For those who haven’t read the first two books yet, I will
avoid any spoilers. The author does a good job of filling in essential
information for new readers, but I would still recommend reading the series
from the beginning. The story focuses on Eff who is now a young woman and
finished with her schooling. Eff loves the wilderness west of the Great Barrier
Spell, which keeps out dangerous wildlife – both magical like swarming weasels
and Medusa lizards as well as nonmagical species. She has already made several
trips out there in the previous novels, as an assistant to the professors of
the local college.
Eff gets another chance to head out west at the start of
this novel as part of a government-sponsored expedition, but this trip will be
even more dangerous than previous ones because they’ll be attempting to travel
further west than anyone has ever gone (and returned from). Her family is not
happy with this plan, but Eff knows that this is what she wants to do with her
life. Traveling with a large group of scientists, magicians, and soldiers, Eff
encounters new and dangerous wildlife, learns more about her own unique kind of
magic, and discovers more about herself. When the team encounters something
that could threaten the entire continent, they will need all of their skills –
including Eff’s – in order to avert disaster.
This series succeeds on so many different levels. Wrede has
created an intriguing fantasy world, populated by strange and wondrous
creatures and talented magicians, but the novel is also set against the
fascinating backdrop of the pioneer West in a U.S. that is quite similar –
though with subtle differences – to our own history. Finally, it is populated
by in-depth characters whose lives you come to care about, and is a
coming-of-age story of young Eff, as the series follows her from a small child
to a grown woman who knows what she wants from her life. All of these elements
are wrapped together in an exciting, fast-paced adventure story.
NOTE: If, like me, you are fascinated about where the action in the Frontier Magic trilogy takes place relative to our own version of the nation, click on this link and scroll down to the bottom for two maps of North Columbia and the Mill City area.
In this brief video, Wrede talks about why she loves writing, with references to her Enchanted Forest series:
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