focuses on two siblings, Cassia and Ollivan. Both of them are the grandchildren of the High Sorcerer, the leader of the Sorcerer's region in London. Cassia spent several years growing up in 'the Zoo', the part of London run by the Changelings (and where we met her in the first novel). Since returning to her people a few years previously, she's been studying to use her Sorcerer gifts and wield magic; hoping that she can prove herself and join an illustrious club, the Successors, for important Sorcerer families. Ollivan, the older of the two siblings, has spent the last year banished from the Witherward, forced to live amongst regular, non-magical humans in the other London. Having been accused of murdering a member of the Wraith faction, Ollivan was banished from his world by his grandfather, but has a plan to return home.

When Ollivan stages a daring scheme to have himself elected as the new president for the Successors using hidden promises, underhand dealings, and half forgotten bylaws, he's able to return to the Witherward for the duration of his term. This allows Ollivan two years in which to find a way to convince his grandfather to let him stay. However, before that happens he need to disarm a dangerous magical artefact he left behind before his exile; a weapon that he left to ensnare the person who caused his exile. Unfortunately, Cassia has the item in her possession; and if Ollivan can't disarm it the entire city could be at risk.

As someone who reads a lot of books each year I really do appreciate it when authors return to the worlds that they've created, but aren't relying on you to remember everything. When you've read close to two hundred books between the first and the sequel it can be hard to remember every character and every plot point, so having the sequel be almost a stand-alone story in its own right is absolutely my kind of thing. Not only that, but Mathewson really expanded the world she created by leaving the group of characters we followed in the original and taking a look at another part of that universe. We got to see how a different group of people live, how a different part of that society operates, and it led to some great expansion.

Wayward does assume that you've read the first book in some ways. Where the first one had a character being introduced to this other, magical version of London this one doesn't. Both of our POV characters grew up there, they understand the rules and the way the world works. We don't get as in-depth a breakdown of what this other version of London is like. But, I never felt like it was skipping over things, or that new readers could get lost. The book dropped in the background details as they became important, allowing the reader to learn things as they happened organically, rather than giving big info-dumps or explanations that could slow the action down.

One big difference here, over the first book, is that we follow two characters, rather than having the one lead. Cassia and Ollivan are very different types of people, and jumping between their perspectives lets the reader see the same scenarios in very different ways. Cassia is more reserved and introverted. She doesn't really have any friends, she feels slightly uncomfortable in the Sorcerers part of London thanks to growing up with the Changelings, and her magic isn't as strong or well honed as she wants it to be. Ollivan is a huge contrast to this. Despite having been accused of murder and exiled he managed to keep some strong friendships, he's outgoing and tends to be a smooth talker, he walks around with confidence and believes himself to be the smartest person in the room, and his magic is powerful.

The narrative switches between the two of them at various points, and Hannah Mathewson does a good job at picking the right moments to do so. We will see events from the point-of-view of one of them, seeing several plot points unfold, leading us to come to certain conclusions about what's happening; then the point-of-view will change and we either get more information that gives further context, or we learn something that completely changes what we thought we saw. Mathewson uses this to great effect, with the two perspectives working together to build on each chapter, either building a bigger and more developed world, or giving us a twist or two.

I also really liked that because our two leads were siblings we don't really get the romance sub-plot that books in this genre have. Yes, there are romances in the book, including wonderfully healthy queer relationships that aren't treated as anything but normal, but these aren't the main thrust. Instead, the book is about family. It's about the people that you don't choose to love, but are obligated to because you're related to them. And sometimes those relationships aren't great, you might not particularly like each other. This is what Wayward makes the focus. I think most readers will have someone in their family who they don't always see eye-to-eye with, who might even drive you to the end of your patience at times, so I think a lot of readers will be able to relate to Cressia an Ollivan to a certain degree.

The threat in Wayward is also a lot more straight forward than the first book. The first novel had mystery to be solved, hidden goals and secret plots. It was complex in a lot of ways. Wayward, in comparison, is much more straight forward. There's a threat that becomes apparent, and the heroes have to find a way to stop it. And I don't mean simple in a bad way, there's still a lot of layers here and stuff to uncover, but the threat is definitely more overt. I loved this approach, and found the threat to be a really cool and even creepy opponent.

I really enjoyed Wayward, I liked that this wasn't just another story with the same characters, that Mathewson didn't try to come up with more adventures that might have felt like it changed the way things ended in the first book. Instead, we got a book that expanded the universe, that went to new places and did some exciting new things to the mythology that's just making this series all the more exciting. I hope that this is the way this series is going to go with future entries, that we'll be getting new characters and new places each book; and if it is, I can't wait.

This was a solid YA read, and I loved being back in the world that we first encountered in Witherward.
It was great to see the focus on a sibling relationship rather than putting romantic relationships at the forefront, and the characters felt well-rounded.
For some reason that I can’t put my finger on, I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first book - but will still be looking forward to seeing what the author puts out next!

Like others have commented, I was unaware this was a prequel to another and having started it, I can't do the book justice without reading the previously published book Witherward, which I have now downloaded ready to read and then I'll re-start Wayward, and it will hopefully make more sense! Wayward seems intriguing and well written, I'll be happy to delve into magical London when I understand the background better. Giving it 4 stars as I have high hopes for this series.

Brilliant YA fantasy featuring an alternate London and a magical society. Definitely ones for fans of V E Schwab’s Shades of Magic series (although in my opinion this was better!) Great characters. A well plotted story and excellent world building. I hope we’ll see more soon.

Cassia spent most of her childhood essentially in exile from her home. As a teenager she is finally brought home with expectations on her to learn enough magic to be accepted in the young sorcerer’s society. She struggles with magic for reasons that aren’t particularly clear. One thing is certain is that she exists in the shadow of older brother and brilliant sorcerer, Ollivan, who has been sent to live in the Otherward after killing a wraith.

The siblings are grandchildren of the high sorcerer who is quite powerful and has ordered their lives completely. As Cassia is making her yet another attempt to be accepted in the society, her brother suddenly returns and the order that exists is turned on its head. Various secrets and schemes are at play and although the siblings are not close, they are forced to work together in order to set things right after a spell Ollivan created a year before is triggered by his sister unintentionally.

This was quite an enjoyable book which was focused more on siblings involved in.a magical version of London than on other potential relationships. That’s not to say there aren’t the usual romantic relationships, just that they are secondary to the sibling bond. The world building was quite adequate for the scope of the story and the characters were interesting and mostly likeable.. Even Jason, one of the villains of the story, turns out to be an interesting character.

The progression of the story is kept within a reason and doesn’t; get too outlandish. Nor do the protagonists take on epic and unbelievable ability despite their youth. Overall it’s quite a good book and leaves the reader satisfied at the end.

I will rate this 3.5 stars overall. I would like to thank NetGalley and Titan Books for giving me a free advanced reader copy of this book. I have written this review voluntarily.

I had read Witherward last year and really enjoyed it. I was initially disappointed to find that this wasn't a follow-on sequel and, instead, was a prequel set a few years before the events of Witherward. Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable read and do-able as a standalone story however reading Witherward is helpful for background information about the alternate London.

Cassia had felt aloof as a character in the first book however this offered a lot more clarity about her background and her motivations.