Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter

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.

Reviewed by Chelsea on

2 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 August, 2017: Finished reading
  • 25 August, 2017: Reviewed