Any Way the Wind Blows

Simon Snow, Baz, Penelope and Agatha return to England, and to the magic school at Watford, after a disastrous trip across America. Simon no longer holds the title of Chosen One in the World of Mages. Without it, he has to work out who he is and what he wants, including what that means for his future with Baz.

The others have troubles of their own. Baz is coming to terms with what he has learned about vampires and about his own family. Penelope is pulled into the fallout of a smuggling scheme. Agatha, finished with magic and with mages, reaches a breaking point.

This is the third and final book in the Simon Snow trilogy, after Carry On and Wayward Son, so it is best read once those two have been read. It is a fantasy that follows four friends rather than a single hero, and each of them carries a separate strand of the plot.

The book is about endings: settling old ghosts and choosing how to move on from the hard and happy events that made these characters who they are. Expect a series closer that gives each of its main players a share of the page.