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alwaysshure's review
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vereisnthere's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
massivepizzacrust's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
2.75
I'm not sure it's fair to give this book such a low rating because most of it is about me disliking ambiguous endings. But to me a 3 star book is okay, not something that upset me. And there are ambiguous endings... and then there is this ending. It was hard to believe this was a standalone.
I guess it's very clever that the ending echoes the podcast and the idea of not knowing what the rest of your life would be. But come on, there was an active fight going on at the end of the book, with major side characters possibly dead. We don't really get any explanation to what happened in the past either, or even a conversation between the two families where they get to discuss their versions of history and promise not to try to kill each other's kids? It's hard to believe the (admittedly very cute) relationships will survive all this drama, which kinda leaves us with nothing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Fatphobia, Bullying, Vomit, Transphobia, Sexual content, and Murder
aewens's review
3.0
This book follows the Chernyavsky family, a family of powerful women from Russia who have the ability to stop death. The narrative follows one of the youngest, Ruby, as she uncovers a family mystery, falls in love, and learns what she is willing to lose in order to get what she wants. I thought it was an interesting story about the worth of human life, and what sacrifices are too high a cost. Cece and Talia were cute as the lesbian rep, even if they didn't feature too heavily in the story, but I loved Dov's story and how his trans-ness was worked seamlessly into a world in which his family's magic reinforced his identity. It wasn't a particularly remarkable story but it was a fun and quick read with compelling characters.
allthatissim's review against another edition
4.0
Full review: Flipping Through the Pages
This story is about Chernyavsky family who had fled from Russia and had long-hidden secrets. They were being hunted for their powers but now their power has weakened as they suppress them to keep themselves safe. Ruby lives with her two sisters and has grown up being told this story. The Chernyavsky family is predominantly women, with men appearing only to a point to father a daughter. When the girls reach teens years, at some point they see their Time in which they can see themselves at the age they will die. Ruby has been told since her childhood that the Time can’t be changed or avoided. But when her great aunt Polina dies at 95 years old, it was revealed that her death doesn’t match with what was written as her Time in the family’s record book. Ruby, with her cousin Cece, then tries to find out how was that possible and how can she change her own or her cousin’s Time. But in doing so, she discovers that her family’s secrets are way deeper than what she always thought.
Ruby is not a character that could be remembered for a long time yet I found myself rooting for her. She was an angsty teenager who wanted to dig up family secrets so that she can save herself and her cousin. Ruby and Cece’s relationship was wonderful and they kept me invested in the story. Though it was not smooth all the time, I appreciate how they tried to be as closer as they can and how much they loved each other. Cece’s representation also brought queer rep to the story which I really appreciate. Ruby’s sisters, Dahlia and Ginger were good characters but I wish the sisters relationship was explored a bit more? It felt they were just there for filling the role of Ruby’s mother.
There were multiple side characters but my favourite was Dov, Ruby’s love interest. I appreciate how the author has incorporated trans character into the story through Dov. We need more trans rep in YA! Dov’s family, the Mahalels, later played a big part in the story but what I loved was his relationship with Ruby. The romance was not in our faces and I loved how beautifully it was incorporated. Both the families had big secrets and I enjoyed reading how their relationship grew over those secrets. Though the romance was quite good, this story is mainly about family, secrets that bind them together, the love between them and the things they can do to protect each other.
The idea of Chernyavsky magic and the Russian family folklore was incorporated beautifully into this book. I loved how the author has talked about the idea that words and stories passed down over time can be twisted to meet the needs of those telling them. This magical realism story kept me interested from page one and I was engrossed in the world of Russian fairy tales, hidden family secrets and a character who is trying to understand the difference between the stories and the reality.
Lot of things are good in the story but what didn’t work for me and for most of the readers, I guess, was the ending. My kindle was showing I am at 80% but then I flipped the next page, boom.. story ends. That made me feel betrayed. I wasn’t ready for the story to finish on such a loose end. I generally don’t mind when authors leave a story with open end, but I felt, the ending of this story was abrupt and I certainly don’t like abrupt ending. This story needed an additional 50/100 pages to give us all the answers. There is no sequel to the story and that being said, the ending was a huge turndown for me which made me to instantly lower my rating, which otherwise would have been a 5 star read.
Overall, I truly enjoyed reading The Wise and the Wicked. If it wasn’t for that abrupt ending, this book would have been one of my favourites of the year. The story is really interesting. It is well written and queer representations are lovely. The mystery element keeps you hooked till the end. I would definitely ask you to pick it up if you like Russian folklore and magic realism.
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This story is about Chernyavsky family who had fled from Russia and had long-hidden secrets. They were being hunted for their powers but now their power has weakened as they suppress them to keep themselves safe. Ruby lives with her two sisters and has grown up being told this story. The Chernyavsky family is predominantly women, with men appearing only to a point to father a daughter. When the girls reach teens years, at some point they see their Time in which they can see themselves at the age they will die. Ruby has been told since her childhood that the Time can’t be changed or avoided. But when her great aunt Polina dies at 95 years old, it was revealed that her death doesn’t match with what was written as her Time in the family’s record book. Ruby, with her cousin Cece, then tries to find out how was that possible and how can she change her own or her cousin’s Time. But in doing so, she discovers that her family’s secrets are way deeper than what she always thought.
Ruby is not a character that could be remembered for a long time yet I found myself rooting for her. She was an angsty teenager who wanted to dig up family secrets so that she can save herself and her cousin. Ruby and Cece’s relationship was wonderful and they kept me invested in the story. Though it was not smooth all the time, I appreciate how they tried to be as closer as they can and how much they loved each other. Cece’s representation also brought queer rep to the story which I really appreciate. Ruby’s sisters, Dahlia and Ginger were good characters but I wish the sisters relationship was explored a bit more? It felt they were just there for filling the role of Ruby’s mother.
There were multiple side characters but my favourite was Dov, Ruby’s love interest. I appreciate how the author has incorporated trans character into the story through Dov. We need more trans rep in YA! Dov’s family, the Mahalels, later played a big part in the story but what I loved was his relationship with Ruby. The romance was not in our faces and I loved how beautifully it was incorporated. Both the families had big secrets and I enjoyed reading how their relationship grew over those secrets. Though the romance was quite good, this story is mainly about family, secrets that bind them together, the love between them and the things they can do to protect each other.
The idea of Chernyavsky magic and the Russian family folklore was incorporated beautifully into this book. I loved how the author has talked about the idea that words and stories passed down over time can be twisted to meet the needs of those telling them. This magical realism story kept me interested from page one and I was engrossed in the world of Russian fairy tales, hidden family secrets and a character who is trying to understand the difference between the stories and the reality.
Lot of things are good in the story but what didn’t work for me and for most of the readers, I guess, was the ending. My kindle was showing I am at 80% but then I flipped the next page, boom.. story ends. That made me feel betrayed. I wasn’t ready for the story to finish on such a loose end. I generally don’t mind when authors leave a story with open end, but I felt, the ending of this story was abrupt and I certainly don’t like abrupt ending. This story needed an additional 50/100 pages to give us all the answers. There is no sequel to the story and that being said, the ending was a huge turndown for me which made me to instantly lower my rating, which otherwise would have been a 5 star read.
Overall, I truly enjoyed reading The Wise and the Wicked. If it wasn’t for that abrupt ending, this book would have been one of my favourites of the year. The story is really interesting. It is well written and queer representations are lovely. The mystery element keeps you hooked till the end. I would definitely ask you to pick it up if you like Russian folklore and magic realism.
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Ko-fi |Amazon
michellebuch's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
grapehead's review against another edition
4.0
Ruby comes from a family of women who all see a vision of who they will be shortly before they die. There has never been a way to change this fate, until one relative dies at a very different point in her life than she was meant to. Wanting to change her fate for both herself and her cousin Cece, Ruby begins investigating her family history and the Russian folklore they have been paying down for generations.
I really enjoyed that book making me ask questions such as, "is there a price to high to pay if it means more time or a better future," and "is a long life worth the lifetime of guilt it comes with?" I also really liked the contradicting family stories that made me wonder, "who is the bad guy? Is there even a good guy?" I like that the book doesn't have a clear cut answer to that and let's the reader draw their own conclusions.
The Mahalels were very intriguing with a fascinating history of their own. I adored Dov and the sweetness he brought to the story. The small romantic moments between Dov and Ruby were nice reprieves.
Although I knew what the author was doing with it, I did not care for the podcast. I almost resent it because of how it foreshadowed the ending. I really wish this book would get a sequel, even though I understand why it never will.
I had a good time with this book and especially enjoyed the questions it made me ponder. I enjoyed the characters, especially Cece and Dov. I found Ruby's relationship with her mother versus her sisters really interesting, as well as the relationships between the older women in the family and what they were willing to do for (or to) each other. All in all, a solid, interesting read that I will think about from time to time.
I really enjoyed that book making me ask questions such as, "is there a price to high to pay if it means more time or a better future," and "is a long life worth the lifetime of guilt it comes with?" I also really liked the contradicting family stories that made me wonder, "who is the bad guy? Is there even a good guy?" I like that the book doesn't have a clear cut answer to that and let's the reader draw their own conclusions.
The Mahalels were very intriguing with a fascinating history of their own. I adored Dov and the sweetness he brought to the story. The small romantic moments between Dov and Ruby were nice reprieves.
Although I knew what the author was doing with it, I did not care for the podcast. I almost resent it because of how it foreshadowed the ending. I really wish this book would get a sequel, even though I understand why it never will.
I had a good time with this book and especially enjoyed the questions it made me ponder. I enjoyed the characters, especially Cece and Dov. I found Ruby's relationship with her mother versus her sisters really interesting, as well as the relationships between the older women in the family and what they were willing to do for (or to) each other. All in all, a solid, interesting read that I will think about from time to time.
steffiraquel's review against another edition
I'm so upset I got triggered, I was really enjoying this :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Death
Minor: Racism, Body shaming, Violence, and Alcohol
starsnotshadows's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I thought the concept for this book was really interesting! I just think I would have enjoyed it more as an adult novel. I also feel like the book skewed more towards middle grade rather than young adult except for a few passages that were obviously more young adult centered.
agudenburr's review
5.0
A dark fairytale set in today's world. Lessons on family, fate, and love. Based on Russian fairytales.