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jesslynh's review against another edition
I loved this one almost as much as the previous book in the series. I didn't find the lack of Native Americans insulting as I've some--since Wrede added diversity in the book. As a black woman who reads Fantasy, I find that the general lack of diversity in the genre is sad.
The absence of Native Americans (so far) fits with the story and worldbuilding.
The absence of Native Americans (so far) fits with the story and worldbuilding.
xjinxedx's review against another edition
3.0
I was obsessed with the first book in this series but as we opened up to the next chapter in the series, I quickly lost interest.
lannthacker's review against another edition
3.0
Slower going than the first installment, it seemed that Across the Great Barrier served to get the audience from point A (the end of the first book) to point B (where Wrede wants to the 3rd book to begin). Though book 2 covered fewer years than book 1, they were critical, coming of age years. A quiet book, I still have a hard time figuring out who I might recommend this series to. I should say that I really enjoy the series though.
mamap's review against another edition
3.0
Life for Eff after her latest triumph has 'mostly' returned to normal. She decides to travel with a professor outside of the Great Barrier documenting the flora and fauna. They discover a new 'beasty" and her brother Lan does something dumb... This book moves slowly, but still maintains some interest. I intend to read others by Wrede to see if I like.
lisawreading's review against another edition
3.0
Book #2 in the Frontier Magic series continues -- for good and for not-so-good -- along the same path as the first book, Thirteenth Child.
On the plus side, we continue to explore this alternate history of the United States, in which magic is commonplace and an actual necessity. The challenges and adventure of living life on the frontier is still here, and main character Eff is still pursuing her own non-standard magical skills.
On the negative side, the same problems that detract from the overall success of the first book are still present. The magical systems are overly complicated, so that it's never quite clear what's happening, and the solutions and big confrontations are so full of this jargon-heavy magical hoo-ha that it's hard to tell who did what or why. Eff should be a powerful character, but she never really comes into her own. That is, she clearly has talents that are rare, but she doesn't get to do a whole lot with them. She's always just a part of, not the lead actor -- she assists a professor, she participates in expeditions, she's on the team when danger strikes -- but she never is out in front, making decisions and standing out. Finally, the plot suffers from odd pacing. Many of the chapters (as in the first book) have time jumps that basically say, well, for the rest of that year, not much happened, or for the next few months, I kept doing my job. There's a lot of summarizing, with action sequences popping up occasionally, but overall there's a static feeling, as if the whole plot was being described in synopsis rather than actually taking place.
There's one more book in the series, and I'm interested to see where it ends up going. I hope Eff will get a chance to shine and make a difference, and I hope as well that the western explorations will shed some new light on the hows and whys of this magical world.
The Frontier Magic series thus far strikes me as a very interesting idea without the execution to fully back it up. That said, my eleven-year-old son likes the books and wants to read the third, and that's really saying something!
On the plus side, we continue to explore this alternate history of the United States, in which magic is commonplace and an actual necessity. The challenges and adventure of living life on the frontier is still here, and main character Eff is still pursuing her own non-standard magical skills.
On the negative side, the same problems that detract from the overall success of the first book are still present. The magical systems are overly complicated, so that it's never quite clear what's happening, and the solutions and big confrontations are so full of this jargon-heavy magical hoo-ha that it's hard to tell who did what or why. Eff should be a powerful character, but she never really comes into her own. That is, she clearly has talents that are rare, but she doesn't get to do a whole lot with them. She's always just a part of, not the lead actor -- she assists a professor, she participates in expeditions, she's on the team when danger strikes -- but she never is out in front, making decisions and standing out. Finally, the plot suffers from odd pacing. Many of the chapters (as in the first book) have time jumps that basically say, well, for the rest of that year, not much happened, or for the next few months, I kept doing my job. There's a lot of summarizing, with action sequences popping up occasionally, but overall there's a static feeling, as if the whole plot was being described in synopsis rather than actually taking place.
There's one more book in the series, and I'm interested to see where it ends up going. I hope Eff will get a chance to shine and make a difference, and I hope as well that the western explorations will shed some new light on the hows and whys of this magical world.
The Frontier Magic series thus far strikes me as a very interesting idea without the execution to fully back it up. That said, my eleven-year-old son likes the books and wants to read the third, and that's really saying something!
cimorene1558's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this. Even more than the first one, I think, although I'd have to reread it to be sure. These are terrific books, but I have to ask, where are the native people? It seems like Columbia was completely empty except for wildlife, which seems odd. Yes it’s fantasy, but it’s very historical American fantasy, and everything is there (slaves, the Civil War, Lewis and Clark, for example) except indigenous Colombians. And I would have really liked to meet them!
tarmiriel's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve been trying to get a hold of this book for a while and I’m so glad I finally found a library with a copy! This is a great continuation of the Frontier Magic series and it’s nice to see Eff get to grow up and learn a bit more. As always, Patricia C. Wrede has wonderful characterization and world building. I was so pleased in this book that we got to see more of this world and learn more about the different types of magic in it. The way this series plays with real history is so intriguing!
nataliealane's review against another edition
3.0
I like that there's continuity from the previous book---in "Thirteenth Child" Eff decides she wants to go out to the settlement lands and work with the wildlife; in 'Across the Great Barrier," she is not only working at the college menagerie, but she also gets to go on a research expedition farther out West. We also see greater development and maturity of her personal and magical identities. I could definitely pick up on a formula Wrede has going with these books; more low-key events towards the first 1/1-3/4 of the book with a couple hints of what may come, followed by more sudden realizations/conclusions and a final magical showdown. The relationships and emotions, as well as frontier and family politics, still play a larger role in the plot and sub-plots, but there is definitely more action and magic in AtGB than TC. I also got a firmer sense of the magic systems. Lan and Eff are both great characters, and Wrede writes them, their relationship and dynamics, and their developments, well. I like the sub-plot with Lan. It helps to flesh out his character and build on his relationship with Eff, as well as provoke growth in Eff herself. The plot was slower than in the first book and occasionally got a little boring. There was a lot of traveling and "We stopped and collected data and samples of plants and animals" sort of descriptions, and the first hints of danger/a big threat didn't come until almost the end of the research expedition. Also, even after Eff has some revelation about the possibility of a connection between Wash's magic pendant and her weird lucid dreams, I still fail to see their relevance to the plot. On a similar note, I didn't like how she never really told anyone about them, despite supposedly having intentions to do so. I still enjoyed reading the book (I was furious when my mom interrupted the last chapter or two, in the middle of an important scene!) and will definitely continue the series.
amibunk's review against another edition
4.0
Not as fabulous as the first book in the series, Across the Great Barrier is still a remarkable book. Only Patricia C. Wrede would think of writing a Western fantasy series.
magnetarmadda's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the additional world building and the buildup to the third book. I like Eff a lot and I appreciate how much she’s grown as a character, even if her voice hasn’t changed despite her aging over a decade by this point. The one thing I still can’t get over is the lack of Native Americans. I can’t think of one good reason for it, and having Native peoples would actually add a hell of a lot to the story.