Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children #6
Publisher: Tor.com
Released: January 12^th, 2021
Received: NetGalley

I received a copy of Across the Green Grass Fields in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series continues here in Across the Green Grass Fields. This is actually a standalone novel, but I would strongly recommend reading the whole series (in general, as well as in order).

All Regan ever wanted was to be a normal girl. A normal girl who adored horses more than anything. But when Regan’s world is shaken, and her best friend proves to be less than stellar, she finds a door.

That door led her to a world where all of her dreams came true. As a girl who loves horses, you can imagine the wonder in her soul when she comes across centaurs, unicorns, kelpies, and more in the world she has entered.

“At seven, Regan Lewis was perfectly normal according to every measurement she knew, which meant she was normal in every way that counted.”

Seanan McGuire has done it again. She’s written a compelling and emotional read, one that cuts right to the soul of its readers. Across the Green Grass Fields is a truly amazing read, one that will be sticking with me for some time to come.

One of the many things I love about the Wayward Children series is how different each and every character in the series is. Yet each and every one of them feels human to the readers – even those who personally identify a bit more as a mermaid.

That element shined true once again here, with Regan’s character. She is very much a child in the beginning of this book, and it shows. Her story could have been the story of any one of us, with her being forced to make a decision about conforming to the demands of those her age, or not.

There is so much more to this story than meets the eye. Once again McGuire has woven more representation into this world than many other series I’ve read (combined!). She has consistently created representation in her very human characters, and that is beautiful.

“Regan thought it must be nice, to believe children were innocent angels incapable of intrigue or cruelty.

Then there are the horses. The horses! Regan’s love of them felt so pure and sweet, and all of that before she stepped through the door and found more equines to fall in love with. She became part of a centaur herd, and it was like she finally found her home.

All while being tossed in the middle of a story. Literally. The expectations of this world were full of surprises, and that alone is enough to leave the reader thinking – and wondering. Not just about what will happen next in this world – but what our own doors would look like, if we were ever lucky enough to find them.