Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a honest review!

I always love the premise of these stories more than the execution of them. I really thought that this would be my fave of the series, due to I also do love horses and have been handling horses since I was four years old. But I feel like it is something with the storyline that I just find a little off for me. I just felt that the climax of the story was a bit off, like I feel in the rest of the series.

But beside the ending, I do really love these short stories about different worlds. And to be able to come up with all of this is just breathtaking. I adore how much thought and care that McGuire put into these little stories, and every time I finish one I can't wait to read the next in this series either.

The atmosphere and the characters in this story is what makes it beautiful. I adore the friendships that our main character get to have, and the love of herself that she get to experience and grow in. The writing style is so easy to read, and everything McGuire writes I feel like I can also smell, feel and see in front of me.

Even though I rarely give the books in this series five stars, I really do enjoy them and I'm always anticipating the next one in the series.

This wasn't my favorite in the series, but it was still amazing! Having an intersex character was amazing because that doesn't happen often. The world building was beautiful as always. Another amazing read from McGuire.

I received my copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Excellent series entry, this one stands up alone as well. Great character development and world building in a slim volume.

Love that we have a jump-in installment of this imaginative series. While I missed the usual folks, I also enjoyed being introduced to new characters. Definitely excited to see where this leads.

This is one of my favorite series. I fell in love with the concept, the writing, and the worlds. While this one presented some important issues and discussions, I just didn't love it as much as the others. I found myself a bit bored throughout this story. I usually inhale these novellas but that wasn't the case for this one. Out of all the books in this series so far, this one is my least favorite. I will still continue on with the series and I hope that I continue to love it.

I don't think this is my favourite of the series but I still enjoyed it. I thought the world was interesting and the characters likeable. The plot maybe let it down as it wasn't the super interesting but I did enjoy the messaging. I'd be curious to hear from intersex reviewers to see what they thought of the representation. It seemed okay to me but I also have no experience with being intersex.

I really love Seanan's style of writing, it's so whimsical and pleasant. I ended up restarting the book as an audiobook and really enjoyed reading it that way. I'll have to reread the rest of the series in audio. I'll be interested to see how Regan plays a part in the Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children storyline.

Highly recommend this series. It's so lovely.

Across the Green Grass Field is the sixth book in the Wayward Children series. In this new installment we met a girl called Regan, who runs away of school after fighting her horrible best friend and finds a door to a magical world called the Hooflands, a place filled with talking centaurs, Kelpies and unicorns. Regan start to feel like she really belongs but she needs to fulfill her destiny as hero in this new world.
This installment was good for someone that like horses and mythical creatures but it was not for me.
2.5 stars
Thank you so much to Macmillan-Tor for this arc in exchange for an honest review

One of the best in the series so far. I loved seeing the 'horse girl' trope explored so thoroughly. These novellas continue to surprise me with each new installment!

The best part of my year for the past half dozen years has been when another one of these stories drops. And now I see that we have stories scheduled all the way till 2025!

This series has always been incredibly good at portraying on the page LGBTI+ themes and characters, and this story is certainly no different. It does introduce a new character who has not appeared in any of the previous Wayward Children books, but given how many more are likely to be coming out, it makes sense to expand the world of characters from just the ones we've already met.

Regan is a young woman who is best friends with Laurel and Heather. That is, until Heather brings a snake to school and Regan learns that you can't do anything that Laurel deems ungirl-like without being completely ostracised. Thankfully, Laurel doesn't look down on Regan's love of horses in the same way.

So when Regan learns at 10 that she is intersex, she immediately considers that this won't be a good thing given that it makes her 'weird' or at least different. I completely rolled my eyes, then, when Regan gave in to telling Laurel her secret. However, without this part of the story, Regan's door to Hooflands wouldn't have appeared.

What's interesting is that, in Hooflands, the fact that Regan is intersex isn't actually at all relevant. She is so visually different to all the residents of that world already that the fact that she doesn't grow into curves doesn't come up. There, she finds a found family and a life where she fits in so much better than she ever felt she fit in at home. Even if she does miss her parents.

I am so looking forward to seeing more of Regan when she inevitably ends up in the Home for Wayward Children after her return from Hooflands.

Centaurs, unicorns, kelpies, fauns, perytons … Teenage Me would’ve loved this book. I was the type of girl who rode horses whenever the occasion offered and used my artistic talents to draw them, all the time, to the point where horses are still the only animal I can reliably draw well without needing to look at a picture. So I came to Across the Green Grass Fields predisposed to like it.

Ten-year-old Regan adores horses and rides them regularly. She also has a mother and a father who are loving and attentive (something that can’t be taken for granted in YA fiction), as well as a close school friend named Laurel whose friendship Regan has hung onto for years. Laurel is clearly the toxic queen bee type, but Regan remains Laurel’s loyal shadow for several more years, even after Laurel permanently and cruelly rejects their other best friend, Heather, for bringing a snake to school (snakes not being as socially acceptable as horses). Regan somehow doesn’t fully realize, or maybe just doesn’t want to admit to herself, that Laurel could turn against her as quickly and terribly.

This being a WAYWARD CHILDREN novella, it’s a foregone conclusion that Regan will be different from the norm in some significant way. When Regan is ten going on eleven, she confronts her parents about why she isn’t physically maturing yet, and finds out that she’s intersex. Though her parents break the news as gently as they can, Regan’s world is rocked, and she makes the mistake of confiding in Laurel. I have to digress for a moment to say that, even with the abundance of mythological creatures in this book, Regan’s choice to disclose her physical difference to Laurel was probably the most unbelievable thing in the whole novel for me.

"Regan had known from the beginning that Laurel’s love was conditional. It came with so many strings that it was easy to get tangled inside it, unable to even consider trying to break free."

Regan knows, far better than most girls, how unforgiving Laurel is of anyone who doesn’t conform to the norm and how cruelly she can lash out, and no amount of McGuire’s explaining why Regan made this choice made it seem a likely one to me.

Be that as it may, things predictably go wrong fast, Regan runs away from school — and finds herself faced with a magical doorway in the woods that leads to the Hooflands. The Hooflands is inhabited by large, muscular centaurs, lovely and brainless unicorns, carnivorous kelpies, and every other imaginable creature with hooves ... except horses (“What’s a horse?” asks one of the centaurs). Everyone has hooves of some kind, and humans are exotic creatures that show up once in a blue moon to heroically save the Hooflands from some terrible trouble and then disappear. Destiny? or perhaps not. In any case, Regan and the centaur herd that adopts her are in no hurry to send her to the queen of the Hooflands to face whatever trial may await.

McGuire spends a full quarter of Across the Green Grass Fields describing Regan’s childhood in our world, particularly the “vicious political landscape of the playground, where the slightest sign of aberration or strangeness was enough to bring about instant ostracism.” It’s well-told, with sympathy for everyone involved (well, except Laurel). In the Hooflands, Regan finds true friendship for the first time and begins to accept herself and understand that being “normal” is not the be-all and end-all she had thought it was. The tone shifts gears to become a pastoral, fairly slow-paced story, with the exception of one fairly frantic chapter. Even the climactic scenes toward the end of the novella don’t achieve any real sense of urgency.

Also, while these final scenes do slot in with the themes that McGuire has been addressing throughout the book, they felt rushed, and the same sense of improbability resurfaces around the events that occur toward the end. Maybe Seanan McGuire wrote this a little too quickly, or maybe she's just more focused on themes than plot. I really wanted more of an epilogue … in both the Hooflands and in our world.

This entry in the WAYWARD CHILDREN series doesn’t have any obvious links to Eleanor’s Home for Wayward Children or the characters in the other books in the series, at least at this point. Across the Green Grass Fields does have some great moments and poignant insights into human nature and life, but it lacks the full impact that the best books in this series have.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, Teenage Me would’ve loved this book. Adult Me sees the narrative flaws in it, but I was still moved by the characters and their obstacles. Across the Green Grass Fields is worth reading if you’re a fan of the series.

3.5 stars.

Seanan McGuire does it again, I don't think I've ever read a book by this author that I didn't love. I love this series, and I love this book. It felt much more unlike many of the previous books in this series, I wish it had been a little more connected to the rest of the series but I also very much appreciate how these books are not so dependant on each other that they can be read on their own rather than part of a series. The representation is unmatched for such short novellas, I've only read one other book with intersex representation and I'm thankful to say this is another.

At first I thought from the title that this was a sequel to Over the Woodward Wall (written as A. Deborah Baker), but Across the Green Grass Fields takes place in an entirely different world, with a new protagonist. The prose style is similar, as is the device of a door (or wall) through which children enter a magical world and their adventures there.

In this case, the child is Regan, whose abiding love in life is horses. Although growing up in a loving and supportive family, she’s insecure enough to seek the approval of a domineering, conformist girl. When she confides in her friend the newly disclosed information that she’s intersex (genetically XY but female in appearance, due to androgenic insensitivity syndrome, a neat bit of medical geekery), her friend reacts with bigoted cruelty. Regan then escapes (through a magical door, of course) to a land where the first creatures she encounters are unicorns (gorgeous but dumb as rocks) and centaurs (an all-female family that accepts her without question into their loving home).

Immersed in the Hooflands, buoyed by her love of horses and things-horselike (murderous kelpies, for example), Regan grows into a competent, confident adult without the difficult question of which gender camp she fits into. Of course, all is not well in the Hooflands, and various adventures ensue.

I applauded a biologically intersex hero, and the way sex versus gender is beautifully depicted. Even more, having been a horse-obsessed teen myself, I appreciated the empowering and healing nature of the human-equine relationship. I’d love to see more stories like this – maybe McGuire will create them!

Across the Green Grass Fields is part of the Wayward Children series, the sixth book so far, but can be read entirely as a standalone. It follows Regan, in the Hooflands, a land filled with centaurs, unicorns, kelpies, and more magical equines. A world that expects a lot from its human visitors, a role that Regan isn’t prepared to take.

Across the Green Grass Fields in much like McGuire’s other books in the Wayward Children series - whimsical, beautiful, and meaningful. Each addition to the series convinces me more and more of what an amazing writer McGuire is.

The Wayward Children series is portal fantasy, each book stepping through to a different world, leaving the world we know. Regan is called to the Hooflands, where she finds a family of centaurs where she feels she truly belongs. The familial bond that grows in this book was beautiful, and sweet, and I loved every second of it. The relationships that were built throughout the story just feel so real.

If you’ve read any of the Wayward Children books before, Across the Green Grass Fields is a must. If you’re still thinking about exploring these worlds that McGuire has built for us, any of the books are worth reading, but if you want to skip straight to this one, you can, as it is truly a standalone novella within the series. If unicorns and centaurs are your thing, then this is definitely an added delight to the story.

Regan’s life is good. Her parents love her, she has her horse riding, and if she doesn’t quite fit with her best friend’s other friends at least she has friends. She’s happy enough with her life even as she finds herself ever more aware of the ways she stands out from her social group. A falling out sends her running, stumbling across a doorway that could never exist. A doorway that reads “Be Sure”. A doorway that leads her out of her life and into a world of unicorns and centaurs and all manner of hoofed folk where she finds herself surrounded by those who celebrate her coming even as they expect it to herald tremendous change. Destiny and expectation are heavy burdens, even with all the support the herd can offer, and Regan’s path to heroism may not lead where anyone could have thought.

Across the Green Grass Fields is a book I find myself not quite sure how to talk about. As ever, Seanan McGuire’s writing is fantastic and the characters are well done. This definitely feels more like a character study than I was entirely expecting, the story is definitely there but it is entirely reliant on Regan’s growth as a character.

There are no humans in the Hooflands. At least, there are no humans in the Hooflands unless one walks through a door and into a fate of saving the world and bringing glory to whichever herd finds them first, because a human is a rare and important thing indeed. There’s a feeling that there should be all kinds of expectations on Regan’s shoulders. That in this new world humans are only ever harbingers of tremendous change should be a massive weight on our protagonist. It should be and, to some degree, it is. The fate of a hero, a harbinger, a human is of mythical importance in the Hooflands and it could so easily be the heaviest of burdens.

But then we come to the centaurs who found Regan. They’re loud and huge and caring, and they welcome her in and give her space to learn and grow. They welcome her into their lives and home. And that gives Regan room to be herself, to learn who she wants to be. A lot of the book is given to Regan’s time with the centaurs, her learning from them and growing up alongside Chicory, the youngest member of the herd. It shows her having as normal a life as she could have in a world that isn’t her own. And that feels pretty excellent, it builds the connection between Regan and the world that chose her and gives her reasons to fulfill that heroic destiny that has been hanging over her head since she arrived.

Across the Green Grass Fields was a fast read and one that I found myself devouring even as I wanted it to not end just yet. Though we know that Regan will wind up stumbling back through the door to her original world, to our world, this is a case where the journey is much more important than the destination. Even then, I feel like McGuire penned a pretty fantastic ending to it. One that fit everything that came before it and then some.

Often, I find myself ever wondering which side of the Wayward Children series I prefer. There may not be an answer to that. Across the Green Grass Fields is definitely a point in favor of both the series as a whole and the side of it that focuses on students’ time through their doorways. It sits, sort of like a dream over a lot of my book related thoughts lately, not quite a comparison to anything in particular but something I would like to go back to again. It feels a bit like nostalgia and that earns it a five out of five.

In this installement of the Wayward Children series we get to meet a new character named Regan. After seeing her best friend shun one of their friends for not conforming to their expectations of what it means to be a girl Regan has followed all the gender norms demanded of her. When Regan questions her parents about puberty they reveal to her that she was born intersex. I really liked how her parents approached the conversation and just how loving they were towards Regan. Overwhelmed by the information Regan confides in her best friend who turns on Regan the moment she finds out. Devastated she runs away from school and is on her way home when she stumbles across her magical door in the woods.

There we meet a clan full of lively women centaurs who spend their days hearding majestic unicorns. Regan becomes fast friends with a lonely centaur girl her age named Chicory and is treated like family by the rest of the clan. I loved Regan and Chicorys sweet and innocent bond. It was a nice change from the toxic friendship Regan had with her schoolmates. Despite being worried about her parents distress once they realize shes gone missing Regan settled into clan life well. She apprenticeshiped as a healer and learned how to care for the pregnant unicorns and their babies. I loved how loyal and protective the clan was of Regan while still not being

I really enjoyed the Hooflands and the centaurs simple way of life. The way they view humans with such reverence made for some unique interactions. I also found their mating habits interesting and wish we got to learn more about it. I also wanted to see more of the Fair. I liked the themes about destiny and forging your own path. The plot didnt tie back to the series main story line so this can be read seperately. I really liked the reveal at the end but the climax felt rushed compared to the time spent with Regan just living among the clan. I didnt mind the abrupt ending but I’m hoping we get to see more of Regan in future books. Every single time I finish a book in this series I find myself wishing they were a little longer because of how much I enjoy spending time in each world.

The latest installment in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series fits beautifully in with the rest of the series while being nearly entirely it's own thing. For the first time, McGuire has brought us a wholly separate story that relies on no knowledge of the rest of the series. Horse girls and portal fantasy fans alike will rejoice in this transportive fantasy novella.

I really enjoyed this one. Like the other books in the series, it has magical moments and heartbreaking moments. I always finish wanting more. Anticipation for the next door starts immediately after I'm spit out of the last. Can't wait.

Across the Green Grass Fields is the sixth book in the Wayward Children series but the first that I've read, despite being a huge Seanan McGuire fan. A bit different than the other McGuire series I've devoured (Toby Daye and InCryptid) but clearly written with McGuire's magic ability to completely transport the reader into another world, literally this time (okay, not literally, unfortunately).

Across the Green Grass Fields reads like a short story (it is on the shorter side of the novel-length at 166 pages) and tells the tale of Laurel, a girl who steps through a doorway into a world filled with centaurs, unicorns, and an evil queen. All is not what it seems though, so don't read this with the traditional " centaurs, unicorns, and evil queen" plot in your head; or maybe do, and be pleasantly surprised.

4.5 stars for this beautiful story as it was slow going at first, but is seriously just so flipping beautiful. Special kudos for having a main character that does not fit traditional gender norms and the lack of romantic love (because friendship is just as beautiful).

Thank you to Tor.com and NetGalley for an early digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I understand why this such a well-loved series by Seanan McGuire. It's so fast-paced and fun for a lot of people. I can't deny that. The first book in the series really hooked me and pushed me to read the rest of the series up to this point. With that being said, I've made the decision to say farewell to this series.

The last couple of books before this one just didn't do it for me, and this one just had no importance. That sounds harsh, but I just felt like it didn't need to exist. I understand that it can be a standalone, and one where people can start, but I continued with the series to follow characters from the first book. This just isn't what I really signed up for. That doesn't mean that I don't recommend this to lovers of the series. If you just love McGuire's writing style and the fun, fantasy antics, then please give this a go.

CW: interphobia, bullying, kidnapping

I've seen this described as "Narnia-esque" and I completely agree. It was magical and a good place to start if you're unfamiliar with the series/world. I would still recommend picking it up from the beginning though.

It was refreshing to see an intersex main character have an adventure that didn't fully revolve around her identity. The beginning did have a lot of discussion and there were some scenes that could be triggering so please tread cautiously.

It took me TWO WEEKS to read this 174 page book because I just couldn't get into it. I've been feeling slump-y in general, but this just wasn't working for me. The introduction dragged on forever and took SO long to get to the door.

Something is missing but I can't put my finger on it. I'm hoping that a re-read when I'm in the right mindset will do the trick.