A story of myth and legend and sisterly bonds. I had a little trouble getting hooked, but once I was hooked, it was deep. The story is told from both sister's POVs, with Liba in prose and Laya in verse. While this added a little bit to the intrigue, it was also slightly annoying (the verse portion, as I never did quite connect as much to that narrative line as the side told in prose).

And I must be getting old and jaded, because I spent half the time thinking "this is a cautionary tale about bad parenting" but maybe that's just because I've spent too much time studying communication.

Overall, an intriguing story that weaves many myths and legends with some historical events to create a heartbreaking tale that is beautiful and inspiring.

This was a good fairytale-, folklore-, and religious-mythology-infused story about sisters, marriage, and magic. I enjoyed the references to Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market.

If you ever compare a book to The Bear and the Nightingale or Spinning Silver I will be the first in line, though that sets the bar high. This book just wasn't for me though, I struggled through the writing and felt disconnected from the characters. I have however purchased it because it fills the dark, strange fairytale niche.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood was incredibly promising. It’s a heavily Jewish book with lovely fantasy overtones. There are shapeshifters and mysterious newcomers peddling forbidden fruit and a deeply atmospheric forest, as well as a central sibling relationship and deep religious questions to ponder. It sounded made for me. So made for me that I ignored the fact that it’s YA. I should’ve known better. While I enjoyed the plot and the structure, the usual YA all-consuming romances and the characters’ inner struggles with coming to know and accept themselves were cloyingly overabundant and negatively impacted my reading experience. However, I feel like this is on me, not the book. I should know by now that YA usually doesn’t work for me. As disappointed as I was by Uprooted, which is think is comparable in setting and feel, this book left me even more dissatisfied.

I love the alternating formats of the chapters. Liba, the more solid and down-to-earth sister, tells her part of the story in lovely prose. Laya, the flightier, more artistic sister, gives her thoughts in ephemeral free verse. This alternating format was one of my favorite elements of the book. My other favorite element was the inclusion of so much Jewish culture and mythology. I love learning new things about cultures outside of my own, and Jewish culture in particular has always fascinated me, as from it stems my Christian faith. The inclusion of Hebrew words and customs was so enlightening, and is honestly almost entirely responsible for third star in my rating, along with the wonderful afterword that explained the real events that inspired this story, and how those events were tied into her personal heritage. I also found the way the author portrayed racial and religious prejudice as simmering just below the surface of even the most benign of settings, waiting for the smallest trigger to be incited into boiling mistrust and persecution, incredibly telling. Because hasn’t that been the way of the world since time immemorial? We’re also so eager to latch onto any reason to look down on and mistreat those who are not mirror images of ourselves.

My least favorite elements of this book go hand in hand. I strongly disliked the author’s handling of romance. As soon as either sister found a romantic interest, all of the things that made her individual character interesting were completely negated as she was consumed by the relationship. This directly correlates to my other main issue: the sisters themselves. At the very beginning of the novel, I found the sisters interesting. By the time I was a quarter of the way through, I actively disliked them both. Liba was just a ball of fear and self-loathing for much of the book when she was not in the arms of her romantic interest. Laya, on the other hand, was such a free spirit that she seemed incapable of caring for others. Both girls were completely driven by appetite in different ways, and those cravings engulfed all of their other personality traits. Characters I’m sure were supposed to be strong female protagonists ended up coming across as simpering or selfish, respectively.

I’ve also come to the conclusion that I have no taste for needless melodrama. When people suffer because they refuse to openly communicate, I have absolutely no sympathy for them. I’m also sick to death of female protagonists who are wracked with such strong self-image issues that they basically hate themselves and think they’re worthless, even when everyone around them thinks they’re wonderful. It’s needy and obnoxious and so overdone. There are a select few authors in my reading experience whose prose can support such flaws in ways that minimize my desire to roll my eyes every other paragraph, but that’s not what was delivered in this particular book. However, this did thankfully improve toward the very end of the book, although the growth felt a bit forced; the author did a good bit of showing instead of telling when it came to character development.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood is a book that didn’t quite manage to deliver on its promises, though that is a very subjective opinion. I will say that the ending redeemed both plot and characters for me, as people finally talked to each other, but that happened a bit too late for me to develop any love for the story. There are plenty of readers who will (and have certainly already) adore this book. I just regret that I’m not one of them.

When I first started this novel I thought it was strange. But, a strange that kept me going. This is a story of independence, love, betrayal and loyalty. I loved the journey. Thank you so much for this interesting ride. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this.

While I know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, lets be honest that a beautiful cover (such as this one) always makes me hopeful for the story contained within. This tells the story of sisters Liba and Laya who live on the edge of the woods. When their parents leave them alone for a few weeks, the girls must face the dangers inherent in the world together. Firstly, there is much to recommend in this book. The writing style is really innovative, having alternating chapters between the two sisters, with Laya's chapters told in verse. There are a lot of original elements and fairy tale re-tellings intertwined in the narrative which is impressive and holds the interest. My main issues come with the characters and specifically, some of their motivations. I just found a lot of the action completely unbelievable for the characters as they had been drawn. It is essential for me for any narrative to stick to its own internal logic, and I felt that this veered away from this on too many occasions. I also found a lot of the dialogue very stilted. All in all, I would say that this is a really ambitious book that just didn't quite work for me.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’m never not going to love a Jewish history-infused fairytale story & this spin on one of my favorite poems (the Goblin Market) combined with such a rich fabric of fairytale and folklore and Jewish stories was just SO GOOD.

I loved its complicated take on sisters, its weaving of legends from the pragmatism of becoming what you need to survive, as so many Jews and other oppressed people have and do, its subtle & then not so subtle horrifying integration of anti-semitism amongst creatures of lore.

I’ve always said the phrase “you don’t look Jewish” is horrifyingly anti-Semitic but this found new & terrifying ways to make that point clear.

A+ do recommend, get thee to a library or bookstore.

People will automatically connect the dots between Naomi Novik's "Uprooted" and "Spinning Silver" and Rena Rossner's latest novel, and ... they're not wrong. Both take Eastern European and Jewish folklore and integrate into earnest works of fantasy centering on young women and their comings-of-age.

This book falls firmly into the "I respect your skill and the central ethic of your book, but it's not for me" category. Rossner has serious writing chops, and the textured backdrop of Jewish folklore as well as actual Jewish history makes for a richly atmospheric work. The weaving together of antisemitic pogroms and romance makes for an interesting space to examine the complicated relationships which develop in times of great grief and pain; if this book had featured a set of brothers having their coming of age rather than a set of sisters, this book would have been sold as a Great Work of Literary Fiction™—and it deserves the accolades.

I loved the world of this book. I loved the premise. The only reasons I didn't love this more have to do with the fact that it didn't carve out any space for me, an aromantic, asexual, and agender queer person, and the awkward position it took on neurodivergence. Which is not required of any on specific book! This is a great book. It's just not a book for *me,* you know? The formal exploration of what it might look like on the page to get inside a neurodivergent person's mind was fascinating, at first, until it became clear that Laya's prose-poem approach to the world and therefore her neurodivergence is a result of her being (alert, alert) part swan. Again, it's not *wrong* exactly, but it grates; as someone who is neurodivergent myself, I'm kind of sick of fiction equating neurodivergence with either "brokenness" or "magic pixie dust brain chemistry". My brain chemistry is not an aesthetic.

So: a great book, or at least a good book with the underpinnings of greatness, that has piqued my interest and will certainly prompt me to keep following future novels from author Rena Rossner with interest.

3/5

This just wasn’t my kind of story. If you love stories written in verse, I suspect you might like this book more than I did, but it just wasn’t my thing.

I did appreciate the uniqueness of the story and the writing style. The dialogue felt a little stilted at points, but overall it gave an otherworldliness about it. It definitely felt very different to a lot of books I’ve read.

I was, however, disappointed by the setting. There was so much potential here to create a setting and atmosphere that would make you feel the otherworldliness. I was expecting a atmosphere closer to The Bear and the Nightingale, which is such a good example of truly making you feel the world. So much so that it basically becomes a character in its own right. But unfortunately I didn’t feel this from The Sisters of the Winter Wood.

Overall, it was a very slowed paced story that I just couldn’t connect with.

Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this title to review!

Full review to come, but if you are a fan of character driven dark fairy tale or fantasy stories, this is a must read. Rossner's writing is enthralling and gives us a dual narrative that is simply beautiful.

[Review to be published October 22]

Set in a winter wonderland, Rena Rossner writes a magical story following the lives of two sisters, Liba and Laya. When their parents receive news of a dying family member in a distant town, the sisters are left to survive on their own during the winter season in their small village, Dubossary. Surrounded by vast mountains and snow covered trees, little do the teenage girls know that their forests hold deep secrets of deception and mystery. The girls soon learn that their mother comes from a family of swans and their father, a family of bears, each having the unique power to shapeshift. When a band of strange brothers wander into the village, the girls’ secrets are threatened and their true identities are going to be revealed. As Laya becomes enchanted by one of the mysterious men, Liba struggles to save her sister and their village from the secrets that lurk deep in the forest.

This novel is told in two different formats, a regular narrative from Liba’s point of view, and a series of prose, from Laya’s perspective. This book is magical and haunting, keeping the reader guessing about the dangers of trusting strangers and the unique power of a strong family dynamic.

The story is also heavily influenced by Judaism and the sisters find themselves questioning the religion and family traditions versus their ability to spend their lives with their true love, instead of marrying a Jewish man, chosen by their father. It is a beautiful account of passion and hope mixed with underlying serious tones of antisemitism and hate crimes, as their family is facing prejudice for their beliefs.

This magical realism story is both character and setting driven, but not so much plot driven. Therefore, if you are a reader who needs a lot of action packed chapters, this book is not for you. You'll find yourself loving the sister/family dynamic highlighted throughout. The idea of shapeshifting as ‘becoming your true self’ was beautiful. Everything about this book is beautiful, from the cover, to the word choice, prose, and setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of "The Sisters of the Winter Wood" by Rena Rossner. This book was just not for me. It had all the elements I enjoy in a fantasy novel but it felt unoriginal to me. I think it will work for some but I will not purchase it for the library. The cover is lovely though.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist being drawn in to the magic of the winter wood. It reads like a true fairy tale, one that I felt lucky to get to read about.

The book description for this title reads like an itemized list of “what Serena looks for in fantasy fiction.” Fairytale-like? Check. Sisterhood? Check. Mysterious men? Check. Add to that a gorgeous cover and requesting this book really was a no brainer. And I’m definitely glad I did, as not only were the expectations raised by the description met, but the book offered up several other unexpected surprise delights.

Much of the main plot points are lain out in the book description itself. The two sisters who are suddenly thrust into a new reality, one filled with shape-shifters and magic. The sudden absence of beloved parents. The appearance of a strange group of men. And throughout it all, the looming fear of what it truly means to be these new, strange beings who can transform into bears and swans. Who are their people? Who is their family? And who will they be once they allow this power to emerge?

I very much enjoyed the fairytale feeling that was at the heart of this story. Many elements involved, the dark woods, mysterious stranger but oddly beautiful and compelling strangers who temp with delicious, rare fruits, animal transformations, and sibling relationships, all ring for the type of tale we expect. But what made it even more exciting to read was that together as a whole, this was a completely unique tale. Reading a bit of how the author read the book, it sounds like it is partially based on some Jewish folklore, so while there were familiar pieces (remnants of “The Goblin Market” story), it felt like a breath of fresh air into a genre often bogged down in the same stories told a million different ways.

The writing in this book completely supported this fairytale medium, deftly laid down in beautiful and lyrical strokes. On top of this, the author included a good amount of the Yiddish language within the story and dialogue. Not familiar with the language myself, I often had to take advantage of the definitions at the end of the book, but I truly appreciate the added authenticity these language choices gave the book. Rossner did not pull back and dumb down any of these choices for the unfamiliar reader and added to the feeling of immersion in this world and culture.

Further on the writing, going in, I was unaware that half of the book was written in verse. The story alternates chapters between Liba and Laya, and Laya’s portions are told through poetry. This was an interesting choice to not only diversity the type of writing but to further examine the differences between Liba and Laya. Liba, the older sister and, rather stereotypically, more responsible sister is written in very straightforward prose. She presents her experiences, thoughts and emotions clearly and without much embellishment. This further ties together towards her animal form, the bear, an Earth bound creatures that is strong and steady. Laya, on the other hand, is a being of the air and has the ability to transform into a swan, so her bits flow wildly to and fro and benefit from the stylistic choices available through poetic style.

While I liked the overall choices behind writing these characters this way, it did ultimately present a bit of a problem with how I connected with each character. I was likely always going to gravitate towards the more pragmatic Liba, but Laya was also slightly damaged for both her storyline (she’s the one to get into trouble with the mysterious strangers after, something that is obviously a terrible idea from the get go) and the fact that she simply had much less page time being written from a poetic form. But overall, stories of sisterly bonds are always going to pull together for me, so even while I was always anxious to return to Liba’s portions of the story, Laya pulled her own weight as far as valuing her sister which ultimately endeared her to me.

There is also a good deal of history woven through the text, especially regarding the tensions that can so quickly build and the anti-semitism that can lurk below the surface even in seemingly happy secular and Jewish communities. Some of the portions of this book were rather hard to read with the challenges that Liba, Laya and her people face, but it was also a good exploration of how easily prejudices can be used to outcast an entire group of people from a home they’ve loved and built for years.

From the book description, and the fact that it is targeted towards adult audiences, I had some assumptions about this being a darker fairytale. And while there are dark elements in it, I’m not sure that that is truly the genre (or audience) that this story is geared towards. Instead, it read much more like a fantasy romance and I think would greatly appeal to YA readers, especially those who like reading poetry. But that being said, I do think all fantasy fans, especially fairytale fantasy fans, will enjoy this book.

Rating 8: A strong new entry in fairytale fiction, especially for those looking for unique tales with a heavy dose of sisterhood and romance.

While I found the pacing of this book to be a little slow, the world building was fantastic. I love how much Rossner was able to weave in Christina Rosetti's The Goblin Market with Jewish folktales and customs against the rising unrest in Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century. Well written and I look forward to reading more by Rossner in the future.

I reviewed this title on my blog and will include the link when I submit feedback directly to the publisher. Thanks for the review copy.

I really enjoyed the set-up of this novel with its mysteries, sibling rivalry and magical aspects, but those same elements end up overwhelming the story. It just felt like too much and rushed by the end.

I tend to prefer fantasy where the heroines leave their home for a far-off land or experience stronger danger - this didn't fill that void for me and honestly I'm kind of tired of every YA author turning to The Goblin Market for inspiration (yeah I took women's lit in college too). Anyway, it was a good go and I was intrigued for the most part. Historical fantasy may not be my strong suit.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

<i>You can fly, dochka, don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't.</i>

<b>Sisters of the Winter Wood</b> starts off strong. So strong in fact that I thought within five chapters that I would be giving it five stars. That turned out not to be the case but it was still a good book. Cards on the table, I was very wary when I saw it was dual POV and one POV is written completely in blank verse... Actually it works, highlighting the difference between the two sisters. It's a retelling of Rossetti's The Goblin Market - an important poem that I am always going to have mixed feelings about, as much for the way it's misunderstood as for the poem itself. But anything with goblins I am there for, and this book draws inspiration from a number of sources as well as Rossetti's poem - fairytales such as Snow White and Rose Red, Russian folklore and historical accounts of Jewish communities in Dubossary at the turn of the twentieth century.

Two sisters, Liba and Laya, find themselves alone for the first time when their parents decide to make the journey back to the girls' father's estranged family. He has received word that his own father is dying and feels he cannot go without his wife - their marriage was the reason for the estrangement eighteen years before. However, before they leave, the girls' mother reveals some troubling secrets to both sisters - backed up by something Liba saw one night. The girls are not who and what they thought they were. Liba is like her father - a human who is also a bear. Whilst Laya takes after her mother, both woman and swan. The sisters can expect some very strange feelings as the changes start to take root and they grow wings or claws! As if that was not enough, a troop of eerily handsome men selling impossible fruit despite it being almost winter, have arrived in the town. And young girls begin to go missing. Some say it's a series of bear attacks. But as the fear grows, a vicious rumour begins that the Jews are 'at their old tricks' and abducting gentile girls for their blood...

There's a lot to unpack about this book. On one level this examines burgeoning female sexuality and how it can manifest differently in different girls. Liba is scared of her own ascent into adulthood because it seems to release the beast within her. Laya on the other hand, has always felt trapped in her own life - she is questioning her faith and her identity, and is desperate for freedom and adventure. On another level, this looks at the consequences of othering based on ethnicity and culture, and in fact looks at different levels of prejudice, repression of women and the claustrophobia of unchanging custom within that culture. It's a pretty broad view, showing that the Jews are determined to keep themselves separate from the rest of the community (the goyim) which doesn't help with the furthering of mutual understanding between two cultures. Basically no one is a bad guy here, although terrible things do happen off page to Jewish communities. (Which is of course, historical fact. Those who objected to my earlier reference to 'blood liable' might do well to recall that that nasty little rumour was being circulated in the UK and other parts of Europe since the 10th century and little distinction was made between Jews, heretics and witches.) Finally it looks at the complicated relationship between sisters, at that most challenging of times - when both of you are attaining adulthood.

There are things this book does very well. Its handling of the various themes is excellent. The relationship between sisters is also well depicted. It's difficult if you're very different, you always rub each other up the wrong and misunderstand each other, and yet when push comes to shove you are for each other over everyone else. I wish more of the book had focused particularly on that aspect to be honest and less on Liba's growing (but rather dull) romance, or Laya's necessary but pretty gross obsession with one of the fruit sellers. The books portrayal of a community within a community and the various frictions that causes is also good. The prose is lush and lyrical which adds to the setting - a winter wood naturally.

Where it came unstuck for me was the story. The main thrust of the story is thin and grows thinner the further you get into the book. Now part of this might be that I was expecting one sister to charge in and rescue the other and nothing like that happens. But it was also that almost all actions taken are disconnected and ultimately futile. I was left with the sense that if characters hadn't acted, then everything would have still resolved just the same. This robs characters of agency and leaves you feeling like the book pulled its punches. I'd rather the author had allowed it to get as dark as a fairytale - in fact as dark as a Russian fairytale, which are a breed of their own - can really get. The ending wasn't especially satisfying and somehow managed to be both abrupt and rather tedious. I will be the first to admit that Naomi Novak has ruined me for other fairytale retellings but this really did lose cohesion and the fantasy elements weren't internally consistent. To be honest this seems to be a trend in YA fantasy of late - not tying ends together properly or checking that your fantasy/ supernatural logic has tensile strength to match your world building. It's extremely irritating but I'll acknowledge I seem to be more annoyed by it than most so maybe it's me!

Two things I do want to address:

One, Liba spends a lot of time thinking about how she is thicker set, heavier and less pretty than her sister. It's not quite at body shame levels but it is persistent. On one hand, while I would like all teen girls in all books from now on to see physical beauty as merely another talent you may or may not happen to have, neither greater than any other or to be despised, we have thousands of years of conditioning behind the notion that women must be decorative and pleasing to men. So wanting that is at present a bit unrealistic. Plus it is normal in that context for teen girls (and teen boys!) to have body hang ups, even if things ought to change. It's also normal to compete with your sister so inevitable comparisons happen. However, if Liba had not accepted herself by the end of the book I would have been furious so I sympathise with the people it's going to annoy!


<i>But always be wary of what, and who, you leave behind.</i>


Two, girls in fairytales and almost all literature up to the 1960s who explore their sexuality come to a bad end. (Dead, dying or married to a brute usually) One of the reasons The Goblin Market as received with mixed reactions when it was first published, was that it doesn't punish the younger sister for wanting sexual freedom. It leaves it open on a note of question, a 'does she really deserve to be punished?' While her elder sister in the poem, accepts her as if she had never strayed. In fact, the elder sister learns to accept her own sexuality as nothing to be afraid of from the younger sister's example, although moderated by propriety and common sense. That was a daring move on Rossetti's part but then she was writing in 19th C Victorian London. This is now and I felt this book echoes the poem and ends on the same note of question, or rather doesn't close the door on the question with a firm 'no, no girl deserves to be punished for wanting sex, whatever her creed or upbringing.' It irked me a bit. For the record there's no obvious sexual activity, except kissing, but the way the fruit is used as a metaphor, as in the poem, is pretty explicit.


<i>My sister is a bear too. She is beautiful and strong. I am a thing of feathers.</i>

Minor niggles include tautologies 'shrugged my shoulders' - honestly what else would you shrug? Your knees? The fact that the male characters are a bit flat. And my personal bugbear, Liba reacts to everything by crying. Literally everything makes her cry.

However despite the niggles great and small, and the fact that in the end it wasn't quite the story I wanted, this is still a very good book with important themes.


<i>There are many types of love. But there is nothing like a sister.</i>

I recommend it to everyone who likes fairytale retellings, stories of sisters or would like to see some Jewish representation in fantasy that reflects the cultural complexities and history of being a Jew.

I really wanted to like this book. Fascinating story elements should have a lot of appeal, but the story become overtly teen in nature. I’m sure it will win over to the teen market, but crossover and adult readers may get very frustrated that the concept doesn’t deliver.