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A review by dembury
Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
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.