Reviews with content warning for Murder - Vassa in the Night

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter

10 reviews

corriejn's review against another edition

4.25

I... wouldn't even know where to start in categorizing this book. It's strange/creative/not quite like anything else, but I found it engaging and entertaining (with the exception of some dream-sequence-ish passages that at times dragged a bit).

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ewitsmich's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. It’s a love letter for every brave teenage girl.

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creolelitbelle's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

3.5 stars. I'm only vaguely familiar with the story of Baba Yaga, so I cannot say how well of an iteration this book is of that tale. Vassa does not have a ton of depth as a character considering her struggles and mission, but I enjoyed her journey working (and living) at Be-Wise for three nights. For a dark fairy tale set in our modern world, the tone and setting are spot-on with creepy vibes and a true lasting nighttime. Babs is unpredictable, and that left me wondering what would possibly transpire next. Erg adds so much to the story; without her, the plot would die early on with Vassa's death. I would have liked more of Vassa's sisters, Stephanie and Chelsea, even if only them fighting to have Vassa release as a scene. They felt like minor supporting characters that could have played larger roles. An epilogue showing how Vassa stays connected (or not) to her new friend after the events at the store and reuniting with Stephanie would have been great to tie up lose ends.

Edit: Having read from worldhistory.org who Baba Yaga is in the old Slavic folklore, I view this book as an accurate, creative modern retelling set in a Brooklyn neighborhood. The stepsisters, the doll, and the store (house) with chicken legs are all there.

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carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book has been on my TBR since high school. The concept/plot sounded really cool. And it is really cool. I love fairytale retellings. I love love urban fantasy. The execution, however, left a little to be desired.

I was so so confused the whole book. While I do think some things were explained, it was done so gradually or so vaguely that I am still not sure why or how they happened (how's this review for vague, lol??) I do not like being spoonfed lore/plot, but this book was too far to the other extreme. It was too frustrating for the little payoff we got. I am still unsure if the magic of the world is an open secret, an obvious fact of life, or completely hidden from everyone except a select few. At different points in the novel, any of these could be true.

The characters were interesting, but I'm not sure I liked Vassa. No offense, but she was so stupid. I don't know if I found the book so confusing because she was so confused the whole time or because it was just confusing. Like, I get that we had slightly more bg as the reader, but I feel like certain things were really obvious and she just didn't get them.

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