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A review by scribesprite
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
4.0
I can see why some people might not really get excited about a book like this. The writing style is different from what most authors do now. Usually for a character like Eff there would be a chapter dedicated to back story, then they would jump right into the juicy stuff. I'd say maybe 60% of the book might be considered back story. However, if you think about real life this is how it is. Your life doesn't feel like a back story until this one important event in your life happens. It's got moments throughout that are noteworthy and that is what most of this book felt like. We follow Eff from when she is five years old until she is a young woman. Near the end there it feels a bit more like an adventure. Believe me I like that kind of story with suspense and excitement but this was a good change of pace.
Eff is definitely a unique character. She thinks very practically and you know characters who are practical and you can tell they are sad about it. Eff never questions her nature. Sure she has her fears, she gets angry and frustrated but doesn't question if she is adventurous enough and pretty enough. The biggest criticism she has on herself is that she will bring bad things to her family, which is what her relative told her when she was five years old. I liked the family dynamic. Her parents seem like very wise people and her siblings give the book a new dimension.
One aspect I didn't fully understand was magical part of the story. How does it work exactly? It's not as if I need a how to book but it was hard to keep track of all the different kinds of magic and how they work. Some of them use special equipment and some don't use any at all, even the powerful stuff sometimes.
So all in all it was interesting read and surprisingly I liked Eff. I've been trying to start reading the second book in the series but other books and life is getting in the way.
Eff is definitely a unique character. She thinks very practically and you know characters who are practical and you can tell they are sad about it. Eff never questions her nature. Sure she has her fears, she gets angry and frustrated but doesn't question if she is adventurous enough and pretty enough. The biggest criticism she has on herself is that she will bring bad things to her family, which is what her relative told her when she was five years old. I liked the family dynamic. Her parents seem like very wise people and her siblings give the book a new dimension.
One aspect I didn't fully understand was magical part of the story. How does it work exactly? It's not as if I need a how to book but it was hard to keep track of all the different kinds of magic and how they work. Some of them use special equipment and some don't use any at all, even the powerful stuff sometimes.
So all in all it was interesting read and surprisingly I liked Eff. I've been trying to start reading the second book in the series but other books and life is getting in the way.