Reviews

Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

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luna_m's review

5.0

If you want a diverse read, this is it.

I discovered Anya last year and fell in love with the first book’s cover. Soon after, I fell in love with the story.

This second installment tugged at my heart like magic threads. There’s no way I can recommend this series enough. Hopefully, I’ll get to read more about Anya, Ivan and Håkon... yes, Sofiya?

juani's review

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

breccan's review

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5.0

Even better than the first in the series. I enjoy when a story gets going without 200 pages of world building. I look forward to the next.

katiegrrrl's review

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4.0

I enjoyed this sequel more than I did the first one. I like the new characters introduced.

2021 YMA Sydney Taylor Book Award silver medalist in the middle grade category

fieldsla's review

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2.0

Disclaimer: I didn’t read Book 1. I kept reading because I liked the setting in Kievan Rus (medieval Russia), but this is not a good book. Anya and her friends set out to find her father and SPOILER they don’t find him. The book jumps from meetings the “villain” Nightingale (I wonder who it could be- maybe the guy on the cover of the book?) to a random dinner with a rabbi that has no pay-off at the end. How will Anya and her friends capture the Nightingale for the tsar? Perhaps by befriending him like they befriended the dragon in book 1? Total lack of creativity. Also assumes the reader is stupid. Example: the tsar has copper eyes just like the sorcerer. Hmmm... And the only way Anya escapes is by discovering she can suddenly do magic. No need to use her brain here. I think the only reason it won an award is because there are two LGBTQ characters. How Pasternak managed to write both a disjointed and predictable story, I’ll never know. Maybe she accidentally submitted her rough draft. Overall, a disappointing excuse for a sequel.

podanotherjessi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I was really surprised and pleased to see this book actually exploring the effects of trauma on a young girl. Overall the conflicts and resolutions in this book were much more complicated than I expected, and it was really well done.