Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuireMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Seanan McGuire somehow has held on to that feeling of being a child, of struggling to manoeuvre through a life that doesn't feel fair and is therefore frequently more difficult than it needs to be. Life is far more circumscribed for children. They have much less control over where they live, what or when they eat, or who they associate with. There may not be compatible friends among your peer group and you have to make the best of who you have available. Your interests and talents may not be valued by your peers. Even when your parents love you and try their best for you, they can't protect you from everything.
Not that children should be protected from all things. Dealing with our limitations and our circumstances is how we build lives for ourselves and become decent human beings. Nobody follows exactly the same path and we aren't all headed for the same place. Regan follows her own path, looks to her own values, and makes pretty good decisions.
One of the other things that McGuire gets really right is the lure of the equine in the lives of young girls. I don't think I had a more exciting day than when I was 9 and my dad took me with him to the auction market. He sold the pigs that we took with us and we took home a black Shetland pony who was instantly christened Nippy. That pony was my best friend for many, many years. He was stubborn but so was I and we bonded. I still have fond memories of that Shetland.
The Hooflands is such a perfect name for a fantasy world populated by unicorns, centaurs, minotaurs, fauns, kelpies, and other hoofed creatures. If I had to choose my portal world as a 9 year old, this one would have been it. I have a hunch there will be another book featuring Regan in the future, at least I hope so.
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