#38 Waiting on… Vassa In the Night by Sarah Porter

Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter
Published on September 20, 2016 by Tor Teen
Genre(s): Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 304
GOODREADS
Book Depository / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they’ve arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now—but not Vassa’s working-class neighborhood.

In Vassa’s neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling out again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa’s stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission.

But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won’t be playing fair. . . .

Inspired by the Russian folktale Vassilissa the Beautiful and Sarah Porter’s years of experience teaching creative writing to New York City students.


So I’ve determined that when September 20th comes around, I’m going to open my door and there will be a pile of pre-orders. Does every book come out on this day? Not that I’m complaining, surely, but I simply do not have the ability to read 10 books in a single day. Fast…but not THAT fast.

This title came onto my radar a little over a month ago. First off, I noticed what we all see initially — the cover. Intriguing and mysterious, I wouldn’t pair it at all with the description but after reading it, they do work in a sense. I love seeing lesser known fairy tales come into the spotlight and this book is a take on Vassilissa the Beautiful which I much prefer to some of the more popular fairy tales in the same vein.

 

What books are you waiting on this week?

Well hello there! I see you’ve reached the end of the post. Bummer. But perhaps I may interest you in a comment? And in case you were wondering, I’m a 20-something college grad with a piece of paper that says I know about wildlife. Reviewer of books since 2011, amateur photographer by day, and aspiring author by night. I believe animals (and books) are better than people.

Posted July 20, 2016 by Austine on July 20, 2016 in Weekly

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3 responses to “#38 Waiting on… Vassa In the Night by Sarah Porter”

  1. Ruzaika

    I’ve seen this book around in the blogosphere and I think it sounds terrible exciting! Hope you enjoy it :))

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