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szga's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
dembury's review against another edition
2.0
Sadly this 6th installment of the Wayward Children series is by far my least favorite of them yet- if I had to use one word to describe "Across the Green Grass Fields" it would be "tired". Although the writing is fine and the worldbuilding is done well, there is nothing exciting about the plot, the world itself, or the payoff.
I love that McGuire addresses the topic of "there's no right way to be a girl" so often in this series, but in this installment it felt cliché and pandering to the reader. It felt very much like McGuire was just writing "omg look Reagan is different and likes horses, but she can Still Be a Girl! Girls don't have to only wear dresses! Look! Reagan can wear PANTS! And climb trees! Yay girl power!" Which I guess would be fine if this was a picture book introducing young readers to these ideas? But I KNOW McGuire can write about challenging stereotypes and gender better because she literally did it earlier with nearly every other book in this series.
Also, the climax of this book is one of the worst I've read. It's so utterly D R Y. I won't spoil it, but to read a story where the main character is constantly reminded of her great destiny only to have it end like this...well...again, it feels tired. It was sad writing. I finished the book and felt like I had only read half a story.
The best parts of this were the found family elements with the centaurs (we need more books with centaurs!) and Reagan and Chicory's friendship. I loved those bits! Unfortunately that's about all I enjoyed, and while I'll definitely read the next one because it almost certainly involves Cora, I'm glad this book can be viewed as a standalone and skipped in any future rereads.
I love that McGuire addresses the topic of "there's no right way to be a girl" so often in this series, but in this installment it felt cliché and pandering to the reader. It felt very much like McGuire was just writing "omg look Reagan is different and likes horses, but she can Still Be a Girl! Girls don't have to only wear dresses! Look! Reagan can wear PANTS! And climb trees! Yay girl power!" Which I guess would be fine if this was a picture book introducing young readers to these ideas? But I KNOW McGuire can write about challenging stereotypes and gender better because she literally did it earlier with nearly every other book in this series.
Also, the climax of this book is one of the worst I've read. It's so utterly D R Y. I won't spoil it, but to read a story where the main character is constantly reminded of her great destiny only to have it end like this...well...again, it feels tired. It was sad writing. I finished the book and felt like I had only read half a story.
The best parts of this were the found family elements with the centaurs (we need more books with centaurs!) and Reagan and Chicory's friendship. I loved those bits! Unfortunately that's about all I enjoyed, and while I'll definitely read the next one because it almost certainly involves Cora, I'm glad this book can be viewed as a standalone and skipped in any future rereads.
sarah_kurtz's review against another edition
3.0
I'm very sad to report that this is my least favorite in the series so far.
One of my favorite things about the Wayward Children series is that each book is usually following a different character. However, up until this point all of the characters have been students or were students at Eleanor West's school. In this particular story, we're following Regan who is just a beautiful little soul that gets some distressing news from her parents about herself and when she confides in her best friend - and like what an actual twat this girl is - she finds her door and is whisked off to a new world.
We follow Regan as she lives amongst the Centaurs and they become her family - Chichory is THE CUTEST - but soon she finds that she is destined for more and we follow her on her way to self-discovery.
While I loved Regan, her world, and the characters, and the story in general; this really just feels like a 'filler' to me. There isn't really much plot, its just all about her finding her found family, which of course we love because duh!
The ending had me mad as heck and I hope that perhaps she'll return one day so that we can learn more about her, but until then..solid three for me.
One of my favorite things about the Wayward Children series is that each book is usually following a different character. However, up until this point all of the characters have been students or were students at Eleanor West's school. In this particular story, we're following Regan who is just a beautiful little soul that gets some distressing news from her parents about herself and when she confides in her best friend - and like what an actual twat this girl is - she finds her door and is whisked off to a new world.
We follow Regan as she lives amongst the Centaurs and they become her family - Chichory is THE CUTEST - but soon she finds that she is destined for more and we follow her on her way to self-discovery.
While I loved Regan, her world, and the characters, and the story in general; this really just feels like a 'filler' to me. There isn't really much plot, its just all about her finding her found family, which of course we love because duh!
The ending had me mad as heck and I hope that perhaps she'll return one day so that we can learn more about her, but until then..solid three for me.
quillonon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
nlusson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
maida's review against another edition
2.0
The Wayward Children books are usually the first books I read every year and since I didn’t read at all last year I thought I should pick this one now before book 7 comes out on the 4th.
And this was… disappointing, but I already knew it would be since I’ve been begging for a Kade origin story for a while now and instead of that we keep getting introduced to new characters. Which in theory is fine but this whole little story in particular was just so… bleh?
Like yeah the horses were nice, although a little weird for me since I never was a “horse girl”, and Regan being an intersex girl is cool rep but the story was boring and nothing really happened in the end?
She’ll obviously show up in the next school book and that’s the reason why we got her origin story but, I don’t know, I still wish we got to read about the other children first.
Definitely my least favorite in the series, which is something I never knew would happen considering how much I hated Beneath the Sugar Sky but oh well.
I’m just waiting for the next Down Among the Sticks and Bones but at this rate it seems like it’s never going to happen. How sad.
pre review
I wanted this to be Kade’s book SO BADLY but it’s fine I know I’ll love it lol.
And this was… disappointing, but I already knew it would be since I’ve been begging for a Kade origin story for a while now and instead of that we keep getting introduced to new characters. Which in theory is fine but this whole little story in particular was just so… bleh?
Like yeah the horses were nice, although a little weird for me since I never was a “horse girl”, and Regan being an intersex girl is cool rep but the story was boring and nothing really happened in the end?
She’ll obviously show up in the next school book and that’s the reason why we got her origin story but, I don’t know, I still wish we got to read about the other children first.
Definitely my least favorite in the series, which is something I never knew would happen considering how much I hated Beneath the Sugar Sky but oh well.
I’m just waiting for the next Down Among the Sticks and Bones but at this rate it seems like it’s never going to happen. How sad.
pre review
I wanted this to be Kade’s book SO BADLY but it’s fine I know I’ll love it lol.
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I start this review a little sad. This is the last Wayward Children book currently published and I'm gonna miss these stories so much! The imagination, the characters and the lovely writing style are everything and I want and need more NOW! However, I didn't want to put off reading this current last installment. I might have put in a request on Netgalley to get an arc for the next one and now I have all toes and fingers crossed!
In this book McGuire takes us once again to an unknown world, a world we get to explore alongside our heroine. What I loved is that McGuire took the time to introduce our heroine to us, in our own world. We get to see her parents, we meet her friends and we get an idea of her daily life and personality. That way we could see clearly why the door opening to her lead her to a world made for her. Or, the world she was made for.
And once we enter that world McGuire once more takes her time to show us the wonders of the world, the way our heroine fits in. But, she also shows us the dangers and the struggles of this world and the big threat hanging over our heroine's head. I think it's quite impossible not to fall in love with this world at least a little and therefore everything happening at the end is even more heartbreaking and painful. And all because McGuire built up her story perfectly.
And also because she managed to make the centaurs such layered and interesting characters. I guess it's simply because she wrote them as humans, with a love life, with rules and habits, with lives and jobs and structures, with hobbies and warmth in their hearts. I don't want to imagine what would have happened if our heroine wouldn't have been such a horse-girl and I hope that one day McGuire will return to this world to show us what has eventually become of it.
In this book McGuire takes us once again to an unknown world, a world we get to explore alongside our heroine. What I loved is that McGuire took the time to introduce our heroine to us, in our own world. We get to see her parents, we meet her friends and we get an idea of her daily life and personality. That way we could see clearly why the door opening to her lead her to a world made for her. Or, the world she was made for.
And once we enter that world McGuire once more takes her time to show us the wonders of the world, the way our heroine fits in. But, she also shows us the dangers and the struggles of this world and the big threat hanging over our heroine's head. I think it's quite impossible not to fall in love with this world at least a little and therefore everything happening at the end is even more heartbreaking and painful. And all because McGuire built up her story perfectly.
And also because she managed to make the centaurs such layered and interesting characters. I guess it's simply because she wrote them as humans, with a love life, with rules and habits, with lives and jobs and structures, with hobbies and warmth in their hearts. I don't want to imagine what would have happened if our heroine wouldn't have been such a horse-girl and I hope that one day McGuire will return to this world to show us what has eventually become of it.
aeculley's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0