I finished reading The Far West yesterday. First off this is probably one of my favorite books of the year. I couldn't devour the pages fast enough; I honestly wanted to call into work just to finish it. In fact I was late picking up my boyfriend so I could do just that. 
 Some points I would like to touch on. 
 1)	The author always manages to give off that warm happy fantasy feel with her writing; like I want to snuggle down into the story and that it should never end. 
 2)	In this series Ms. Wrede does an AMAZING job of blending magic, science and technology. The explanations of how magic works is very creative. 
 3)	With that said, there were times that I got a little bored with the technical explanation of how spells worked and how certain kinds of magic are different from others. But in my defense the main character Eff got bored here too. LOL 
 4)	The characters are all really well thought out. Each one has individuality, spark and a back story which makes them all important. You can tell the author took a lot of time developing her characters. 
 5)	I really enjoy the AU Oregon Trail/Old West feel that this story has where magic is common place. It's the United States but it isn't, at the same time. So much thought and effort went into this I can only imagine the story notes, outlines and diagrams the author must have made for these three books to be so cohesive and comprehensive. 
 6)	The unique flora and fauna is another thing that just endears this series to me. Steam Dragons, Medusa Lizards, Hexberries, this list just goes on and one and each one more unique than the others. I love that they go on an expedition to the Rocky Mountains and it's mainly just to discover what is out there. When I was a little girl I played Oregon Trail on the computer and it was my favorite game, this book makes me happy in the same way. 
 7)	The Society of Progressive Rationalists- this is almost satirical in its creation. A society against using magic. 
 8)	While this book ends with a bit of a love story I truly enjoy that this series has no romantic entanglements, unlike so many novels out there a love interest for Eff is the lowest priority. 
 9)	Eff- is such a strong female character. When I've been re reading Sookie Stackhouse and Anita Black this is refreshing. While these characters try and be strong female leads and fail in so many ways...Here is a YA/MIDDLE GRADE novel that, just as Cimorene (Dealing With Dragons) did before this, succeeds to have a powerful woman who knows what she wants and goes out to get it. 
 So five fucking stars and a giant THANKS to Ms. Wrede for making my day with this brilliant novel.