The Far West (Frontier Magic #3)

The Far West by Patricia C. Wrede is the third book in her Frontier Magic series - an alternative history of the United States where westward expansion was slowed down by the magical creatures already living there.

Mill City is the farthest West city, located on the banks of the Mammoth River. Eighty years ago a group of magicians created the Great Barrier Spell to keep the magic beasts from crossing to the East side of the river from the Great Plains. Though there are now a few settlements past the river, most people would never dream of going beyond the barrier that protects the United States of Columbia.

Eff lives in Mill City with her family. She works for the magic college, mostly with the animals. She has been past the Barrier twice - and due to the discovery of a new type of magical creature on her last trip, the government is going to organize an expedition to map all the way to the Rocky Mountains.The journey will give Eff the chance to continue to use the different types of magic she has learned - possibly in a whole new way.

Wrede has written a series that combines fantasy and magic within the genre of a western. The characters are great, the world is totally believable, and readers will relish finding new creatures with the expedition. This is a unique and enjoyable series that I highly recommend.

Wrede, Patricia C. (2012). The Far West. New York: Scholastic Press.