Magical

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight This is going to be a review in Three Acts. Because I had three very distinct experiences while reading this book, so... seems legit I guess.Act One: Oh Crap I Might DNFOkay I hate DNFing, we know this. But Val suggested I call it quits, because she didn't love it, and honestly when Val tells me to DNF something I really need to listen because every time, I regret not listening, and here...

I don't know guys, this books was interesting, but honestly I'm also sort of annoyed with it. The Wise and the Wicked is Russian inspired. I am Russian. The main characters are a magically gifted Russian family that ran from Russia to escape people trying to kill them. The research is good, there were definitely little things that told me that Podos didn't half-ass her research. However, what annoyed me was her language choices. Again, for the most part it was good. But there was a mix up of plu...

I had the honor of getting an early read on this book and oh, oh, the world is going to love this beautiful story.

This cover? The most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The blessings.Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Youtube | Twitch

This was (and remains) in many ways a brilliant story, but that ending was just Not For Me, folks. Not For Me, at all. I don't feel like writing a full review, but if you want my informal thoughts, or notes on content, comment below [or message me!]*sadly & solemnly chucks this book onto the growing pile of "Russian inspired fantasy that I thought would make me super happy but instead ended up making me super mad"*

ahhhhhhhhhh magical realism ahhhhhhhhh russian-inspired ahhhhhhhhhhh psychic sisters ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i want this so badly!

I loved this book so much from the beginning all the way up to maybe 80% of the way through. The story and concept were so interesting and nothing like what I've read before. I'm obsessed with slightly witchy stories set in a contemporary setting, and this is exactly that. The pacing was amazing, the romance had me itching for more, and the complicated family situation felt very real to me. The only problem I had with the whole book was the end (no spoilers!) It really was slow (but in a good wa...

Excuse me, this is a stand-alone and it ends like THAT?

Although interesting enough to keep me hooked, the first half that included snippets of fairy tales, family stories, and a random podcast was still too slow, and the second half was... well, messy. There was an attempt at exploration of moral grayness and limits one is willing to go to survive, which I always find interesting, but in this case it was short, sloppy, and not very well done. Despite their backstories, the characters ended up bland and boxed into two standard categories. After a wil...

I would classify this book as YA contemporary combined with magical realism.The narrator of this book is 16 year old Ruby (3rd person POV). She comes from a family where the women have powers. At a certain point in their lives they will have a vision of when they will die.This was an original story with a pretty cover. There is some romance in the book. But to me it wasn't the main focus.Ruby had two sisters. But I honestly I did not feel like we saw enough of them for me to really know them. He...

This book has my favorite m/f romance of the year, and maybe of ever. I can't believe I almost didn't read it.The Wise and the Wicked is a contemporary fantasy story following Ruby Chernyavsky, a 16-year-old Russian-American girl from a "slightly magical" family in which every woman gets to know at which age she will die. Or so they thought.I fell in love with this story right from the beginning because of Ruby. She is the youngest of three sisters, and her mother left them when Ruby was really

Put a book in front of me with any type of fairy tale aspects to it, and you can pretty much guarantee that I'm going to read it. When I saw that The Wise and the Wicked was based around Russian folktales, my heart was so happy. I love a good story with folktale roots. It's probably no surprise at all that I was very excited to read this book.To be honest, I actually really loved about the first 70% of this book. It was a little slow, sure, but I could feel that pull back to the old stories and

This is an interesting little YA novel. Ruby, one of three sisters, has heard family tales passed down about how her mother and her sisters were sent away from Russia by their mother because their ability to (this is vaguely alluded to) sort of read tea leaves and predict fates for people got them marked for murder as witches. Lots of delightful Russian culture, folklore and wonderful story detail. The characters in this are great. It reminded me a little of “The Raven Cycle” with the quirky, sm...

4 stars TW: attempted murder, underage drinking, deathRep: trans boy LI, (two) lesbian major SCs, Russian-American family (and MC) The Writing The writing in this book was very atmospheric and felt very fitting to the setting. I especially loved the descriptions of the different houses and the detail that went into all of that. I felt transported into the small town and it felt very homey and creepy at the same time and I loved that so much. The Plot/Pacing The plot felt like it was a bit a...

(3.5/5) THE WISE AND THE WICKED feels as if the collective works of Anne-Marie McLemore, Katherine Arden, and Laura Ruby were put into a literary blender and this is the result. I just wish I had enjoyed it more than I did. Still, I’d love to tackle this book again in the future as it improved for me greatly about half of the way through as I got settled into the story. From the magical realism elements and lore that spans generations to the inclusivity and focus on familial relationships, there...

3.75 stars Although I don’t read much YA contemporary these days, this had enough tropes that I like that I wanted to give it a try: contemporary fantasy, witches, and Russian folklore. This ended up being an enjoyable mystery about the history of a family of Russian witches. The modern witch vibes were fun. Also, there was unexpected LGBTQ+ rep that I loved! The main character’s love interest is a trans boy (with frank discussions about binders, coming out, etc) and his sister is dating her cou...

8.14 on CAWPILE.

This review originally appeared on Novel Ink.I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.From page one, The Wise and the Wicked swept me into a world of ancient Russian fairy tales, long-hidden family secrets, and a main character trying to make sense of the world and her place in it. The writing was immersive, the characters were interesting, but the main, glaring issue with this book that I was left fee...

C/W:(view spoiler)[parental abandonment, death due to cancer (off-page), death of a loved one (hide spoiler)]"You're a kid, Ruby. You think a small, happy life is this terrible, wasted thing, like I did. But you'll grow up. You'll learn too."The Wise and the Wicked started out strong for me and seemed to lose its appeal toward the end. The story is atmospheric and character-driven as it follows Ruby's journey to uncover her family's secrets. The pacing is slow but works for the story. My curiosi...