I really wanted to like this book. Eff is the kind of sensible, well-organised, competent heroine that not-so-secretly delights me, and I have a soft spot for the Little-House-with-dragons approach the book takes to a frontier story. The plot did move pretty slowly but I didn't mind overmuch, and I kind of get a kick out of the dry academic discussions of magic. I appreciated that the romance was minimal, and I liked how the love triangle was handled - with good sense and competence on the part of Eff - although I would have been even happier for there not to be a love triangle at all.But to be honest I was banking on this being the book that revealed - surprise! - Patricia C. Wrede didn't actually literally kill off every single native American in this series, they've all just been living in the far west in a much more sensible and unobtrusive fashion than the colonialists on the east coast. There had been a few things in the second book that got my hopes up on this score, but no such luck. This is the final book in the series and Wrede decided to stick with her guns re: this magical version of north america being just too dangerous for 'primitive' peoples to have survived. So, you know, if you're big into Little House on the Prairie and you like the kind of jolly sensible heroine you remember from books about English schoolgirls and you're a fan of magical wildlife and faux-academic magic systems - by all means, give it a read. But overall I walked away from this book feeling pretty meh about the whole experience of the trilogy. I enjoyed it well enough, but it's certainly not a book I'll ever feel the need to come back to or re-read. Laura Ingalls Wilder meets the Enchanted Forest? The third of a series about Effie Rothmer's adventures on the Columbian frontier, coping with everything from mammoths and dragons to her unreasonable family, The Far West ties up some loose ends while producing new ones. Patricia C. Wrede maintains her usual standard of excellence with lively characters and a scientific approach to magic. Strongly recommended!
What do You think about The Far West (2012)?
Just found a new author that is worth reading. Moms of young girls, this is a good one.
—Meaghan
Loved it--considered five stars. Definitely 4.5.
—Brenda
3rd in the series - all of which I really enjoyed
—Dolly20
