Vassa in the Night

by Sarah Porter

In Vassa's neighbourhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling out again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa's stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission. But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg's help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch's curse and free her Brooklyn neighbourhood. But Babs won't be playing fair. Inspired by the Russian folktale "Vassilissa the Beautiful" and Sarah Porter's years of experience teaching creative writing to New York City students, Vassa in the Night weaves a dark yet hopeful tale about a young girl's search for home, love, and belonging.

• ISBN10: 0765380544
• ISBN13: 9780765380548
• Publish Date: 20 September 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 October 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Starscape
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[liz089]

DNF.

I could not get into this novel. I tried, and tried again, but I think this one is not for me. I liked the eerie and weird vibe, but I just didn't feel it.

[Chelsea]

This is not a story everyone will like for sure.

LIKES
- I really liked Vassa as the main character. She was brave and interesting.
- I also really enjoyed Erg. I think the story wouldn't have been as good without her.
- It was nice that there was no romance in this book for a change. Usually I love romance but this story felt complete without it.
- It's always nice when I get to read a darker / more gothic story. Those are always my favourites.

DISLIKES
- Normally I'm a fan of this kind of whimsical writing but I was so lost in this book. I didn't understand about 80% of what was going on and I was confused the whole time.
- I know this was a retelling of a Russian tale but I think more could have been done to make this story actually make sense. There were no motivations behind anything. The characters just did everything just because as far as we know.
- It also drove me a little crazy that all this magical stuff was happening and everyone was just like "oh cool, whatever". I don't know about you guys but if there were stores with giant chicken legs that dance around or the nights got longer and longer, I'd have some questions you know?
- The pacing to this story was a little strange. I had a really hard time actually finishing the book because it was SO confusing and random events happen all the time. There's a lot that could have been done to make it better and flow smoother.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Initial Thoughts: Parts of this were definitely confusing. Non-human characters often make nonsensical statements, sort of Alice in Wonderland-esque. Vassa sometimes parses them out and sometimes just ignores them, so I did too. That didn't really both me about the book. The lack of character motivations did. Even when explanations were given for why the characters made dangerous, illogical, or otherwise major decisions, they didn't seem like believable or particularly good explanations. The first and most obvious of these is that Vassa goes to a store known for murdering all its customers to buy light bulbs...because that will stick it to her meanie sister who suggested she go. I get there might be a gut reaction of wanting to respond that way to the "dare," but why would anyone actually go through with this? The villain's motivations honestly weren't entirely clear either, even after explained. Full review to come.

[Sam@WLABB]

I found out that this book is a retelling of a Russian folktale, so I looked it up. I have to say, I really liked the way Porter incorporated and adapted the original folktale. This story was magical, a little dark, and a lot strange, but quite entertaining. It seems a little confusing at first, but I promise, you get more information which makes things a lot clearer as the story plays out.

Porter did a wonderful job illustrating the magical version of Brooklyn. Her writing was beautiful and lyrical at times, which to me was fitting for this type of story. I liked being part of Vassa's journey -- her journey of self growth, change, and healing. Every time she made progress, I was so proud of her.

Overall - a satisfying dark, strange, heartwarming magical tale.