Book Review: Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

Thirteenth Childis what Eff thinks defines her - she will never be able to do anything right because of that curse. But, when her family moves out to the frontier, she leaves that label behind, hoping to make a name for herself that isn't evil. But when bad things begin to happen to her during magic classes and elsewhere, she is afraid her curse might not be that easy to avoid.

Things I Liked:
This was not exactly what I expected - it was better. I loved the alternate history parts - a mixture of our past and, of course, magic. I love the cast of characters she's created for us, particularly Eff herself, with all her weaknesses. I thought the different forms of magic and the whole construct of magic Wrede created were very unique and interesting. I had to include this quote:

"There are many ways of seeing. Each has an element of truth, but none is the whole truth. If you limit yourselves to one way of seeing, one truth, you will limit your power." p. 50

Things I Didn't Like:
While most of the characters were good, I was annoyed by some, almost all of them men - her brothers, her uncle. There whole purpose seemed to be to put Eff down. I also struggled with the story. I kept expecting things to happen, but not much ever does. The very end is pretty exciting, but after all the build up, it was a bit of let down. I guess since it's first in a series, perhaps that is the nature of the book.

Read-alikes:
It was quite a bit like Seventh Sonby Orson Scott Card
And a little like Little Town on the Prairieby Laura Ingalls Wilder

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few
mrg-factor: none

v-factor: X
some minor stuff
Overall rating: ***

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