I love Anya. her magic, her heart, her dedication to her people and her faith and her family. I hope we only get more and more stories from her.

Anya sets off with her friends Hakon and Ivan to find her father, who was supposed to have returned from the war by now. As they set along the dangerous path, they fight a powerful creature attacking travelers along the road near Kiev and find a worse evil under the city itself. This is a wonderful story of magic and adventure, friendship and family, good and evil. Anya is a strong and caring character. Aspects of Jewish life, beliefs, and discrimination are woven into this story of fantasy and heroism. I only hope there will be a third book!

I did find it a bit confusing that Anya begins to see the magical threads in this book as if she’s never seen them before. However, in the first book, Anya and the Dragon, although she doesn’t have magic, she begins to see the magical threads that others are able to use to perform magic.

This book continues the story of Anya as she works to protect her city and her friends' magic from the monster that lives below the city. It's a moving and fun middle grade novel. I really love getting to learn more about Jewish mythology and think that this is a great book for MG readers.

Gosh, this is just a really great fantasy series of a coming to age girl who discovers her inner strength and life long friends but it's more than that. This book is about a friendship that breaks the lines of stereotypes, limits, and class. I honestly think this book is something we need, *gestures to the state of the earth a.k.a the racial-social-disease afflicted-economic issues right now.*. This book is not about confining ourselves to who we were born as, it is about the human we build ourselves up to be. You can admire a book’s writing, but not love its characters. This, while unfortunate, happens when an author is being too clever by half. Yet what I found with this Pasternack's novels was that embedded deep in the text was one of the smartest methods I've seen an author use to connect an audience to characters.

A fantastic sequel that I loved and I'll be looking for more of this authors work.

The first quarter of this middle grade historical fantasy story encompasses so many plot points and names from the first novel that it takes determination to get to the new story of Book 2. Nevertheless, Pasternack intricately rolls Jewish and Russian history, religion, folklore, mysticism, and a unique magical system into a singular setting with countless adventures. Things may begin in Kievan Rus, but Anya, the fool Ivan, and the dragon Håkon, soon embark on a quest to find Anya’s father. They are magically transported to Kiev where the Tsar’s daughter promises to reunite Anya with her father, but only if they capture the Nightingale, a wood elf harassing those traveling into the city.

Anya’s determination to uncover truth and to help others along the way is a central motivation to the story. Her friend Ivan is her devout defender in times of danger. At the same time, he is learning about who he is too, realizing that he is attracted to other boys. Her friend Håkon, a dragon in book one, not only must learn how to live as a human in disguise but must also realize the limits of his magic. By the end of the story, this uncommon group of friends triumphs in unexpected ways.


I received a free review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

It has been a year since Anya’s father was supposed to return home so Anya, her friend Ivan and the dragon Håkon go to bring him home from the war. They are sidetracked on their trip when the mysterious Lena sends them to Kiev after turning Håkon into a human to keep him safe. Arriving in Kiev they are drawn into a hunt for the Nightingale, a creature that is terrorizing the nearby woods but they soon learn that he is not the real danger. There is a dark evil lurking in the caverns beneath the city.

This is a delightful sequel to Anya and the Dragon. The characters continue to grow and change. Anya learns more about her Jewish heritage, Ivan learns more about his mother’s past and they all learn that many beings they thought were myths are not. And we find that the war into which Anya’s father was sent to fight, might be more mysterious than imagined. While these are written for middle school readers as a target audience these are equally enjoyable for adult readers. For those for whom it might make difference, Ivan gets a crush on another boy which is treated as commonplace as Anya’s sort of crush on a young man in Kiev. Highly recommended

This book was received as an ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group - Versify in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Since we last saw Anya she just got done saving a friendly dragon, now a greater threat lurks through Zmeyreka and everyone is so oblivious to it all and think that it is someone else but it ends up being something greater than they thought putting everyone at danger. Anya and Ivan become unlikely friends with Kievan and discover that Anya's family and the kingdom on Zmeyreka are in grave danger but Anya to the rescue and she will stop at nothing until everyone is safe and all of the questions have been answered. I was just transported and taken away to Zmeyreka along for the ride with Anya and I know our young readers will experience that too. This will circulate very well in our JFiction collection.

We will consider adding this title to our JFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Anya is back and as adventurous as ever. When her father fails to return home from war, she decides to go and fetch him. Her two besties, Ivan and Hakon (dragon), insist on coming too. They receive help and are magically transported near Kiev and a forbidden road, guarded by a being called a Nightingale. The Vasilia (princess) will recall Anya’s father from the war, if they capture the Nightingale alive for the Tsar.

Like in the first book, Anya looks beyond the rumors and prejudice to discover the truth about the Nightingale. Ivan falls in love frequently with both boys and girls; in a sweet, awkward, age-appropriate way. Hakon is transformed into a human and has to learn how to behave as one. Anya meets other Jewish people and experiences dinner with them.

Anya and her friends are a delightful bunch that anyone would love to go on an adventure with. Judaism and Russian folklore are beautifully combined to create unforgettable world-building.

Anya finds out that her father is still unable to return from the war he was wrongly conscripted for. This causes her to set on a journey to bring her father home, but her friends Håkon and Ivan are unwilling to let her go alone. Their travels take them to Kiev, where they find that a mysterious creature called the nightingale is terrorizing a specific street outside of Kiev. This was a good sequel and I would recommend that you continue the series if you enjoyed the first book. Judaism within Russia was explored more within this novel, which was very interesting to read about. Also one of the male characters was bisexual, and the way this character explained it to Anya was wonderfully done. There were a couple of parts in the plot that were a bit slow, but overall this was a compelling sequel that hints at more novels to come for Anya and her friends.

This is a Jewish Fantasy Middle Grade book, and this is the second book in the Anya series. I have to say it took me a little bit to get into this book, but I feel enjoyed the ending. The characters where colorful and very developed. I really loved being in this world with these characters. I started out reading the kindle edition of this book then I switch to listening to the audiobook. I have to say the audiobook really made this story come to life. I really think if you read this book you should check out the audiobook as well. The narrator of this audiobook did so good with this story. I can see this book becoming a movie. I cannot say how much I enjoyed this book. I think this middle book is great for 4ht grade and higher and adults will enjoyed this book as well. I was kindly provided an e-copy and e-audiobook of this book by the publisher (Versify and RB Media) or author (Sofiya Pasternack) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Anya and the Nightingale is a moving and exiting fantasy which feels adventurous and often fun while also dealing with death and loss. A sequel even better than the original, don't miss it.

I loved this story, I actually like it more than the first one. It feels like it's settled into the feel of the series, it's more comfortable with the world. The ending make me laugh so much, it was just this perfect moment which was a great emotional resolution for the characters. The characters, old and new, work so well in this story. I appreciate the way it balances having a light and adventurous tone while still dealing with serious issues like death and loss. The MC deals with what looks like PTSD (including flashbacks) from trauma in the first book. It's handled pretty gently for the reader, making the MC's distress clear without dwelling in ideation which could be triggering. I liked how it's showing her trying to process what happened, it gives the previous book a gravitas that shows how she was affected without stopping this new adventure from happening. One of the secondary characters deals with dysmorphia from having his body transfigured, and his reaction to that was handled very well. The book spends an appropriately long time dealing with it, but balances it so it doesn't halt the main story.

This is a fantastic sequel which addresses the issue I had with the first book (unchallenged queerphobia) in a beautiful way, I'm very happy with it. As for the book itself, I'll run through my normal book two check. It makes progress on several major things left hanging from the first book. I wouldn't quite say it wraps them up, but I'm very satisfied with the developments in ongoing events, especially when it's very clear that there will be another book. The titular storyline in this book wasn't present in the first one (and I love it, it's so good!), and as part of that there are several major things which are introduced and resolved within this book which weren't part of the first one, even if some bits of the groundwork were set up earlier. I'm also pleased to report that there is at least one major thing for the next book to address, so I'm eagerly awaiting the next entry in the series. I think this book could make sense if you picked it up without reading book one... but this is book two so you should probably go read book one and then come back for this one, it'll make more sense.

Overall this is a great adventure in a well-developed setting and I'm excited to read more.

CW for antisemitism, ptsd/flashbacks, dysmorphia (transfiguration), death.

After the events of Anya and the Dragon, Anya sets out to bring her father home, but she and her companions Ivan and Hakon are sent to Kiev instead by Lena, and Hakon is turned into a human! The Tsar in Kiev asks them for a favor. If Anya brings him the Nightingale, he will help Anya find her father. The request seems straightforward at first, but upon finding the Nightingale, the Tsar's request doesn't seem so simple anymore. Now Anya and her companions must uncover the real evil besetting Kiev's people, or they'll never find Anya's father, and won't get out with their lives.

The Anya series is so interesting, with Anya's strong Jewish heritage, the setting in Eastern Europe, and it's set in the tenth century! Many young reader books are more contemporary, or have more "usual" settings, so this change of pace for a book intended for young readers was nice to experience. Anya's a strong thirteen year old girl, and her companions are fun and somewhat unconventional. After all, one of them is a mythical creature-turned-human! The twist about who the Nightingale actually was, and the depth that character brought to the story, was a very nice touch. There are some common tropes, but they are used sensibly, and the uncommon characters bolster the proceedings as the companions venture deeper into Kiev's secrets. The ending is solid, though it does leave a thread open for a possible sequel. I recommend Anya's adventures for young readers, enjoyers of historical fiction, or anyone looking for a different fantasy setting. Anya's adventure with the Nightingale is even better than her previous adventure with the Dragon, and you'd be remiss to miss this one.

The second in the series, Anya and the Nightingale provides an enjoyable and action-packed continued story.

This was the perfect escape this afternoon! I was happy to be on another adventure with Anya and her friends. They all started out on a mission to save Anya's father and ended up meeting new friends along the way and find their plans changing soon after.

While this story came to an end, there were hints at a sequel. I'm really hoping there is another book because I love there characters.

While this isn't the right age category for my college students (I requested it because I enjoy reading and writing middle grade fiction), I do plan to recommend it to my sister-in-law who teaches 5th grade. This series would be a great addition to her classroom library, especially since her students love dragons. I may even buy a copy for her and her students when it comes out.

The second book in the series, Anya and her friend, Ivan and the dragon Håkon set off on a new adventure to bring her father back from the war. The adventure doesn’t go as planned the three friends end up in Kiev, where they must keep secrets from the Tsar but still help him with capturing the Nightengale. This story starts a little slow but then the action picks up and reveals a new twist at the end.
#AnyaandtheNightingale #NetGalley

This is the second in a delightful middle-grade fantasy series that features mystical creatures from Jewish mythology. The first book, Anya and the Dragon, was a 2020 Sydney Taylor Award honoree. Set in tenth century Eastern Europe (I am not sure if the countries and regions mentioned are historical fact or fiction), this mostly light-hearted adventure series takes on some serious topics, such as anti-Semitism, persecution, discrimination, and extinction. In the first book, Anya and her friend Ivan meet and befriend what may be the last living dragon, and save him from a hunter and the tzar. In the second book, the dragon joins Anya and Ivan on another adventure, and an LGTBQ+ theme is subtly introduced as it is implied that Ivan is bisexual.

As is often the case with series, I didn't find the second book *quite* as good as the first, but still very enjoyable, and would highly recommend this series for middle-grade fans of fantasy, particularly those seeking dragon stories, and it would be a great for a fun vacation read.

Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Books and Net Galley for the e-Arc, which allowed me once again to join Anya and Ivan in the Kingdom of Kievan Rus . Pasternack doesn't disappoint in this exciting sequel to ANYA AND THE DRAGON .

The book opens a years later since a violent Viking terrorized the small village of Zmeyreka and Anya and her friend Ivan saved a friendly dragon from being sacrificed for his magic. Unfortunately, despite their bravery, the kingdom of Kievan Rus still isn't safe.

This time Anya travels beneath the city to battle a powerful evil . Similar to the first book in the series Pasternack seamlessly weaves in aspects of Russian and Jewish folklore and culture.

I am definitely adding this sequel to our classroom library.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Anya and the Nightingale. It is a wonderful book that middle school and under will enjoy.