Scan barcode
A review by thoughtsontomes
The Wise and the Wicked by Rebecca Podos
3.0
3.75 stars
Although I don’t read much YA contemporary these days, this had enough tropes that I like that I wanted to give it a try: contemporary fantasy, witches, and Russian folklore.
This ended up being an enjoyable mystery about the history of a family of Russian witches. The modern witch vibes were fun. Also, there was unexpected LGBTQ+ rep that I loved! The main character’s love interest is a trans boy (with frank discussions about binders, coming out, etc) and his sister is dating her cousin. Their budding romance is cute without taking away from the main plot and mystery. There’s a lot of good lines in here about the power of men, the killing of magical women, and how stories evolve over time with each side thinking they aren’t the villain. While I loved a lot of those things, it ultimately didn’t blow me away. The pacing was off at times, especially the end which was wrapped up suddenly and didn’t feel like an ending for a stand-alone. There’s no resolution. I’d still recommend this for those that like witchy things, but not necessarily for the plot overall.
Although I don’t read much YA contemporary these days, this had enough tropes that I like that I wanted to give it a try: contemporary fantasy, witches, and Russian folklore.
This ended up being an enjoyable mystery about the history of a family of Russian witches. The modern witch vibes were fun. Also, there was unexpected LGBTQ+ rep that I loved! The main character’s love interest is a trans boy (with frank discussions about binders, coming out, etc) and his sister is dating her cousin. Their budding romance is cute without taking away from the main plot and mystery. There’s a lot of good lines in here about the power of men, the killing of magical women, and how stories evolve over time with each side thinking they aren’t the villain. While I loved a lot of those things, it ultimately didn’t blow me away. The pacing was off at times, especially the end which was wrapped up suddenly and didn’t feel like an ending for a stand-alone. There’s no resolution. I’d still recommend this for those that like witchy things, but not necessarily for the plot overall.