I want to thank Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.
I was excited to read this book, I don't know much Russian folklore and wanted to really learn some of it. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark. There may be spoilers ahead.
Let me start with the characters; I had no connection at all. I didn't feel that even the main character was fleshed out enough to help me be invested in her. I wanted to like the main character, Val, but I just could not picture her in my mind. I also found her to be quite winey. And every other chapter she had huge self-doubt but suddenly at the end she was full of power and self-assured. I would have liked to see more of a progression with this. As for the other characters: flat. The author tried to give back story on them. The relationship between Valeria and Luisa. I wanted to understand it more. But we see Luisa at the beginning than never again. So even though Val is trying to tell us how they were like mother and daughter, I just didn't feel it. Same with Alik. I just don't see their connection; like where is the budding romance and the googley eyes you always wish for when there is romance involved? It wasn't in this book. The only connection I see is they grew up together, but there are no back scenes to truly show us how they bonded and how her feelings changed for him over time.
As for the Russian folklore, I don't feel it was well researched. I know it's something about Gods, but I don't have much of an idea of the backstory. Val spent maybe a page or so giving us some background, but it never really showed me what it means to all those that live in her small town. And the build up to the introduction of the Pale God is wishy washy at best. The author barely skimmed at the mythology associated with this book, I still don't know anymore about the Russian folklore behind this book than I did when I started it, unfortunately. Adding more layers would have helped me understand the underlying concept of the book and why it progressed as it did.
The pace was slow, though it did pick up at the 75% mark. But for me that's too long to wait for something interesting to happen in a book.
The writing is absolutely that of a debut author. It needs more fine tuning.
On the plus side, the cover is gorgeous, which is what drew me initially to look at the book. And the blurb is what drew me to want to read it. I'm a sucker for a good fantasy.
Overall, I was disappointed in this book and I don't see myself reading the follow up.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next book to release! This was my first book by Jessica Rubinowski but won't be my last. She has created an interesting world and engaging characters that will have you turning the pages to see what happens next! If you're looking for a new YA Fantasy, definitely pick this one up!

This is going to be a weird review, because I feel like I don't have a ton to say, but not in a bad way? I liked this story! I was entertained by this story! The characters were enjoyable, the world was quite atmospheric, and I wasn't bored. That said, I wasn't like, totally blown away either? But I don't even have a reason why, and that is irritating to me, as a person trying to explain things about this book.

I certainly felt for Valeria, she lost her whole family, and now she has what amounts to a bunch of people trying to manipulate her for their own gain, and she hasn't a clue who she should trust. That's rude of them, frankly. Like she hasn't been through enough, you know? So yeah, I was definitely rooting for her. I also really wanted her best friend Alik to be a person she could trust, I liked that she had someone that she felt like she knew.

I think perhaps the world building could have been a bit more fleshed out, but otherwise, it was a solidly entertaining, if somewhat typical, fantasy. Also, I am kind of digging the duology trend! I love that I can be invested in seeing the conclusion of a story through without having to worry about it happening 28 books in the future!

Bottom Line: An entertaining fantasy, one I will likely pick up the sequel to, especially to see how Valeria fares.

I read this in one sitting. Very entertaining and fast paced fantasy. It chills you to the bones and makes you want to snuggle under the blanket by a warm fire. So, this is a perfect winter read. Fantasy lovers will love this magical read. This was one of my favorite endings and last sentences in a book. It was so good you want more but I think it was perfection and was so happy for it not to have a cliffhanger ending. I am excited to see where this duology takes me next. This is a teen book that was age appropriate and I will add this to my classroom library and recommendation list.

I really enjoyed this. It was a fun, quick read. It was definitely plot driven and I really captured my attention. I would have like a little bit more character building and a little more worldbuilding, but overall, I really did enjoy it and would recommend to anyone looking for a fun, quick read.

“Fear the mountain, my dear. Fear the dark depths and the cold halls. Fear the call. For when the mountain sinks its teeth into you, it will never let you go.”

This book sold me on its Russian-inspired, Leigh Bardugoesque story. The Bright and the Pale follows the young Valeria, who must lead a gang of thieves into the very mountain that trapped her village in ice. Among this ragtag circle of cutthroats is her best friend, Alik, whom she believed had been brutally killed a year before.

I have to say, this is the kind of book I could see being shared on TikTok. It’s a story of thieves, childhood-friends-to-lovers, and, surprisingly, revenge. I thought Rubinkowski did a phenomenal job building a unique world and keep the story her own in this redundant genre of YA fantasy.

That being said, it was not perfect.

Valeria is hard to like. For as much as she claims to love her best friend, she spends a lot of the book accusing him of being a liar. Her perspective felt unbearably naive, and it seemed obvious from the beginning that she was putting her faith in the wrong people. Additionally, her and Alik’s relationship felt a little fast considering their history started well before the book began. We had to get to know them very fast as they developed romantic feelings.

I will give points for the rest of the characters being likable, points for the excellent twists, and points for the splendidly written ending. I just wish Valeria were a little easier to sympathize with, then perhaps this would have been a five-star read.

An atmospheric and imaginative debut fantasy.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. The strengths definitely lie in the worldbuilding, the intense stakes, and the atmospheric tone. These things combined truly bring the icy setting, impossible mission, and dangerous gods to life.

The characters were interesting and compelling, despite not always being likable. I didn’t dislike the relationship, though it wasn’t the highlight of the book to me. While I normally like enjoy the friends to lovers romance, this felt more like friends, to enemies, to lovers - and in balancing each aspect, it ended up being a little less compelling.

However, the ending was very strong and left me eager for the sequel!

3.75 stars - rounding up to 4!

A quick, fun read for fans of the Grishaverse, The Bright & the Pale quickly immerses you in the wintery land of Strana and into the heartache of Valeria, an thief running away from her past. In the land of Strana, Zladonians like Valeria are hunted and imprisoned for supposedly spreading a plague that is responsible for the nation's fall into poverty. Valeria just wants to feel safe, especially after the loss of her best friend during a thieving mission gone wrong. But when she is forcefully recruited into a mission to get lovite, the nation's key export, from her homeland, she finds out the truth about her past and her role in her country's future.

A semi-ensemble cast rounds out this story of self-discovery, and I would love to hear more about the backgrounds of the side players as well to help give some more depth to the character development. At times, the endless journeying during the book felt like it drug on unnecessarily, and the main character seemed to be slightly unaware of anything going on outside her own head; however, the imagery evoked by the prose helped me to overlook the internal monologue flaws, especially once the big reveals were out in the open. The relationship between Valeria and her love interest is sweet in a teenage/first-love sort of way, and will hopefully be delved into during the second book of the duology. The ending takes a slightly predictable but dark turn that makes you excited to see Valeria's journey through the end of the series!

This is the first book in a duology by Rubinkowsky. You get just a mix of a whole bunch of trope's here with Russian folklore, thievery, dead but alive best friend/love interest, lost family, horror, and an epic adventure (once you get halfway through the book).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read for a an honest review.

When she was seven years old, Valeria was inexplicably saved from the freeze that destroyed her village and killed her entire family. Now, at seventeen she is an accomplished thief and a member of the most powerful thieves guild in the country. Struggling to overcome her grief over the death of her best friend, Valeria agrees to do a job that immediately goes wrong. The fallout reveals that her best friend is still alive but being held captive prompting Valeria to agree to lead a band of misfits back to the very mountain and town where her own story began. With vivid prose and strong, unusual characters, author Jessica Rubinkowski opens her new duology with a bang and leaves her readers ready for the next installation.

wow! i loved this book. it was everything i needed. the atmosphere, characters, plot and everything was just amazing. i need the sequel like now!!

This is a must read for fantasy fans and those new to the genre! Fantasy isn’t my go-to genre, but I loved this book. Rubinkowski creates a stark yet beautiful world in which her protagonist Valeria struggles to survive after the loss of her family and, later, her found family, including her best friend/love of her life Alik. This first book in a duology charts her path back to her home and all of the dangers along the way, culminating in a thrilling ending that leaves the reader anxious for the next installment.

The cover of The Bright & the Pale caught my eye, but the mention of Russian folklore pulled me in. Add in the fact that I'm a total sucker for anything involving thieves and folklore/mythology... and the combination of the two in this book was absolutely delightful!

Pitched as The Bear and the Nightingale meets Shadow and Bone, I went into reading this debut novel full of skepticism as those are some big shoes to fill, but Rubinkowski definitely held her own here, and it's clear that she did the research into the mythology with her attention to detail and the way she described the setting... I was chilly while reading this book at times because her descriptions made me feel as though I was there.

Rubinkowsk's writing is poetically thrilling as she leads the reader through a twisty journey that blends multiple genres into one. I am normally not a fan of anything regarding horror, but the way it's sprinkled in here didn't terrify me and put me off the book. The characters were easy to relate to and incredibly human.

I will say there are definite content warnings here when it comes to loss, trauma, and discrimination as well as work camps, however, they were tactfully handled, and I'm glad that the publisher didn't shy away from and gloss over the reality of the content as other publishers have in the past. I'm curious to see where the conclusion to this duology will bring us, and I'm looking forward to wrapping up in a blanket again with some hot-cocoa and diving in when it comes out!

This was an interesting read! I enjoyed the foreign (to me) setting and the lore involved in the plot. The characters were intriguing, but I would have loved to feel like I knew them a little better. The imagery through the story was delightful and definitely helped me feel engaged. I did have a hard time staying interested at some parts of the story, but overall, I liked it.

*I received this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book snuck up on me! I will say that the first bit of it wasn't entirely what I was expecting. I did like reading in the perspective of Valeria. She is such a strong character that has such great instincts guiding her. It was interesting to read how she felt about the world around her and the people that were lost in her hometown of Ludminka.

In the first few chapters, I couldn't get a grasp on the storyline, It felt a bit like an info dump of trying to get all of the world building out there. However, that feeling quickly changed when I got further into the plot. The idea of a life changing and dangerous quest to a cold mountain where the people were frozen solid really kept me wanting to know more.

Each character brought their own storyline and doubt to what was going on. I felt like each little change in the direction really created a great addition to the mystery behind it. I will definitely be looking forward to the next book in this duology. It's such a great adventure that had me captivated.

This book was such a refreshing story! It's different, it has Russian lore, it's exciting, it's enjoyable. And the cover is beautiful!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the digitial ARC in exchange for my honest review!

An exciting new teen fantasy series by Rubinkowsky. Great world-building, character development, and plot pacing. I can't wait to read the sequel.

The Bright & The Pale
By. Jessica Rubinkowski
P. 368
Format: eArc
Rating: ***1/2
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I received an e-arc from @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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The Bright & the Pale is a young adult fantasy that encompasses the orphan journey troupe.

Valeria lost her entire family when she was young. She was the sole survivor of a free event that froze her entire town. She was taken in and raised by leader of a thieving band that adopted her as her own daughter. Then things change and Valerie has to go on a voyage back to her home town.

The story can be a little rocky. At the start I was confused by some plot twists. They cleared up by the end of the book. However, they could have been a bit smoother. There were some glaring typos, but I read an arc copy so these will hopefully all be gone by publication.

Even though I wish the story went a bit smoother and the plot was pretty predictable, I enjoyed reading the book. It really picked up in the last half when the characters became more distinct and developed and the world became more unique. I do plan on picking up the sequel to see what happens next.

By the end of this book, my expectations were exceeded, to say the least. I began this thinking I would be reading something branching off of Russian mythology/folklore, and that is what I got. As a big fan of mythology and retellings in general, I was super excited to read something that seemed to be a little bit different, and very unique. Despite the beginning being a little slow, once you surpassed the halfway point, you won’t want to put it down- I suggest a few blankets and a hot beverage, as much of this book contains a trek across icy mountains. The writing style was unique and extremely enjoyable, and the plot was completely unlike anything I have read before. I am usually pretty good at predicting where the plot will go, but there were many unseen twist and turns (literally!) in the adventures of our protagonist, Val, and her companions. This will appeal to fans of Leigh Bardugo- not because of the writing, but because I can see these characters eventually having a found family bond comparable to that of the Dregs. Everyone is hiding something, and readers are left wondering who to believe along with the main character. Fans of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas might enjoy this as well- we have a bond that is eventually somewhat similar to that of ToG’s protagonist and her love interest, and a group similar to the Assassin’s Guild. There is a bit of a romance, secrets galore, and so much of the unexpected that you’ll be up late into the night wanting to know what is in store for the cast of characters we don’t know if we can trust, or if we love. I am looking forward to the sequel, and I can’t wait to see what will become of Val and her group after the whirlwind events of the ending! My only reason for giving this a 4/5 is the fact that there are some inconsistencies plotwise, and a few unanswered questions that don’t seem to have a resolution any time soon. Also, while the characters were enjoyable to read about, I did not find myself completely attached to them. Val, while seeming strong and persevering at some points, would completely fold in on herself, and lash out at the people who only want to help her. Alik, her love interest and friend, also has odd personality switches, and both of their demeanors could change in a second. Despite this, I recommend this for people who want a bit of an escape, and some VERY COOL lore and plot to become invested in.

This book was a fast, thrilling ride. There was suspense, a dash of horror, loads of adventure, and a tidbit of romance. The world the story is set in is marvelous and well-developed. The detail in building up the landscape is well done and the reader feels a part of the journey through a vast wilderness followed by trapped inside deep, dark caverns. Being fast-paced, there does seem to be frequent change of direction in the relationships and the characters are not as deep or relatable as I wanted. However, the unexpected addition horror in the last third of the book makes the story that much more interesting and it held my attention till the end. I cannot believe there will be only two books!