SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
Eff is the thirteenth child of her family. But while her twin has incredible magic, the thirteenth child is believed to be unlucky. Eff grows up with an interest in magic but a fear that she is unlucky and the cause of many problems. While she tries to find her way, her family goes through many changes.
OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS
Eff often believes she is the cause of most problems. She mostly just tries to stay out of trouble, but as her magical ability grows, she fears she won't be able to control it. Because of the bullying of her relatives, she fears rejection. This has caused her to be reserved. Throughout the story she gradually becomes more confident.
William is Eff's closest friend. They both take magic lessons from Miss Ochiba as well as eventually volunteer at the menagerie. He is also close with Lan.
Lan was Eff's only protector growing up. Although when they move, eventually they grow apart. He makes his own friends and moves up a year ahead of her in school. Eventually he goes to another school entirely, in another part of the country.
Miss Ochiba teaches Eff and William for years. She becomes a mentor to both of them, and gives them extra lessons about Aphrikan magic.
Wash is a friend of Miss Ochiba, he travels to the new settlements and sends letters to the menagerie. He eventually becomes a mentor to Eff.
PACING
The pacing is slower, because there really aren't many action scenes. But that doesn't mean that the story is dull. The problems are many for Eff, and she goes through an illness, her uncle picking on her, her fear of her own magic, and a cult that doesn't believe in the use of magic, to name a few.
STRUCTURE
I would say the structure is similar to “Ella Enchanted” and “The Two Princesses of Bamarre” by Gail Carson Levine. We go through different phases of the main characters life, passing through years in chapters. It starts when Eff is merely a six year old and ends when she is in her late teens.
But everything feels essential to the story. With each age, we learn important things about Eff and her life. I felt no need to skim through and get to the good stuff. It was all interesting. It is very much a character driven story.
AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY
It doesn't take long for the reader to learn this is an alternative history of the world where magic is real. America is called Columbia and the Civil War is the War of Sucession that ended decades before ours even started. There are also alternative spellings and names for other countries. I found it interesting to learn more about the differences and the similarities between our world and theirs.
THE SCIENCE OF MAGIC
Wrede goes into detail explaining the types of magic and how they work. And yet it never comes across as awkward, as if someone has come in and paused the story for some blatant exposition. I found it so unique that I actually would read it and reread it, to make sure I was understanding it correctly. Wrede somehow manages to make magic feel quite real.
EFF & WILLIAM-SPOILERS
William is Eff's closest friend, as she becomes more distanced from Lan. He is also the only one besides Lan who goes out of his way encourage Eff and get her to realize the curse of the thirteenth child isn't real. I thought it was hinted that he cared for her romantically, so when it's noted in a paragraph he likes some other girl, I was kind of confused. I had been rooting for them the whole book, and was disappointed by that.
WHO IS LAN?
We learn from the get go that Lan has a temper when he missuses his magic. When he stands up for William and Eff and it's implied that he lied about the fire he made. It wasn't an illusion, it was real. When he defends her from her uncle, she actually fears what he may do, so she steps in. I felt that I didn't get to see him enough to learn about him, and if there is a sequel, I hope to learn more.
RENNIE & EFF
I thought it was crucial to Eff's character development to see her sister again. After Rennie leaves on a less than happy note, Eff doesn't realize how much of a grudge she holds against her until much later. But when the two have a long discussion we see her grow up, remembering she is no longer the child she was when Rennie left. I love how Wrede realizes how important character arcs are.
MISS OCHIBA, WASH & EFF
The mentoring relationships between these two and Eff were crucial to the story. Through them Eff learns more about magic, and how to control her own. They reveal that the story is one of relationships.
THE CLIMAX
The climax is probably the most exciting part of the book, although there aren't what you would call traditional action scenes. Eff's arc comes to a satisfying end as she is the one who realizes how to fix a problem.
ADULT CONTENT-SPOILERS
Rennie, Eff's older sister runs off and gets married. Eff points out how many months later their baby was born, revealing why they may have rushed to get married.
CONCLUSION
Wrede creates a complex, detailed world, making enough references to remind us this is an alternative world, but not enough to be overbearing. Eff is likable, and manages to not let the victimhood mentality that overtakes so many heroines in YA fiction, overtake her. She never dwells on her problems, but is always trying to overcome them. I give “Thirteenth Child” four stars.
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