Review: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire
#10 in the Wayward Children series
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD

Another fantastic novella in the Wayward Children Series, this one following Nadya, a Russian orphan adopted by an American couple who wanted a virtue-signal and not a real child, who one day falls through a door in a lake and finds a real home and a real family, who loves her for who she is. In Belyrreka, Nadya is seen as perfect as is, not in need of fixing; and even though the River eventually gifts her a right hand, it’s a help, not a necessity.

In the land beneath the lake, Nadya grows up and becomes a kind, adventurous, caring person. She falls in love and gets married, and has many ties to Belyrreka: her mother Ina, her husband Alexei, and most of her, her best friend and beloved turtle Burian. She is sure of her life, and happy in it. But she’s also a hero at heart, always helping others and putting them ahead of herself. If you’ve read the rest of this series, you’ll know that heroes are often returned to their original world, whether they want to be or not. And we’ve also seen Nadya’s future: it’s not happy. I knew she was going to be returned to her old life, but I didn’t expect her to return to the body of a 10 year old (or I’d forgotten). That seems especially cruel: to have years of physical growth stripped away, on top of being forced back into a life you didn’t want with people who don’t truly love you. I definitely recommend this whole series, but you could read this one as a standalone if you want. You just wouldn’t have as much knowledge of how the doors between different worlds works, or any knowledge of Nadya’s future. But I hope you read the whole series; it’s full of so much joy and heartache, affirmation and pain. It will make you feel all the feels.

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