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A review by plumpaperbacks
The Wise and the Wicked by Rebecca Podos
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this in about six hours because I cut it too close to the library due date. I hadn’t heard much of anything about The Wise and The Wicked prior to picking it up, but it was a very quick and intriguing magical realism story based on Russian folklore.
I’d read one other novel from Podos, Like Water, but didn’t remember anything about it or her writing style. As it turns out, I quite like their writing style. They did an excellent job balancing the plot, the family histories, and current relationships.
While I did enjoy Ruby’s friendship with her cousin Cece, my favorite part of the book was the romance between her and Dov. He’s so sweet and funny and good and I love him. He’s also trans, and—take this with a grain of salt, as I’m a demigirl—it seemed to be well-done. There’s no deadnaming or outing, and Ruby is curious but respectful. Anyway, Ruby and Dov stole my heart and, in my opinion, the show.
I had two issues. First, even though I liked seeing Ruby’s character growth, I found myself more interested in the side characters than I was in her. Second, and more importantly, the ending was abrupt and open. So much was going on, plans were made, and then... that’s it? Podos said she’d be down to write a sequel, but nothing is certain due to the nature of publishing. I think it would’ve been better to treat it as a stand-alone with sequel potential, rather than a first book that might not get a second.
Despite those things, I enjoyed the directions the story went in, and as I’ve made clear, I’m a big fan of the romances—the second being Cece and another girl. Go gays! Ahem. I’d recommend this book for sure, and I plan to read the sequel if we get one. I hope we get one.
Representation
I’d read one other novel from Podos, Like Water, but didn’t remember anything about it or her writing style. As it turns out, I quite like their writing style. They did an excellent job balancing the plot, the family histories, and current relationships.
While I did enjoy Ruby’s friendship with her cousin Cece, my favorite part of the book was the romance between her and Dov. He’s so sweet and funny and good and I love him. He’s also trans, and—take this with a grain of salt, as I’m a demigirl—it seemed to be well-done. There’s no deadnaming or outing, and Ruby is curious but respectful. Anyway, Ruby and Dov stole my heart and, in my opinion, the show.
I had two issues. First, even though I liked seeing Ruby’s character growth, I found myself more interested in the side characters than I was in her. Second, and more importantly, the ending was abrupt and open. So much was going on, plans were made, and then... that’s it? Podos said she’d be down to write a sequel, but nothing is certain due to the nature of publishing. I think it would’ve been better to treat it as a stand-alone with sequel potential, rather than a first book that might not get a second.
Despite those things, I enjoyed the directions the story went in, and as I’ve made clear, I’m a big fan of the romances—the second being Cece and another girl. Go gays! Ahem. I’d recommend this book for sure, and I plan to read the sequel if we get one. I hope we get one.
Representation
- trans Jewish love interest
- sapphic side characters
- side f/f couple
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Death
Discusses murders that occurred prior to the story.