Everyone knows that the 7th son of a 7th son is an incredibly magical person, obviously destined for great things. But what if you're his twin, and you have the unhappy fortune of being the thirteenth child out of fourteen brothers and sisters? Eff is that thirteenth child, the one who is supposed to have such a heap of bad luck laid on her that there is no way that she could bring any good to anyone. When her family moves out West, to where beasts and monsters are kept back by strong magics, she is able to go unknown as the thirteenth child for some time but eventually it catches up to her. As Eff finds her place and grows into a young woman, she learns that maybe she isn't as unlucky as everyone supposed, that she might just have a spark of magic of her own, if she can only find it.
Readers who have experienced being labeled as an outsider or a ne'er-do-well can identify with Eff. It's painful to see her deal with hate and bigotry at a young age, just because of her birth order. The story does drag at times, so don't expect it to be a super quick read. The magic set-up is pretty unique, and I love how the types are all different from each other. Definitely a book to pick up if you're into alternate history fantasy fiction!
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