Reviews

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

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gramsay's review

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this book was crazy. idk what rena was trying to do but she did something for sure. i got se fed up with the characters like halfway through but one u got to the last third there was more plot and less character so i powered through. crazy though

ketutar's review

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4.0

This book started as a retelling of Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market. It was set in the author's East European Jewish roots, and the story was woven into several Slavic and East European tales, legends, myths, and folklore.
We get a sort of magical realist story of two sisters, whose father is a bear and whose mother is a swan. One of the daughters, the oldest, inherits the father's shape, and the youngest inherits the mother's shape. The parents must leave their daughters alone for some time, which in itself wouldn't be a problem, as they are almost 18 and 16, and they have friends and allies in the village close by. The problem arises when mysterious fruit sellers arrive at the village, and things start happening.
The setting and how the author deals with it reminds me very much of [b:Small Favors|55835986|Small Favors|Erin A. Craig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1604853261l/55835986._SY75_.jpg|76987783], but in this book, the siblings aren't warring. It is very much a coming-of-age story, and very much a story of love. One could take it as a YA romance novel, but I see it as much more than that. It is about families, the importance of love between spouses, siblings, generations, neighbors, and strangers, and of all kinds of love, not just erotic, romantic love. That is there, sure, but it's not the main focus. It is also a story of being oneself and loving oneself. The power of truth and openness.
They also talk about the nasty things that happened in Europe to Jewish people. And... still happen in some form. Antisemitism and blood libel is alive and well even in today's world.

therealbel's review

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4.0

Yes. Really. A grown up book. The most wonderful “folk tale” so unlike of anything I have read this year. History and fantasy combined this was a gentle yet very deep and dark story.

alyxandrathegr8's review

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2.0

Forgetable. I wanted to like it.

lines__lines's review

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3.5

I loved how many elements were woven into this story from folk tales and history to, of course, Rossetti's "Goblin Market." At times, I think it made for a little bit of a chaotic narrative, but the through thread of the sisters' relationship really pulls the story along. I loved that Laya's sections were in free verse; it fit her more ethereal persona and gave a nod to the original poem format. I can see where anything in poem form gives some readers hesitation, but I think Rossner really did a good job at making these sections simple and readable. Liba has traditional prose. Both sisters' sections are first person and really allow the reader to understand their interior feelings and motivations.

A couple things held this book back for me a little bit. One the confusing sense of the passage of time. It would seem as though events happened in one day, but somehow then it would be mentioned that a week had passed; I'm still not entirely sure if the book happened over a couple weeks or a month or more? The other thing was the parents, which I get that the parents needed to be absent for this story to happen, but I did think it stretched believe-ability that they'd both ditch their kids and re-appear at just the right moment. I think that was an instance of the historical aspects conflicting a bit with the fantasy aspects. The parents aren't the focus, obviously, and it's the sisters and their growing up, confronting who they are and their heritage that really make this story both beautiful and heart-wrenching.