Any Way The Wind Blows -

Accepts his physical changes, discovers his real family, and commits to a normal life with Baz

Learns to set boundaries, confesses his past misdeeds to seek forgiveness, and accepts Simon's love Over-reliance on magic, need to be right, savior complex Any Way the Wind Blows

Successfully breaks Shepard's curse using complex legal negotiation rather than brute magic, accepting her own fallibility Trauma from repeated kidnappings and being used as a pawn Accepts his physical changes, discovers his real family,

Rowell uses the book to critique the traditional hero's journey. Simon was bred and manipulated by his mentor (the Mage) to be a living weapon. Once that purpose is fulfilled, he is cast aside by society and left to handle his severe trauma and loss of identity alone. Rowell argues that real life does not end when the villain is defeated; the hardest work is learning how to live afterward. 2. Healing and Trauma Rowell argues that real life does not end