Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker

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Around the time that Seanan McGuire won the Locus Award for her amazing novel Middlegame, I was able to scoop it up on a great ebook deal and fell in love with the story of Roger and Dodger. Combining alchemy, secret organizations, and a powerful friendship, Middlegame is a complex and action filled story with an absolutely explosive ending. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading this one, I highly, highly recommend you read it before picking up Over the Woodward Wall.

Now, why all the fuss about Middlegame? The alchemical lore found throughout Middlegame is told through the children's book series about an impossible city in the Up-and-Under found in the book Over the Woodward Wall. We know from Middlegame that A. Deborah Baker was a powerful alchemist who used the books to slowly influence readers into believing the principles required for bringing the Doctrine into the world. Roger and Dodger both grew up reading the books and slowly begin to see the connections between their story and that of Zib and Avery.

Readers-it's the book from the book! I love a book from a book.

In Over the Woodward Wall, we learn the full story of how Avery and Zib meet, through a strange series of events, and discover a large wall that mysteriously appears in their neighborhood. Avery and Zib can't be more different in their views on the wall what course of action they should pursue. As the two children cross the wall and enter the land of the Up-and-Under, they meet unlikely creatures and hear tales of a Queen of Wands who will give the children the ending of their story's adventure and return them home. Finding the Impossible City via the improbable road is far more challenging than the children expect and their very different ways of thinking and solving puzzles often puts them at odds. But the children discover they have a connection and a shared goal and sometimes, that is the most important thing you need in an unlikely adventure.

I loved this story. It's such a fast paced adventure packed with interesting characters. Avery and Zib felt incredibly real and had genuine reactions to every obstacle and puzzle. I'm a big fan of the book within a book and after reading this, went back and reread Middlegame to find all the connections between the two stories. The Up-and-Under felt like a twisted combination of the worlds found in The Wizard of Oz and Wonderland. There were talking owls, a Crow Girl, and a deep understanding that everything made sense to everyone except for Avery and Zib.

Over the Woodward Wall is another excellent book from Seanan McGuire and is a must read for those who enjoyed Middlegame.

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Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.