Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner & House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner
Publication: April 13th, 2021

Redhook

Hardcover. 432 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"An evocative combination of fantasy, history, and Jewish folklore, The Light of the Midnight Stars is fairytale-inspired novel from the author of The Sisters of the Winter Wood.

 

Deep in the Hungarian woods, the sacred magic of King Solomon lives on in his descendants. Gathering under the midnight stars, they pray, sing and perform small miracles - and none are more gifted than the great Rabbi Isaac and his three daughters. Each one is blessed with a unique talent - whether it be coaxing plants to grow, or predicting the future by reading the path of the stars.

 

When a fateful decision to help an outsider ends in an accusation of witchcraft, fire blazes through their village. Rabbi Isaac and his family are forced to flee, to abandon their magic and settle into a new way of life. But a dark fog is making its way across Europe and will, in the end, reach even those who thought they could run from it. Each of the sisters will have to make a choice - and change the future of their family forever."

Okay, so I've already read an ARC of this one, but it is so beautiful and I may have pre-ordered a Goldsboro edition for it, so I'm still extremely excited for this one to be released!

and...

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

Publication: April 6th, 2021

G.P. Putnam's Sons Books

Hardcover. 352 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"Seventeen-year-old Iris Hollow has always been strange. Something happened to her and her two older sisters when they were children, something they can’t quite remember but that left each of them with an identical half-moon scar at the base of their throats.

 

Iris has spent most of her teenage years trying to avoid the weirdness that sticks to her like tar. But when her eldest sister, Grey, goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Iris learns just how weird her life can get: horned men start shadowing her, a corpse falls out of her sister’s ceiling, and ugly, impossible memories start to twist their way to the forefront of her mind.

 

As Iris retraces Grey’s last known footsteps and follows the increasingly bizarre trail of breadcrumbs she left behind, it becomes apparent that the only way to save her sister is to decipher the mystery of what happened to them as children.

 

The closer Iris gets to the truth, the closer she comes to understanding that the answer is dark and dangerous – and that Grey has been keeping a terrible secret from her for years."

This sounds so spooky and weird--two things I love! I really am not sure what to expect from this book, but I hope to have the chance to find out. 

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

Review: The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

Redhook, 2018

Hardcover. 464 pages.

About The Sisters of the Winter Wood:

"'Raised in a small village surrounded by vast forests, Liba and Laya have lived a peaceful sheltered life - even if they've heard of troubling times for Jews elsewhere. When their parents travel to visit their dying grandfather, the sisters are left behind in their home in the woods. 

But before they leave, Liba discovers the secret that their Tati can transform into a bear, and their Mami into a swan. Perhaps, Liba realizes, the old fairy tales are true. She must guard this secret carefully, even from her beloved sister. 

Soon a troupe of mysterious men appear in town and Laya falls under their spell-despite their mother's warning to be wary of strangers. And these are not the only dangers lurking in the woods... 

The sisters will need each other if they are to become the women they need to be - and save their people from the dark forces that draw closer."

The Sisters of the Winter Wood is a lyrical, fairy tale-like story about two sisters, Liba and Laya, that is told in such a fluid manner that I breezed through it.

The story is told in the alternating perspectives of Liba and Laya, Liba's being told in prose format whereas Laya's are told in verse format. This could be hit or miss for many people, but fortunately I really liked this dual format, as I felt it really enhanced the personalities of both Liba and Laya. It also added an extra touch that made this book even more magical and captivating to read. 

Liba's prose was engaging and I found her to be a somewhat intense, yet loving character. She is someone who takes her responsibilities seriously and is generally sensible enough to stay focused on what she has to do, something that I found admirable and not a trait that is overly common in many books. Laya, on the other hand, is much more flighty in the sense that she is more wiling to follow her emotions and desires, even if that means disobeying her parents or her religion. She's a dreamer, and her verse narrative really reflects that.

One of the biggest overarching themes of this book is the Jewish element, as Liba, Laya, and much of their community are Jewish. I felt this was also one of the best parts of the book, as it not only showcased the different components of Jewish culture, but it also highlighted the strong anti-Antisemitism that permeated much of Europe throughout history--and even, as we unfortunately are all aware, in the present. In Rossner's brief 'about' section on Goodreads, it mentions that The Sisters of the Winter Wood was partly inspired by the lives of Rossner's great-grandparents who all escaped from pogroms in various areas of Europe to journey to America. This influence is so prevalent throughout the book and is something that I really appreciated and learned even more from, so this is easily one of the best executed aspects of this novel.

As much as I enjoyed the writing and many aspects of the plot, there were also quite a few times when it felt like there was almost too much filler. This book has a decent amount of important character development and I have no problems with a slow-paced book, but it just felt like there was a lot of running back and forth between places with no real forward-movement of the plot. 

In the same vein, there were also a lot of repetitive aspects of the plot that frustrated me. For instance, Laya being taken in by the magical fruit and how much she wants to spend time with Fedrir (and only Fedir), as well as Liba running back and forth looking for Laya or wanting to move Laya to another location or not being able to find her... it just got a bit old. There also seemed to be one too many things going on at once sometimes, which also bothered me, though to a slightly lesser extent than the other issues I've mentioned.

Despite the occasional pacing issues, I did still really enjoy this book. I love Rosetti's "Goblin Market" and stories inspired by it, so I did like that element. I also loved how this book flowed so effortlessly and allowed me to just keep reading and lose myself in it. The magical aspects, the imagery, the strong metaphors, the fairy tale quality--all were done really well and I thought Rossner did a great job of incorporating all of those elements into one coherent story.

Overall, I've give The Sisters of the Winter Wood four stars! If you like a magical book with strong cultural aspects and a heavy dose of mythology and metaphors, then this is the one for you.

Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

You might also like:
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

First Chapter Tuesday: The Sisters of the Winter Wood & The House in Poplar Wood

First Chapter Tuesday is hosted every Tuesday by Vicki @ I'd Rather Be at the Beach. This is meme in which bloggers share the first chapter of a book that they are currently reading or thinking about reading soon. Join the fun by making your own post and linking up over at Vicki's blog, or simply check it out to find more new books to read!

For this week's First Chapter Tuesday I thought I would share some intros from two books that I've just started reading!

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
 

Excerpt:

"1: Liba

If you want to know the history of a town, read the gravestones in its cemetery. That’s what my Tati always says. Instead of praying in the synagogue like all the other men of our town, my father goes to the cemetery to pray. I like to go there with him every morning. 

The oldest gravestone in our cemetery dates back to 1666. It’s the grave I like to visit most. The names on the stone have long since been eroded by time. It is said in our shtetl that it marks the final resting place of a bride and a groom who died together on their wedding day. We don’t know anything else about them, but we know that they were buried, arms embracing, in one grave. I like to put a stone on their grave when I go there, to make sure their souls stay down where they belong, and when I do, I say a prayer that I too will someday find a love like that."

Goodreads

I have finally gotten around to picking this one up and so far it seems really promising! I'm enjoying the narrative styles and I love how magical it all feels.

Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

The House in Poplar Wood by K.E. Ormsbee
 

Excerpt:

"1: Felix

The last day of October was creeping into Poplar House. It came through fissures in the gables and mite-sized holes in the floorboards, bringing with it the scent of burnt oak branches. 

It was Halloween, and for Felix Vickery, it was the warmest day of the year.

All autumn long, Felix had worn gloves to bed and woken to a fringe of frost on his lashes. Even in the summertime, when the wood outside grew drunk on sunshine and the whole of Boone Ridge gasped for lawn sprinklings and fresh popsicles--even then, a dank chill remained in the house."

Goodreads

This is a middle grade ARC that was sent to me and I was really excited to start it because it's another Halloween read! I'm reading this book as my nighttime read and so far it seems really imaginative and interesting.

Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

What do you think? Would you keep reading these books? (And feel free to join in and make your own post!) 

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*Excerpts are taken from the novel itself; I do not claim to own any part of the excerpt.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner & The Pasha of Cuisine by Saygin Ersin

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlight is:

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
Publication Date: September 25th, 2018

Redhook
464 pages

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository 

From Goodreads: 

"Captivating and boldly imaginative, with a tale of sisterhood at its heart, Rena Rossner's debut fantasy invites you to enter a world filled with magic, folklore, and the dangers of the woods. 

Raised in a small village surrounded by vast forests, Liba and Laya have lived a peaceful sheltered life - even if they've heard of troubling times for Jews elsewhere. When their parents travel to visit their dying grandfather, the sisters are left behind in their home in the woods. But before they leave, Liba discovers the secret that their Tati can transform into a bear, and their Mami into a swan. Perhaps, Liba realizes, the old fairy tales are true. She must guard this secret carefully, even from her beloved sister. 

Soon a troupe of mysterious men appear in town and Laya falls under their spell-despite their mother's warning to be wary of strangers. And these are not the only dangers lurking in the woods... 

The sisters will need each other if they are to become the women they need to be - and save their people from the dark forces that draw closer."

This sounds like a perfect book to pick up for the beginning of the fall season, and I can't wait to have a chance to read it. Magic, folklore, animal transformation--it all sounds perfect. I am simply in love with that cover as well.

and...

The Pasha of Cuisine by Saygin Ersin, Trans. Mark Wyers
Publication Date: September 4th, 2018

Arcade Publishing
300 pages
Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository

From Goodreads: 

"For readers of Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series and Richard C. Morais's The Hundred-Foot Journey, a sweeping tale of love and the magic of food set during the Ottoman Empire. 

A Pasha of Cuisine is a rare talent in Ottoman lore. Only two, maybe three are born with such a gift every few centuries. A natural master of gastronomy, he is the sovereign genius who reigns over aromas and flavors and can use them to influence the hearts and minds, even the health, of those who taste his creations. In this fabulous novel, one such chef devises a plot bring down the Ottoman Empire—should he need to—in order to rescue the love of his life from the sultan’s harem. 

Himself a survivor of the bloodiest massacre ever recorded within the Imperial Palace after the passing of the last sultan, he is spirited away through the palace kitchens, where his potential was recognized. Across the empire, he is apprenticed one by one to the best chefs in all culinary disciplines and trained in related arts, such as the magic of spices, medicine, and the influence of the stars. It is during his journeys that he finds happiness with the beautiful, fiery dancing girl Kamer, and the two make plans to marry. Before they can elope, Kamer is sold into the Imperial Harem, and the young chef must find his way back into the Imperial Kitchens and transform his gift into an unbeatable weapon."

I love the sound of this one, and I'm particularly excited for setting and the food aspects. This sounds like it will be a really interesting storyline and I hope to have a chance to pick it up!

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

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