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lisawreading's review against another edition
4.0
I recently finished reading Thirteenth Child with my son, and while we both enjoyed it, I hesitate to declare this book an unmitigated success.
First, the good: In the world of Thirteenth Child, the American frontier is redefined as a place in which magic is the only thing standing between people and all sorts of deadly beasts. In the country of Columbia, the Great Mammoth River marks the barrier between civilization and the wild, and as settlers venture west, they rely on magicians to provide the protective spells needed to keep out the wild. The world-building here is quite imaginative -- a world in which magic is commonplace, used on a basic level to manage household chores and day-to-day tasks, and on a more complex level, to provide the means of human survival.
Main character Eff is a girl whose powers are just beginning to emerge by the end of this book. Brought up believing herself to harbor some inner evil, thanks to being a thirteenth child, Eff is hesitant and uncomfortable when it comes to using magic, until a gifted teacher introduces her to non-Avrupan (read non-European) approaches to magic. Eff's worldview is expanded, and she starts to tap into non-traditional approaches to magic, realizing that her talents may be positive after all.
The not-quite-as-good: Thirteenth Child is the first book in the Frontier Magic trilogy, and as such, has to cover a lot of ground in terms of exposition and explanation. Likewise, quite a lot of time is covered, as we follow Eff from age five to age eighteen. Because of the length of time covered in a relatively short book, many of the chapters feel more like summaries than actual events -- basically, well, that year, not much happened except Eff's brother went away to school, or, that year, Eff was sick for a while, missed a lot of classes, and ended up having to repeat a grade.
The author is building a world system from scratch, and at times the jargon threatens to overwhelm the plot. We have Avrupan magic, Hijero-Cathayan magic, and Aphrikan magic, as well as Rationalists, the North Plains Territory Homestead Claim and Settlement Office, and circuit magicians.
The climax of this volume involves a plague of grubs that threaten the western settlements, and Eff's role in fighting the bug invasion. The solution to the problem comes across like convoluted mumbo-jumbo, not that it's not exciting to read.
Finally, on the negative side, I'd be remiss in not mentioning the to-do over this book from when it first came out concerning the lack of a Native American population. The only people in the book are the (presumably) white settlers, with a couple of people of color mixed in among the townsfolk and school magicians. There isn't a native culture, at least not one that's mentioned at all in this book. Apparently, there was quite a bit of criticism over this when the book came out. As a work of fantasy fiction, I suppose it's the author's right to create whatever world she sees fit... but I leave it to potential readers to decide whether or not this is a deal-breaker for them.
Bottom line: My son and I enjoyed Thirteenth Child enough to continue with the series. Despite uneven pacing, the story itself is fresh and intriguing -- so that the duller parts are easily outweighed by chapters and sequences that are suspenseful and highly engaging.
First, the good: In the world of Thirteenth Child, the American frontier is redefined as a place in which magic is the only thing standing between people and all sorts of deadly beasts. In the country of Columbia, the Great Mammoth River marks the barrier between civilization and the wild, and as settlers venture west, they rely on magicians to provide the protective spells needed to keep out the wild. The world-building here is quite imaginative -- a world in which magic is commonplace, used on a basic level to manage household chores and day-to-day tasks, and on a more complex level, to provide the means of human survival.
Main character Eff is a girl whose powers are just beginning to emerge by the end of this book. Brought up believing herself to harbor some inner evil, thanks to being a thirteenth child, Eff is hesitant and uncomfortable when it comes to using magic, until a gifted teacher introduces her to non-Avrupan (read non-European) approaches to magic. Eff's worldview is expanded, and she starts to tap into non-traditional approaches to magic, realizing that her talents may be positive after all.
The not-quite-as-good: Thirteenth Child is the first book in the Frontier Magic trilogy, and as such, has to cover a lot of ground in terms of exposition and explanation. Likewise, quite a lot of time is covered, as we follow Eff from age five to age eighteen. Because of the length of time covered in a relatively short book, many of the chapters feel more like summaries than actual events -- basically, well, that year, not much happened except Eff's brother went away to school, or, that year, Eff was sick for a while, missed a lot of classes, and ended up having to repeat a grade.
The author is building a world system from scratch, and at times the jargon threatens to overwhelm the plot. We have Avrupan magic, Hijero-Cathayan magic, and Aphrikan magic, as well as Rationalists, the North Plains Territory Homestead Claim and Settlement Office, and circuit magicians.
The climax of this volume involves a plague of grubs that threaten the western settlements, and Eff's role in fighting the bug invasion. The solution to the problem comes across like convoluted mumbo-jumbo, not that it's not exciting to read.
Finally, on the negative side, I'd be remiss in not mentioning the to-do over this book from when it first came out concerning the lack of a Native American population. The only people in the book are the (presumably) white settlers, with a couple of people of color mixed in among the townsfolk and school magicians. There isn't a native culture, at least not one that's mentioned at all in this book. Apparently, there was quite a bit of criticism over this when the book came out. As a work of fantasy fiction, I suppose it's the author's right to create whatever world she sees fit... but I leave it to potential readers to decide whether or not this is a deal-breaker for them.
Bottom line: My son and I enjoyed Thirteenth Child enough to continue with the series. Despite uneven pacing, the story itself is fresh and intriguing -- so that the duller parts are easily outweighed by chapters and sequences that are suspenseful and highly engaging.
surlymanor's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting world building - I've heard it described as Little House on the Prairie meets Harry Potter meets hmmm, Jane Yolen (?) but the story is dragging for me & it's time to move on to the Summer Reading List. Maybe I'll pick it up again at the end of the summer.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
I like these books so much, it's such a terrific idea, magic on the frontier!
misswitch's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoyed the book and found it interesting, it didn't seem to have a central plot or story to really ground it. The unfocused nature of the book left me thinking "And?" as I read the last page. Eight years of someone's life is a lot to cram into 344 pages, yet that is exactly what was done here.
nataliealane's review against another edition
3.0
For the first almost-half of the book I was a bit underwhelmed and disappointed because I thought I would be reading something with lots of adventure, Magic, etc., but it was a lot of home/daily life, coming of age style content. I wasn’t planning on eating it as highly, before I decided to re-read the synopsis (it had been a long while since I first did that—-even before I checked the book out from the library). The synopsis confirmed that it was more of a growing-up story rather than one that was action-packed, so after that I began evaluating the content based on what it really was. I found it largely satisfying. Eff was relatable, and the narrative voice/Eff’s voice was clear and consistent—-the writing style Kent well to the impression of someone who grew up on the frontier in the 1800s. The Alternate history aspects were cool, and I had some fun matching book locations and names to their real-life counterparts. I like how Eff is the 13th “unlucky” child, rather than the “star of the show” double-seven child like her twin brother, Lan. It’s a bit of fresh air compared to a lot of YA fantasy where the protagonist is some prophesied/rare/unique person with super-strong magic. Yes, the underdog MC is almost equally as common, but I felt like this aspect of Eff shaped more than just her actions, but also her thought processes and self-perception. I did find the pacing a little off for me; I think some of the events could have occurred a bit earlier on the plot, such as
Additionally, the magic systems weren’t as clearly developed or explained as in other fantasy books I’ve read, nor was it as prominent as I was expecting. However, I’m more ok with the amount of Magic present since it is much more of an alt-history coming of age story with magical elements, rather than a magical focus. I also didn’t pick up on girl-hate/cattiness or a constant focus on beauty/physical appearance (the “plain but beautiful”/“model but doesn’t know it” girl, or constant comparison to/jealousy of more beautiful and usually more popular girls). There also wasn’t a major focus, or even a sub-plot even, on a romantic interest. William and Eff have a solid, platonic relationship going on, so there was more room to explore community and family dynamics, as well as some frontier politics. Other than some of the pacing/placement of events and the vaguer magical systems, the only other thing I would like to be better is for Eff to maybe have a female friend outside of her direct family circle. You do kind of get that with Ms. Ochiba, but not a ton. Overall, it was a satisfying read and a solid start to a series. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel (I have the whole trilogy from the library and am series-sprinting!)
Spoiler
Rennie eloping with Brant and causing a bunch of family dramaAdditionally, the magic systems weren’t as clearly developed or explained as in other fantasy books I’ve read, nor was it as prominent as I was expecting. However, I’m more ok with the amount of Magic present since it is much more of an alt-history coming of age story with magical elements, rather than a magical focus. I also didn’t pick up on girl-hate/cattiness or a constant focus on beauty/physical appearance (the “plain but beautiful”/“model but doesn’t know it” girl, or constant comparison to/jealousy of more beautiful and usually more popular girls). There also wasn’t a major focus, or even a sub-plot even, on a romantic interest. William and Eff have a solid, platonic relationship going on, so there was more room to explore community and family dynamics, as well as some frontier politics. Other than some of the pacing/placement of events and the vaguer magical systems, the only other thing I would like to be better is for Eff to maybe have a female friend outside of her direct family circle. You do kind of get that with Ms. Ochiba, but not a ton. Overall, it was a satisfying read and a solid start to a series. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel (I have the whole trilogy from the library and am series-sprinting!)
amibunk's review against another edition
4.0
I had forgotten how extraordinarily talented Patricia C. Wrede is at world building and what an amazing storyteller she is. This book reminded me once more, I can't believe I waited so long to read it.
sleepgoblin's review against another edition
4.0
I was unaware of Wrede as an author before owning this book, so I came into it without any comparisons to her other works. Thus, I cannot give you any insight in that regard.
Frontier Magic, as the series seems to be called, is a good indication as to what you'll find here. While the main point of the story, the fact that Eff is an unlucky Thirteenth child and her twin brother is the seventh son of a seventh son, is not an original idea in the world of magical literature, the combination of the rest of elements in the novel make it both unique and interesting.
The setting is easy to imagine if you are familiar with early frontier America. This is helpful, since the book did not come with a map of the world, something I almost expect out of fantasy. It is important to keep in mind that this is not actually set in the US. The history and geography mentioned in the book is just similar enough to give a sense of both reality and familiarity, and to allow a basic understanding of the starting point of the world without too much background writing. This allows what is different and important about Wrede's world to be forefront and yet still be easily understood as a whole.
Since the narrator begins life in the "civilized" east before moving to the frontier, the reader is introduced to what makes this world different as the narrator experiences it herself. You learn about magic as she learns about magic, and you discover what fantastic animals lurk along the frontier as she does. This in particular was one of the elements of the book that I enjoyed, as it allowed the story to progress without feeling like it needed to stop to explain itself.
Generally speaking, the story reads like a first person journal or narration of a young girl as she progresses from childhood to young adult. The language and sentence structure matches this mentality, which is why it feels more like a journal. However, there are times when the narrator makes comments about current events in a way that clearly foreshadows future events. This is the one thing about the book that I truly did not like. While it definitely seemed as if some of the language used was meant to be a reflection of the different way people speak in this world, it often felt like I was just reading the words of a thirteen year old girl. This feeling did not mesh well foreshadowing, as that would make the narrator over 18. The language was the only aspect of the book that made it seem a children's or young adult book, rather than just a fantasy book that happens to be a coming of age story.
Aside from the language, I very much enjoyed reading this, and look forward to seeing how the series develops. This book only just began exploring the "unknown" world, as its main purpose is to set up the series. With half of the continent literally unknown, the potential for this series seems grand. The main character is now a young adult, which may change the tone of future books, something I think will help them. The atmosphere, magic, and character development are well worth further reading.
Frontier Magic, as the series seems to be called, is a good indication as to what you'll find here. While the main point of the story, the fact that Eff is an unlucky Thirteenth child and her twin brother is the seventh son of a seventh son, is not an original idea in the world of magical literature, the combination of the rest of elements in the novel make it both unique and interesting.
The setting is easy to imagine if you are familiar with early frontier America. This is helpful, since the book did not come with a map of the world, something I almost expect out of fantasy. It is important to keep in mind that this is not actually set in the US. The history and geography mentioned in the book is just similar enough to give a sense of both reality and familiarity, and to allow a basic understanding of the starting point of the world without too much background writing. This allows what is different and important about Wrede's world to be forefront and yet still be easily understood as a whole.
Since the narrator begins life in the "civilized" east before moving to the frontier, the reader is introduced to what makes this world different as the narrator experiences it herself. You learn about magic as she learns about magic, and you discover what fantastic animals lurk along the frontier as she does. This in particular was one of the elements of the book that I enjoyed, as it allowed the story to progress without feeling like it needed to stop to explain itself.
Generally speaking, the story reads like a first person journal or narration of a young girl as she progresses from childhood to young adult. The language and sentence structure matches this mentality, which is why it feels more like a journal. However, there are times when the narrator makes comments about current events in a way that clearly foreshadows future events. This is the one thing about the book that I truly did not like. While it definitely seemed as if some of the language used was meant to be a reflection of the different way people speak in this world, it often felt like I was just reading the words of a thirteen year old girl. This feeling did not mesh well foreshadowing, as that would make the narrator over 18. The language was the only aspect of the book that made it seem a children's or young adult book, rather than just a fantasy book that happens to be a coming of age story.
Aside from the language, I very much enjoyed reading this, and look forward to seeing how the series develops. This book only just began exploring the "unknown" world, as its main purpose is to set up the series. With half of the continent literally unknown, the potential for this series seems grand. The main character is now a young adult, which may change the tone of future books, something I think will help them. The atmosphere, magic, and character development are well worth further reading.
magnetarmadda's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the story and the way magic works here, and I am excited to read more. I liked the rewriting of world and American history. But I’ve got to say: it doesn’t sit with me well how slavery was brushed over and given a thick coat of “everything’s better now” and Native Americans don’t exist at all—that feels like laziness on the author’s part, and since she put so much effort into rewriting history and creating three types of magic, I’m just confused by the choice to exclude an entire race of people.
mrs_enosplagmann's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing coming of age story
This book was well told and an intriguing story. It had me gasping, crying, and angry in all the right moments. Definitely recommend.
This book was well told and an intriguing story. It had me gasping, crying, and angry in all the right moments. Definitely recommend.