Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
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Seanan McGuire is back with another installment in the Wayward Children series. In this stand alone novella, Regan discovers a doorway leading to the Hooflands after facing a devastating betrayal by her best friend. In a world inhabited by centaurs and unicorns, Regan’s appearance can only mean that something big is going to happen as humans are seen as true heroes and must begin their heroic journey immediately. But as time goes on, Regan convinces her new centaur family that she isn’t a hero, merely a young girl who wants to be accepted for who she is and to find a place where she truly belongs.
This novella truly can be read without any knowledge of the previous installments in the series, though all of the books are definitely worth reading. Like the other books in this series, McGuire takes great care to create relationships between characters that are loving, kind, and accepting. Regan learns from her parents that she is intersex after an emotional discussion about her lack of physical development as compared to her friends. Her parents are incredibly honest and supportive in answering Regan’s questions and remind her repeatedly that she is perfect as she is. In the Hooflands, Regan learns that unicorns are silly creatures that need constant attention from their farmers, the centaurs and this information is a delight to watch unfold. The world building is incredibly well done and I loved the support and love found among the cast of characters.
Perfect for young adult fantasy readers, this is a wonderful invitation to pick up this amazing series. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

The Wayward Children series was one of my favorite discoveries of 2020, so I was thrilled to get my hands on a an advance copy of the latest book. Across the Green Grass Fields is the sixth novella in this portal fantasy series, and would make a great jumping in point. Each novella can be read on its own or as part of the whole, and follows different characters — some focus on the discovery of another world, while some focus on the aftermath of the return to our world. Across the Green Grass Fields is the former. It follows Reagan, a self professed horse girl, as she struggles with her intersex identity and what it means to to be feminine. I love what Seanan McGuire does in these books, and the way she is able to pack an emotional punch while addressing social issues in under 200 pages — and make it look effortless! I’m already looking forward to the next in the series!

Regan had to deal with a lot of drama at school before she fell through a portal that told her to "be sure." She winds up in a world of magical equines that expects humans to step up and be heroes. While with the herd, Regan learns that there are different kinds of bravery, and not all quests are what they seem.

Across the Green Grass Fields is the sixth book of the Wayward Children series, but is a standalone novel with new characters. New readers to the series can jump in here and not worry about a cast of characters they don't recognize. With our first introduction to Regan explaining she was as perfectly normal as physical exams at age 7, we know something is going to be off. She's so determined to remain the best friend of the local Mean Girl Laurel that she will ostracize those that Laurel wants to exclude and will do all of the performative feminine things that Laurel approves of. Laurel has very fixed ideas of what is a proper girl and liking snakes or bugs or excessive physical activity sets her off. Regan finding out she is genetically XY with androgen insensitivity, a very real condition leading to intersex children, means that Laurel has more than enough ammunition to exclude Regan and publicly shame her. Laurel is essentially a TERF, doing more harm to girls that don't fit her narrow view of biology and gender roles.

Regan is a Horse Girl, loving to ride and care for them. Tumbling into a world of centaurs taking care of unicorns is perfect for her. We spend more time in the beginning of the book getting to know her and the world, seeing her grow into herself. She doesn't believe in Destiny, and the family she creates protects her as much as she protects them. It's a wonderful thing to see because this family is one of choice and love, not appearance and behaving as others feel she should be, which is the world that Laurel represents. She still loves her parents, and it was never a question of her leaving them deliberately or trying to hurt them, which we sometimes see in portal fantasies. When she does meet her Destiny (not a spoiler to say that she does, it's the way of these kinds of fantasy novels), she takes this into consideration. She has come to love Hoofland, nature, and cooperation, and these are the lessons she had learned as she grew into herself. I enjoyed seeing that side of her really come to the fore, and for her to be sure about who she was, even if she didn't know much else. Books like this are exactly why Seanan McGuire is one of my favorite authors.

You know, at this point I am just so in love with every installment in this series.

Across the Green Grass Fields is another beautiful story in Wayward Children! I loved that there is an intersex character here and it just amazed me how this book showed us that there's no one way to be a girl, that we don't have to conform to everything—especially when it comes to gender identity and expression. I do wish it was tackled more though, and that I wish we could have seen the main character Regan truly embrace herself and tell others off (*cough* Laurel *cough*).

The world-building and the writing style, of course, was amazing. (What more did I expect, really)

"We can't stand here all day and expect the world to come to us."

I also loved that plot twist in the end, as well as the little yet important lessons we're left with at the end of the story.

"We have always held the land above the one who rules it."

There was something so poetic and disturbing in that plot twist, and I guess this wouldn't be a Wayward Children book without its dark and whimsical atmosphere. I loved it, of course!

Another excellent addition to the Wayward Children series! Across the Green Grass Fields introduces a memorable lead character as well as a unique new world peopled by centaurs and unicorns. Utterly delightful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Seanan McGuire for giving me access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First I should say that I absolutely adore the Wayward Children books and will read them as long as the author writes them. However, this was my least favorite and the one with the most flaws.

First, time advances way to quickly so that you are skipping over great spans of time. Second, there are lots of unanswered questions in the end. Third, the actions and conversations had by everyone are too sudden, too incongruous and strange. I ended up really not caring about anyone. The set up was a bit long for such a short book and the ending was abrupt and solved nothing, leaving me very unsatisfied by the whole thing.

This is written like a short story that McGuire wrote without putting much thought into it. It suffers from a lack of interaction with the school and the other wayward children, and also from the story not being fully developed. If this was a longer book and had been fully fleshed out it would have been much better.

As someone who has read almost every Seanan McGuire title written (I'm not up to date on the Incryptid series) I felt like I sort of knew what I would be getting. The Wayward Children books have always been remarkable, beautiful stories. Every child on the verge of adolescence has felt like a stranger in their own bodies, and in the world around them. The characters in McGuire's books have all managed to find that place where they truly belong. That so many of them have lost their way to their "true" home is just as much a part of growing up. I am reminded of Susan in the Narnia books, who grew to old, too adult, to be allowed back.

Regan, in Across the Green Grass Fields is a beautiful example of someone who doesn't quite fit, and a perfect representative LGBTIA character. Rarely is an intersex character given centre stage, and rarely has an author touched so gently, and beautifully on how identity, change, growth, and self worth are so much a part of what surrounds us. The delicacy with which McGuire shows us, and her protagonist what personhood really means is astonishing.
Beautifully bittersweet, I could have stayed in the Hooflands with Regan and her centaur family for much longer, but at the same time, the ending was perfect exactly the way it was. Tears and all

Always excited for a new volume in this series and consistently so impressed by McGuire’s phenomenal attention to great representation (this time with a main character with AIS).

Beautiful coming-of-age story about self-acceptance, identity, friendship, family, power, and equality. This reads as a perfectly executed update to 20th century escapist children's fantasy in how the story acknowledges various perspectives and calls out exploitative, colonialist actions. It can be read as a standalone or as a continuation of McGuire's wayward children series.

There are not enough stars to give this book its due. There are also not nearly enough pages!!! Wayward Children books are the best part of a new year, and I am heartbroken it will be a full year before I get the next one.

Beautiful rep. The dire importance of chosen family. Reality as written differently for different people. Power dynamics. AAAAAAAHHHH! I love it so much.

A fantastic addition to the Wayward Children series! I really enjoyed Regan's journey to become and accepting herself in the Hooflands. I'm not going to lie the ending was slightly devastating. I can't wait to read the next books in the series!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Horse people, this is the story for you. After a close friend betrays Regan's trust, she runs into the woods and discovers a door reading "Be Sure." Through that door Regan finds the Hooflands, home to all manner of equestrians including centaurs, kelpies, and unicorns. This entry in McGuire's Wayward Children series is delightful and diverse, possibly my favorite of the series so far.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this novella.

The Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire is one of my favourite series ever, so when I saw book 6 on NG I instantly hit request.

This novella follows Regan, after finding out that she’s intersex and being betrayed by someone she thought was a friend, Regan feels lost and confused when she stumbles upon a magical door.

As always, the writing was superb, I was instantly mesmerised by the world Regan discovers, and while it wasn’t really my thing, I could appreciate it regardless.

This novel also weaves in discussions around toxic friendships, finding your place in the world, found family and discovering that there is no right or wrong way to be who you are.

This does have a very ambiguous ending which I wasn’t a fan of, though I know a lot of people will love. And while I was a little bored in places, overall I loved being back in this wonderful world with new characters and I can’t wait for the next book!

I love the Wayward Children series, and the latest installment, ACROSS THE GREEN GRASS FIELDS, is no exception. Here are 3 reasons to read it:

1.) One word: Centaurs. When Regan, a horse loving young girl, is transported to a world of centaurs, she's finally found a place she belongs. I've read plenty of fantasy books where centaurs are mentioned and maybe one or two where a minor character is a centaur. In ACROSS GREEN GRASS FIELDS, we get to see a whole world of centaurs and what their lives are like in the Hooflands. It's creative and mesmerizing.

2.) This is a perfect stepping point into the series. The Wayward Children series follows a pattern of past and present in the book releases. The first book takes place in the present, focusing on a school for wayward children who have returned from portal worlds. The second book provides the background of a character, telling the story of their own journey into their portal world, and the series continues alternating. In the first 5 books, you meet new characters, but the central group is largely the same. In ACROSS GREEN GRASS FIELDS, you get the background of a new-to-the-series character, Regan. It is likely she will meet the central group in book 7, but for book 6, you don't have to have any prior knowledge of the series going in. It's a great introduction if you want to see if you would like the series and want to commit to reading the prior books (it should be noted that each book is a novella, so the books aren't terribly long).

3.) The themes of found family and belonging- While growing up, Regan is desperate to fit in. She sees what it's like when you don't fit a very specific mold of what a 'girl' should be, and it scares her. The only time she feels truly comfortable and herself is when she is with horses. There is so much beauty when she crosses world and finds a place to belong. Ironically, in the Hooflands, humans are rare and singled out, yet it is in that space where she finds a family who treats her with respect and love, as one of their own. I loved her adventures and the way she grew into herself in her new home.

I have been meaning to read books by this author for sometime and I recently received the previous Wayward Children ebooks via Tor.com. Since it was stated that you could read this one without having read the others I dove right in. I'll definitely be reading her books much more quickly. She is an amazing author.
This story reminded me of authors I read as a child, Madeline L'Engle or C.S. Lewis. It also explores the topic of being intersex which is not frequently touched on in fictional stories.
The story is about a 10 year old young girl named Regan. She has a group of friends who seem to be maturing and developing much quicker than she is and so she asks her parents about it. They admit that she has an XY chromosome that makes her develop more slowly than other girls. Upset she tells her "supposed" best friend Laurel who shuns Regan and makes a huge scene about her being a boy.
Devastated, Regan runs away from school through the woods to get home. There she finds a doorway where one should not be. When she enters she finds herself in a magical place known as the Hooflands. She finds solace with a herd of centaurs who take care of a herd of unicorns. There she will develop a family of friends who accept her as she is.
This was a very quick and enjoyable read. Definitely recommend for fans of the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis or The Time Quintet by Madeline L'Engle.

Horses are kind of terrifying - they are very large and supremely intelligent. Seanan McGuire made me love these various species and root for each of them for their own reasons. Regan's adventure is warm and full of humanity, even as she is the only human inhabitant of the world in which she found herself.

Not “bad” (no Wayward Children novel is ever "bad"), but this particular addition to the series connected less, with me personLLY, than earlier additions. Regan’s story, while conceptually clever+fun, surrounds a mild plot & a quiet final confrontation. Still love the world + overall idea but not a fave. What I do continue to love is that Seanan brings real world hot button tops and treats them like they should be -- just as part of life. Like Regan intersex status -- once she leaves Earth, it is of no consequence. Who she is -- THAT is what matters. Seanan doesn't forget these lessons -- they're all part of the draw to her many worlds.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the 6th installment of the Wayward Children's series, but it really does stand well on its own and can serve as an entry point into the series for new readers. Frequently these books follow characters introduced in previous books of Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, but Regan is a brand new character. At a critical pre-teen age, Regan makes a discovery about her body that unfortunately alienates her from her best friend, and she is granted an escape through a magical door. She enters the Hooflands, where all sorts of hoofed creatures live-- from centaurs to unicorns to fauns. I was a bit of a horse girl myself as a child, so I always find myself enjoying "horse girl" books. I thought the world was very interesting and it was a nice mix of various hoofed creatures that each have their own characteristics and lifestyles. As a human teleported into the Hooflands, Regan is expected to accomplish a heroic task, so she is taken in and cared for by the first group of Centaurs that find her. Previous humans have always disappeared from the Hooflands after completing their task, so what will happen to Regan?

It has a lot of the same themes as previous Wayward Children books-- a misfit child discovering a world where they do fit in and are accepted for who they are. It plays off the fairy tale troupes as well while still being interesting to read. The ending did feel a little rushed; I would have liked a little bit more concrete of one for Regan and her place in each world. But it's still a short enjoyable read, and I did find myself relating a bit more to Regan than previous characters. Will recommend to fans of the series and to all horse girls looking for a place to fit in. :)

I have enjoyed every book in the Wayward Children series, but Across the Green Grass Fields is one of the best. I found Regan’s story to be captivating and charming. This installment was a little lighter than some of the other books in the series, but I think it gives perfect balance. Also, it’s great to see an intersex main character, something we see so rarely in literature.

[Review will be going live on my blog (at the link provided) on 12 January]

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire is the latest addition the the Wayward Children series. Like several Wayward Children books (but not the most recent few) it stands alone and just follows one child on her journey through a door to another world. You can read it first or last or in between. (If you want a bit more background on the setting, you can check out my review of Every Heart a Doorway, the first Wayward Children book, but it's not necessary to have read it first.)

Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.

When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to "Be Sure" before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines―a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.

But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem…

There are several themes explored in this book. First off, Regan is a horse-loving girl, so it is no surprise she ends up in a world full of magical horse-adjacent creatures like centaurs, unicorns, kelpies, and so forth. The reason she ends up there is a bit less common, from what we've seen in the other Wayward Children books. Regan does not come from an unhappy home, but inadvertently finds herself in a difficult social situation, which is what triggers the door.

The other really interesting thing about Across the Green Grass Fields is the way in which it subverts the portal fantasy genre. Allusions to Narnia and the Wizard of Oz serve to emphasise how silly the child-as-chosen-hero narrative is. I won't spoil the ending, of course, but I found it extremely satisfying and sensible.

Overall, another excellent read from McGuire. I highly recommend this book to fans of the Wayward Children books and general fans of portal fantasy. As I said at the start, you needn't have read any other books in the series before picking this one up, so it's a perfectly good place to start.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: January 2021, Tor.com
Series: Wayward Children book 6 of 6 so far, but stands alone.
Format read: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley