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The Wise and the Wicked

Rebecca Podos (Goodreads Author)

3.55 · Rating details · 871 ratings · 219 reviews

Ruby Chernyavsky has been told the stories since she was a child: The women in her family, once possessed of great magical abilities to remake lives and stave off death itself, were forced to flee their Russian home for America in order to escape the fearful men who sought to destroy them. Such has it always been, Ruby’s been told, for powerful women. Today, these stories ...more

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Kindle Edition, 368 pages

Published May 28th 2019 by HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray

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· 871 ratings · 219 reviews

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Jun 25, 2019 Lala BooksandLala rated it really liked it

Shelves: favourites

Magical

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May 26, 2020 Samantha rated it liked it

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 cou ...more

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Feb 07, 2021 Jade Ratley rated it really liked it

8.14 on CAWPILE.

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Nov 16, 2018 Melanie marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy, arc, young-adult

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May 24, 2019 Jane (It'sJaneLindsey) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-arcs-to-review, 2019-releases, 2019-read

Excuse me, this is a stand-alone and it ends like THAT?

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Oct 31, 2019 Kat rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-2

This is an interesting little YA novel. Ruby, one of three sisters, has heard family tales passed down about how her mother and her sisters were sent away from Russia by their mother because their ability to (this is vaguely alluded to) sort of read tea leaves and predict fates for people got them marked for murder as witches. Lots of delightful Russian culture, folklore and wonderful story detail. The characters in this are great. It reminded me a little of “The Raven Cycle” with the quirky, sm ...more

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Dec 19, 2019 Acqua rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemp-sff-mr, db, loved-it, z2019-favs, best-romance, best-mcs, mi-ndv, ya, q, witches

This book has my favorite m/f romance of the year, and maybe of ever. I can't believe I almost didn't read it.

The Wise and the Wicked is a contemporary fantasy story following Ruby Chernyavsky, a 16-year-old Russian-American girl from a "slightly magical" family in which every woman gets to know at which age she will die. Or so they thought.

I fell in love with this story right from the beginning because of Ruby. She is the youngest of three sisters, and her mother left them when Ruby was really ...more

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May 25, 2019 Shannon (It Starts At Midnight) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-for-review, 2019

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

This is going to be a review in Three Acts. Because I had three very distinct experiences while reading this book, so... seems legit I guess.

Act One: Oh Crap I Might DNF
Okay I hate DNFing, we know this. But Val suggested I call it quits, because she didn't love it, and honestly when Val tells me to DNF something I really need to listen because every time, I regret not listening, and here we go again. The problem was, I was woefully disconnected to the characters, especially at the beginning. Ruby's obsession with her cousin was high key creeping me out, and I just kind of... didn't like her a ton? She did grow on me as the book went on, at least.

The thing in the first 1/3 or so is, nothing seemed to happen. Ruby's great-aunt died and I was kind of underwhelmed like... cool, an ancient lady that I have no emotional connection to died, so that's sad, but I wasn't exactly full of feels. The plot seemed a little stagnant- you knew there was a family secret and such, but the stakes just weren't there.

Act 2: Things Are Picking Up!
So I started to get a bit invested! This was good news! It still wasn't setting the world on fire for me, but at least I was starting to feel a little bit of concern for Ruby, and the plot/secret thing were being fleshed out more, so I ignored Val and kept on keeping on. There was some romance, a sisterly bond that was getting more developed, and the cousin thing started to be less creepy and more sisterly/friendly.

Act 3: Are You Kidding Me with This End?
Okay here's where I get ragey. I was bored, then things were a little interesting, and then the end of the book infuriated me a lot. To the point where I kind of regretted reading the book. First, the ending was way too quick for the overall slow pacing of the book. But mostly, I was mad because... I'll put this in spoiler tags, though Idk if it's actually a spoiler, but let's just be safe okay? Okay. (view spoiler)

Bottom Line: Parts of it were good, and I enjoyed that Ruby had a lot of character growth, but other than that I was kind of underwhelmed. And salty about the end bits.

...more

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Mar 25, 2018 Ashley Blake rated it it was amazing

I had the honor of getting an early read on this book and oh, oh, the world is going to love this beautiful story.

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May 29, 2019 Madalyn (Novel Ink) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-releases, edelweiss

This review originally appeared on Novel Ink.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

From page one, The Wise and the Wicked swept me into a world of ancient Russian fairy tales, long-hidden family secrets, and a main character trying to make sense of the world and her place in it. The writing was immersive, the characters were interesting, but the main, glaring issue with this book that I was left fee This review originally appeared on Novel Ink.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

From page one, The Wise and the Wicked swept me into a world of ancient Russian fairy tales, long-hidden family secrets, and a main character trying to make sense of the world and her place in it. The writing was immersive, the characters were interesting, but the main, glaring issue with this book that I was left feeling unsatisfied when I flipped the last page. All of the threads of a five-star book were there for me, but the ending felt so clumsy and harried that it truly affected my overall enjoyment and rating.

As far as characters go, I thought the Chernyavsky family and their complex dynamics were fascinating, if not explored to their full potential. Ruby, our main character, was a little forgettable, but overall easy to root for. Who doesn’t love an angsty teen with plenty of reason to be angsty? I loved Ruby’s sisters, Dahlia and Ginger, and I honestly wish the sister relationship played a larger part in the story. I much preferred their dynamic to Ruby’s dynamic with Cece, her cousin, who is the main secondary character in the story. It seems like Ruby only has negative things to say about Cece in her internal monologue (not all of them deserved), so I didn’t quite understand why Ruby seemed so… obsessed with her cousin? However, I did appreciate the queer rep Cece brought to the story, as it’s often harder to come out to people who you trust with your life than to casual acquaintances. Ruby’s mother and aunts and great aunts are all, for the most part, not great, to put it mildly. I liked the way the author was able to explore morality through these characters, but none of them got a true redemption arc– which, I guess, is somewhat realistic, but didn’t make for the most satisfying reading experience. I did love the Chernyavsky magic and the strong sense of family folklore. Stories about where you came from are part of every family, and I thought that was incorporated beautifully into this book.

Outside of the Chernyavsky family, there are seemingly endless side characters thrown into the story, but the standout was the love interest, Dov. His family, the Mahalels, end up playing a pretty large part in the plot, but what I liked best was Dov’s relationship with Ruby. This is a book that doesn’t focus too heavily on romance, but the romance that is present is definitely swoony. Also, I am a cis woman, so please take my thoughts with a heavy dose of salt, but I absolutely loved the trans rep in The Wise and the Wicked. (More trans love interests in YA, please!) It was such a pleasant surprise to see a trans character in a story that deals so heavily with the idea of inheriting gender-specific abilities and curses, but it makes so so much sense. I thought it was very well done.

With so many good things going for it, I fully expected this to be a new favorite. However, as the ending drew closer and closer, the plot resolutions started feeling more and more rushed. I’ll keep it spoiler-free in this review, but the *~big showdown~* was left pretty open, but I thought certainly we’d get more resolution by the end of the book. Not so. In fact, when I finished this book, I legitimately did a double take to make sure I hadn’t missed a chapter. The ending was THAT abrupt. Here’s the thing: contrary to the popular opinion in the online book community, I LOVE an open ending. However, what I can’t get on board with is an abrupt ending. This abrupt ending truly soured my entire reading experience with this book and left me both confused and unsatisfied. Just something I think everyone should know going into this story!

Overall, though The Wise and the Wicked did me dirty with the ending, I did truly love the story at the heart of this book. If you can deal with the abrupt ending, I’d still recommend picking it up! (Also, if you have read this– let’s please discuss the ending, because truly, wtf.) ...more

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May 03, 2017 J marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2019-releases

ahhhhhhhhhh magical realism ahhhhhhhhh russian-inspired ahhhhhhhhhhh psychic sisters ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i want this so badly!

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Apr 12, 2019 Jennifer rated it it was ok

Shelves: edelweiss, 2019-bnb-challenge

I would classify this book as YA contemporary combined with magical realism.

The narrator of this book is 16 year old Ruby (3rd person POV). She comes from a family where the women have powers. At a certain point in their lives they will have a vision of when they will die.

This was an original story with a pretty cover. There is some romance in the book. But to me it wasn't the main focus.

Ruby had two sisters. But I honestly I did not feel like we saw enough of them for me to really know them. He ...more

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May 02, 2019 Ashley rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, read-in-2019, lgbtqia, ya-fantasy

I loved this book so much from the beginning all the way up to maybe 80% of the way through. The story and concept were so interesting and nothing like what I've read before.

I'm obsessed with slightly witchy stories set in a contemporary setting, and this is exactly that. The pacing was amazing, the romance had me itching for more, and the complicated family situation felt very real to me.

The only problem I had with the whole book was the end (no spoilers!) It really was slow (but in a good wa ...more

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Jul 08, 2019 Enne rated it really liked it

Shelves: z-2019-reads, anticipated-releases-2019, rep-lgbtqiap, pov-3rd, genre-contemporary-fantasy, reviewed, rep-trans-spec, pov-female, cover-love, 4-star

4 stars
TW: attempted murder, underage drinking, death
Rep: trans boy LI, (two) lesbian major SCs, Russian-American family (and MC)

The Writing
The writing in this book was very atmospheric and felt very fitting to the setting. I especially loved the descriptions of the different houses and the detail that went into all of that. I felt transported into the small town and it felt very homey and creepy at the same time and I loved that so much.

The Plot/Pacing
The plot felt like it was a bit a ...more

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May 26, 2019 Jessica rated it liked it · review of another edition

Put a book in front of me with any type of fairy tale aspects to it, and you can pretty much guarantee that I'm going to read it. When I saw that The Wise and the Wicked was based around Russian folktales, my heart was so happy. I love a good story with folktale roots. It's probably no surprise at all that I was very excited to read this book.

To be honest, I actually really loved about the first 70% of this book. It was a little slow, sure, but I could feel that pull back to the old stories and Put a book in front of me with any type of fairy tale aspects to it, and you can pretty much guarantee that I'm going to read it. When I saw that The Wise and the Wicked was based around Russian folktales, my heart was so happy. I love a good story with folktale roots. It's probably no surprise at all that I was very excited to read this book.

To be honest, I actually really loved about the first 70% of this book. It was a little slow, sure, but I could feel that pull back to the old stories and it kept me going. It was also so refreshing to read a book with such lovely queer representation in it and, thank goodness, one that wasn't completely built around romance. I'm all for a good romance, but it's always so nice to read a book where it isn't the most important thing ever. In fact, this story is mostly based around family. Around the secrets that they keep, the love that simmers beneath the surface, and about doing whatever you can to protect one another. Ruby and her sisters felt real to me, and I was invested in them. I always love when a family dynamic has some ruts along the road. Ruby and her sisters felt like a real family, because it wasn't always all sunshine and rainbows but the love was definitely there.

However as the book progressed it became more and more evident that things weren't going to be completely wrapped up. I won't lie, I felt concerned because this book doesn't show any inkling of having a sequel. It's true that there were some plot gaps in the first part of the book, but I let them go because I was so enjoying spending time with Ruby and her family secrets. I figured that things would be explained eventually, and the slow burn of this book wasn't really bothering me. The closer I got to the end, the more I realized that I wasn't going to get my answers. There are a lot of portions of this story that are told in flashbacks and in podcast listening form. I liked them at first. As I realized that the end wasn't going to be cleaned up though, I started to resent them for taking up story that could have been used to further flesh out the characters and the plot. I really hope there's another book after this one, because the ending is frustratingly incomplete.

Still, there's a lot to love in The Wise and the Wicked and so, like I mentioned above, I'd definitely read the next book. Dev is a great male character. It's so nice to see a sweet boy instead of a brooding one. The idea that words passed down over time can be twisted to meet the needs of those telling them was fascinating. I also loved that Ruby was unabashedly in love with a science fiction story podcast. Her addiction to the story that was unfolding in her podcast, matched against the very unbelievable story that was unfolding around her, made for a beautiful parallel in the book. If only this story had been a few chapters longer, and finished explaining some of the things I desperately wanted to know, I would have fallen completely in love.

If you enjoy stories with a slow burn, a lot of heart, and a kind of fairy tale feel to them, you'll love The Wise and the Wicked. I'll just be over here hoping that there's more Ruby coming, very soon. ...more

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Aug 12, 2021 Emma rated it liked it

Shelves: 2021

C/W:(view spoiler)

"You're a kid, Ruby. You think a small, happy life is this terrible, wasted thing, like I did. But you'll grow up. You'll learn too."

The Wise and the Wicked started out strong for me and seemed to lose its appeal toward the end. The story is atmospheric and character-driven as it follows Ruby's journey to uncover her family's secrets. The pacing is slow but works for the story. My curiosi ...more

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Sep 14, 2019 Katie Hanna rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

This was (and remains) in many ways a brilliant story, but that ending was just Not For Me, folks. Not For Me, at all.

I don't feel like writing a full review, but if you want my informal thoughts, or notes on content, comment below [or message me!]

*sadly & solemnly chucks this book onto the growing pile of "Russian inspired fantasy that I thought would make me super happy but instead ended up making me super mad"* ...more

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Sep 22, 2019 Marina rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-star

I don't know guys, this books was interesting, but honestly I'm also sort of annoyed with it.

The Wise and the Wicked is Russian inspired. I am Russian. The main characters are a magically gifted Russian family that ran from Russia to escape people trying to kill them. The research is good, there were definitely little things that told me that Podos didn't half-ass her research. However, what annoyed me was her language choices. Again, for the most part it was good. But there was a mix up of plu I don't know guys, this books was interesting, but honestly I'm also sort of annoyed with it.

The Wise and the Wicked is Russian inspired. I am Russian. The main characters are a magically gifted Russian family that ran from Russia to escape people trying to kill them. The research is good, there were definitely little things that told me that Podos didn't half-ass her research. However, what annoyed me was her language choices. Again, for the most part it was good. But there was a mix up of plural vs singular usage for food terms, which honestly felt like a deliberate choice. Often English speakers refer to Russian foods that come in multiples, using a plural, even when referring to singular. So for example, blini - which are the Russian crepes - is plural, referring to multiple crepes. A single crepe is blin. Yet, a few times, Podos refers to a single blin as blini. Same with vatrushka (a type of cottage cheese pastry) except the opposite. She kept saying vatruska when referring to multiple vatruski. The reason I say it feels like a deliberate choice is because the rest of the references were very good, and she was using the correct word - and at least she didn't add an 's' to make things plural. But I don't understand why she would chose to use the wrong version of the word deliberately, unless it was to appeal to English speakers - but again, it's wrong.

The overall story is interesting and unique, I couldn't relate to Ruby too much, because she is an American first, Russian second. While I'm an immigrant myself, so my experiences have been very different. I don't just Ruby or Podo's choice of heroine, we can't all be the same. Just pointing it out.

Honestly, the story dragged for me. There wasn't much action and a lot of deliberation. And then it ends very abruptly.

The story does feature a transgender character, and lesbian characters, but as a cis-straight person, I'm not at liberty to judge their portrayals.

So while the story was rather interesting, I do have reservations about it and I need to read a few reviews to really make up my mind. ...more

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May 27, 2019 Claire⁷ rated it liked it

Shelves: bi-rep, arcs, lgbtqia-rep, slavic-rep

Although interesting enough to keep me hooked, the first half that included snippets of fairy tales, family stories, and a random podcast was still too slow, and the second half was... well, messy. There was an attempt at exploration of moral grayness and limits one is willing to go to survive, which I always find interesting, but in this case it was short, sloppy, and not very well done. Despite their backstories, the characters ended up bland and boxed into two standard categories. After a wil ...more

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Nov 18, 2018 Kalie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, lgbt-plus, magical-realism

(3.5/5) THE WISE AND THE WICKED feels as if the collective works of Anne-Marie McLemore, Katherine Arden, and Laura Ruby were put into a literary blender and this is the result. I just wish I had enjoyed it more than I did. Still, I’d love to tackle this book again in the future as it improved for me greatly about half of the way through as I got settled into the story. From the magical realism elements and lore that spans generations to the inclusivity and focus on familial relationships, there ...more

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Jan 04, 2019 Jacquelyn White rated it it was amazing

Shelves: magical-realism, young-adult, fiction

A standout in YA magical realism genre. From the culture inspirations of Russia to the real life drama of growing up a teen in America this book has a authentic vibe with just the right dose of magic. 10/10 would recommend and can’t wait for book two.

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Oct 13, 2020 Ardent Reader rated it did not like it

Shelves: reviews, did-not-finish, 1-star-rating

DNF

I don't know what's wrong with me.
I just couldn't cope up with the story.
Nothing much happened to the point where I stopped reading. ...more

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Jun 05, 2019 Simant Verma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: age-young-adult, rep-asian

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 w 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.

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Ko-fi |Amazon ...more

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Jun 07, 2019 Inside My Library Mind rated it liked it

More reviews up on my blog Inside My Library Mind

*I initially gave this book 3.5 stars but I lowered it to 3 stars after sitting down to write the review and getting frustrated

"We're Chernyavsky women, and the dark is scared of us."

Stuff I Liked
There was so much to like about this book. Matter of fact, if you follow me elsewhere online, you know I have been talking about how much I’ve been loving this one. And I was loving it.

First of all, I really enjoyed the writing. It’s very ...more

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May 28, 2019 Karen • The Book Return rated it liked it

Read this review and more on my blog.The Book Return Blog
Ruby and her sisters come from a long line of wise and powerful women. When their grandmother and her sisters fled Russia they lost most of their magical powers. Today only one of their great powers remain. The power to have a vision of their own death.
The cover on this one was what initially got me. It justs screams Russian folklore. It gives a great representation of what this novel is about.
The only type of magical realism that I really ...more

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May 25, 2019 Christina Reid rated it really liked it

By day, they were the kind of people who seemed to belong in the house on Stone Road. Ruby went to school while her sisters worked the part-time jobs they could get without college degrees, scrambling to save for Ruby’s own (ultimately pointless) college fund. Ginger was an office assistant at a feed store, while Dahlia currently worked at ’Wiches and Wings, a butterfly conservatory and sandwich shop in one.

And then some nights, rare but constant for the last few years, they were different peopl ...more

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Nov 18, 2019 Insiya♡ rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

From page one, The Wise and the Wicked swept me into a world of ancient Russian fairy tales, long-hidden family secrets, and a main character trying to make sense of the world and her place in it.
Lots of delightful Russian culture, folklore and wonderful story detail. The characters in this are great. It reminded me a little of “The Raven Cycle” with the quirky, small, intimate feel of it. But that ending...What?!?!

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May 01, 2021 Ophelia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf, unhauled

Amazing idea, but such a weak plot and weak writing. Those endless descriptions over and over again and all those inner monologues! Ouf. Also so many predictable plot (can’t call it twists). I did foresee everything coming and skimmed the second half. Still it didn’t catch me by surprise.
This could have been so much better! I loved the folklore bits of the story! But in the end it got all twisted and there was this oh so evil person. What a bad ending.
I’m sad.

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Jul 06, 2021 Gem - The Tasty Chapter rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2purely-physical-books, fantasy-magical-realism-sci-fi, wip-research-reading, read-2021

3.5-4/5 stars. Is this going to be a series? It feels like it, but no hint of a follow up in the works, and the author is releasing an unrelated book next year. I want a second book!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 16, 2021 Melissa rated it it was ok

The ending sucks

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About Rebecca Podos

Rebecca Podos

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Rebecca Podos' debut novel, THE MYSTERY OF HOLLOW PLACES, was a Junior Library Guild Selection and a B&N Best YA Book of 2016. Her second book, LIKE WATER, won the 2018 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Children's and Young Adult. THE WISE AND THE WICKED, her third novel, was recently released. Her forthcoming books include FOOLS IN LOVE (Running Press Kids, 2021) a co-edited YA anthology with autho ...more