I'm going to avoid discussing the plot too much so I don't spoil any potential readers (and I do recommend you read this!).

This book is set in Dubossary, narrated alternately by Liba and Laya. Liba is the older of the two, the only children in their family. They are Jews, and while this book was hugely about their faith and discrimination against them, it is not only about that. This book was like a new fairytale. It had magic in every page, and was genuinely exciting to read. There were tragic elements, tons of romance, and even a sense of suspense.

The girls are left in their home alone when their parents rush off to Kupel in a family emergency. But just as they plan to leave, the girls' Mami decides it's time to tell her daughters who they really are: a bear and a swan.

As I said, I will not delve into the story too much. But I really loved the story involving Laya and the Hovlin brothers, as well as Liba's own internal struggles. Laya's romance at the end of the book was, in my opinion, a little rushed and unexpected, but that's the only real downside I have.

The writing was lovely - it included Yiddish and Hebrew dialect, which was translated in the Author's Note at the end. (A quick side note; I actually read the entire Note, which is really quite rare for me.) And Laya's account, in particular, felt so poetic. She was definitely my favourite character, as much as I love Liba, too. And the relationship between the girls is so, so lovely. No matter how much they try to push each other away, they are always there for each other in the end.

As I enjoyed this book so much, I tried to talk about it with my boyfriend. However, I soon discovered that describing this story is really quite a feat. It was full of little details and twists that just made the story.

I really liked this book. As I only received an ARC and not a final edition, I didn't have the official layout, which I can imagine may add to it also. Even so, I'm easily giving this 4.5 to 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this the sister relationship was very charming and the plot was well thoughout. The setting was very atmospheric. All the action had me at the edge of my seet and I was guessing what would happen at every turn. It genuinely suprised me how Rena Rossner created something so unique in a genre that is dominated by cliches and stereotypes.

Quick thoughts:
- Gorgeous, gorgeous cover! I love all the gold.
- Historical fiction and magical realism!
- Russian folklore, Jewish history, and reimagining of Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti!
- I love that Liba's POV was told in prose, while Laya's was told in verse. It made a lot of sense to me because Liba is more level-headed and grounded, while Laya is a huge daydreamer with rose-tinted glasses.
- Beautifully lyrical, enchanting writing style. (I highlighted so many passages in my copy!)
- I love Liba and Laya equally, although I found myself more than occasionally frustrated with both of them. They're both pretty immature and naive, but in a totally understandable way.
- Discusses real-world atrocities, particularly the horror of anti-Semitism and prejudice.
- Also tackles sexual/romantic awakening of two young girls.
- This is a very character-driven story with an agonizingly slow pacing. The middle part, in particular, is a bit of a plateau.
- But if you're a patient reader in search of a great coming-of-age story with magical realism and atmospheric writing, then The Sisters of the Winter Wood is for you!

Full review to follow!

Rating: 4 stars

“Mami always says that fairy tales were real. With my head in my swan-mother’s lap, I start to believe—and I wonder which tale is ours.”

The Sisters of the Winter Wood is a breathtaking novel, both in terms of writing and story, but it’s very different from what I expected. It’s a tale both beautiful and terrifying, filled with sisterhood and love, but at the same time with hate and oppression.

At the centre of the story are two sisters: Liba and Laya, and this book is told through their respective POVs: one chapter is told through Liba’s eyes, the next through Laya’s. I love how the story unfolds, how we get to know the protagonists in such a personal way, how the differences between them are obvious, but in a way they have a lot of similarities, too. One similarity is the way both sisters struggle with their identities.

“And if all else fails, I’ll call the beast within me. I’ll become the very thing I fear, once and for all. Laya is worth it. She’s worth everything.”

Liba, dutiful and obedient, who is ashamed for the things she desires. She has a lot of doubts, about herself, about her family — but she is strong and determined, and she fights for the people she loves.

“Something is definitely inside me. It is not glory, or devotion. It is something that wants to burst free.”

And Laya, with adventure in her heart and the feeling that she doesn’t belong in a place with rules as strict and unforgiving as the town she lives in, Dubossary. She longs for freedom — she is passionate, sometimes even impulse. But she is also brave and fierce, and very alike Liba, she wants nothing more than to protect the ones she cares about.

Additionally to writing wonderful and more-dimensional characters, Rena Rossner has the most unique way of telling this story, because Laya’s chapters are written in verse! Rossner’s style is both lyrical and captivating and I absolutely loved this way of writing — it made the story all the more magical. If you ask me, all books with a similarly whimsical vibe could be written this way, I really adored it!

The story itself is gripping and from the first page on, I wanted to know what would happen next. There are so many fantastic aspects: the fact that the parents of our protagonists can turn into a bear and a swan, the fruit-selling strangers that disrupt the peace and quiet of the village, and some other mysteries that the reader has to uncover during the course of the story.

And then there is the aspect of love, because that’s a very important topic in The Sisters of the Winter Wood, too. There is romantic love, but even more importantly, the love between family, the love between sisters; the things you would do for the people you love. This whole book carries a feeling of belonging, of homecoming, even if the place you’re at does not accept you. This story is a fairy tale through and through and it’s so unbelievably beautiful done!

“You know our history… Wherever the Jews go, the land prospers, but somehow the land finds a way to spit us out.”
“It’s not the land,” he says. “It’s the people.”

At the same time, some issues were addressed that terrified me. Because Liba and Laya are Jews and many of the themes of The Sisters of the Winter Wood show how little it takes for people to turn against their neighbours and friends — how if there’s no one to blame, people will blame the Jews. The unfairness of it all broke my heart. Of course it is no secret that throughout history Jewish people have been met with hatred and oppression, with violence; but reading this made me realise all the more that anti-Semitism has been present for a long time and that this is a group of people that have suffered for centuries.

“No one has the right to control anyone. It doesn’t matter what they believe or what type of creature they are. More than anyone you should know that right now. People are being burned in synagogues because of what they believe. You do not protect people by ruling over them, by telling them what to do. […] Sometimes protecting someone means letting them go, letting them live their own lives. Respecting their beliefs. I used to think differently, but my sister has shown me that there is another way. That is what love is. It is trust. Being strong enough to let someone you love live free.”

Overall, I can’t say enough how important I find this book. From its lyrical writing style to the dreamy and magical atmosphere, and amazing characters in between, and the huge focus it puts on family, it is still more than a book to “just” be enjoyed. It shows that all people are equal and no one has the right to oppress anyone. I think there is so much strength to be found between these pages and I recommend reading The Sisters of the Winter Wood to everyone!

Such a rich tapestry of folklore, history and Jewish culture. I enjoyed the story of the two sisters who we learn in the beginning have the separate abilities to turn into a swan and a bear.
I liked the narrative technique of switching the narration between the two sisters. Hearing their internal monologues that are completely different is really fascinating. How Liba over-thinks everything has a much more analytical mind, whereas Laya thinks almost in verse and follows what feels right, without really thinking about it.
I learnt a lot about Jewish culture and the Yiddish, Ukrainian and other foreign words in the text were really interesting.
Lots of reference to folklore e.g Swan princess, Leda and the Swan, The Goblin Market, Snow White and Rose Red as well as many others and it was nice to recognise the little clues as you read on.
My only criticism would be that the two girls, 15 & 17 respectively, fell in love with various men within seconds of meeting them...but maybe this is how it happens when you're that age. It feels so far away now!
Enjoyable story and I would read more by this author.

Firstly, this cover is gorgeous, who wouldn't be interested in this book? Secondly, I have a great love of books set in eastern Europe, thirdly, anything involving Jewish fairytales is a winner in my book and I had heard that this was partly inspired by real life events and Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market so naturally, I was INTO THIS. I received a sample of it in one of my Illumicrate boxes and then they had the egalley available, so, here we are.

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.

With all that I've said above, if you're a friend of mine on goodreads (and if not, why not?) you might be surprised to see I rated this 3/5 stars. Let me clarify, this wasn't quite a 4 star read, but it also was so much better than a 3 star read. What I need is a 3.75 rating. Because here's the thing, I did really enjoy this book, but I think because it is a mixture of Jewish folklore, history and a creepy poem I was expecting this to be much darker and creepier than it was. While there was a lot of folklore and a lot of history and there were some creepy moments, it read much more like a YA fantasy romance.

Liba is the older sister and is the first to find out the truth about her family and they're abilities, she is told that some swans are going to come for her younger sister Laya and she must protect her, but also let her make her own choices. Laya is told that some bears are going to come for Liba and that she must protect her but also let her make her own choices. Sadly, at no point do the sisters share these things they've been told to each other which I think would have gotten rid of some of the angst and instead let us focus more on the folklore aspect of the story. I think the slight YA feel also comes from the fact that Laya and Liba narrate the story and while their parents are away, they spend their time questioning their religious upbringing, thinking about boys and experiencing their first feelings of sensuality and sexuality. Sadly, one of them falls for a goblin. Yes. The Rosseti element does include actual goblins. The book even starts with a verse from the poem, so I think I probably should have guessed that goblins of some sort would show up...

The two sister's personalities are displayed not only in their individual narrations but also the way in which they tell their stories. Liba's chapters are told in prose, while Laya's are told in verse, which I thought was a nice touch. Essentially, this is a story about family and what that means, all set alongside the folklore element. The use of language was really good, with Yiddish and Ukranian sprinkled throughout, it was a nice way of showing how easy it is to show differences between what is otherwise an accepting and harmonious town. It was like a great middle ground between Disney and Grimm's fairy tales.

The author's note at the end explained where the inspiration came from, with the history of violence and propaganda against Jewish communities explored. She talks a lot about how the pogroms against Jewish people in eastern Europe affected her ancestors and other members of the Jewish community.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it fell slightly short of the mark for me - I'd love to know everyone else's thoughts though and with it being such an interesting mixture of ideas and inspirations I think it will be a popular one at this time of year!

Really enjoyed this blend of fairy tale, history and culture beyond my own, and finding out more about another religion and way of life, mixed in with magic.

The Sisters of Winter Wood was a book that I received from NetGalley and I decided to jump right into it seeing as the release date is today. I have to say that I wasn’t sure what I was expecting going into the story, but it took me by surprise, which I seem to be saying a lot recently. I don’t know if it blew me away completely and I have to say I struggled to figure out what was going on throughout the whole book. I wasn’t really sure on who was who and I thought the culture was baffling to me. Which is purely down to my ignorance and nothing else, but I did find it hard to dive into the story because of that.

I think the difference between the two point of views was something so unique and I was so drawn into the story line because of it. It did make the plot a little harder to follow but it was really beautifully written and there was a lovely rhythm to it. I will definitely be looking out for more books set out this way purely because of how much I liked it. Plus it was a perfect way of distinguishing the two sisters because the narrative style fitted their personalities perfectly.

And can we talk about the mythology in The Sisters of the Winter Wood? I loved the way the world was described and the way everything was built up. I loved the intrigue that was built up and around what was going to happen with the different variables that were pushing all the way through the story. Plus the way that everything ends is really satisfying, if not a little predictable, but I don’t think there was any other way it could have ended especially knowing the characters!

I think I should mention the issues I had with The Sisters of the Winter Wood, because there were a few. I think the biggest one would have to be the lack of parenting. I really don’t understand the thought process behind the parents leaving and especially with everything that was going on with the kids and the danger that they were potentially in. Besides all of that they live out on the edge of the town and in the woods! I just think the decisions that were made were kind of unjustifiable in my opinion!

Written in the style of an old fairytale, Rossner's The Sisters of the Winter Wood appealed to me because of the promise of folklore and sisterhood. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to expectations.

Sisters Laya and Liba have grown up in Dubossary, sheltered by the woods. When word arrives that their grandfather is dying, Liba and Laya's parents decide to go and visit him before it's too late, leaving the sisters alone in the woods. But before they leave they reveal two important secrets. Their father can turn into a bear, and their mother, a swan. Warned of danger, and the magic in the woods, Liba's left to save her sister from the mysterious troupe of young men who show up in the village when their parents leave. And when things unravel, the two have to work together to save the town.



I love fairytales. It's always been a prominent part of my childhood, and it's something I still have a particular fondness for. So I expected to love this tale, with its dark, twisted magic, and promise of sisterhood. And although it gave us what was described, I didn't love it.

Rossner's world is based on a real place at the turn of the century, that was victim to antisemitism, which also happens to be the place her great-grandfather fled. The story itself is therefore full of reference to Jewish culture, and the impact this had on the girls lives. Liba was very faithful, and reliant on her religion, where-as Laya was always less inclined to follow the rules. The contrast between the two was obvious, and their relationship began to strain when their parents left, making things harder to cope with for the two girls.

Having previously read The Poet X, written entirely in verse, the style of Laya's perspective was not too difficult for me to read, but I did struggle to relate to her story. Liba's narrative, completely different to her sister's, was also relatively difficult to get into, due to the frequent use of Hebrew, and my inability to understand it. Without some form of glossary, or even minor translation, more than a few of the words went over my head, and I struggled to put some things together. Of course, with this being an unfinished copy, there's all chance this is developed more in the final product, but my experience was let down by this lack of information. I wanted to immerse myself in this dark, magical world that Rossner had created, but found myself floundering every time a word appeared I'd never  really come across.

I was also left perplexed by the timeline of the story, with no real understanding of the period this book was set in, until the author's notes at the end. I didn't know if it was meant to be set in the 20th century, the 18th century, or any other century, until the mention of the early 1900s/late 1800s, and this didn't help my experience either.

But for all it's negatives, the story does provide what it promises. A story of sisterhood, interlaced with magic and folklore. The complexity of the girls situation is clear, and the emotion captured in a variety of different ways. The lack of a parental figure showed just how swayed a young girl can become when under the influence of 'love', and the ways in which sisterhood can overcome spells and magic was handled pretty well.
For the most part, this was well written, excluding the minor bumps. I loved Liba's growth throughout the book, and it was nice to see her mature from a 17 year old reliant on her father, to a young woman, and Laya experienced a similar story arc.
At the end of the day, this story just wasn't for me though, because for all it promised, I felt it just fell short of my expectations. Whether I pick up another of Rossner's books, I'm unsure at the moment. But if you like dark, twisted fairytales, and don't mind the odd reference you don't understand, give this a go. You might find you like it.

'The Sisters of the Winter Wood' by Rena Rossner had a great premise.

Synopsis: Sister Laya and Liba were raised on the edge of a vast forest and it is here that they are left alone while their parents go on an unplanned trip. Before they left, their Mami spoke with them separately and told them that their family is different, their Tati can turn into a bear and their Mami can turn into a swan. Both girls will also have the power to change. But their Mami makes them swear promises to look after each other because they are not the only magic ones that lurk in the woods.

The book focuses around two sisters, Laya and Liba. Without giving too much away, they are both very different. Laya is a devout Jew and wishes to be taught the Torah and Liba is more flighty and wishes to explore the world. Liba is the pretty one, and Laya is the serious one. Liba's POV's were very different to Laya's and it's immediately clear who's POV you're reading from. Mainly because of the formatting (not sure of this with the physical copy) and Liba's chapters were quite lyrical. However, I preferred Laya's chapters as they were more easily followed and understood: they had descriptions, quote marks around speech etc.

I'm not sure if there was a message to this or not but it centred around Jews and how they have been prosecuted in history. This story, I believe, stems from a true story many decades ago and it adds a fantasy twist to it. I would have liked this book, had it not been so saturated with religious talk. I have nothing against anyone's religion, I just don't want it smothered in my face with every page. It felt like the author's views and opinions on the way Jews were treated was heavily present and this came across quite pushy? Don't get me wrong, to some extent she is on the mark with how Jews have been treated (Nazi's anyone?) but her views were almost propaganda-like in their intensity.

There were many unfamiliar words to me in this book, and even though this came with a glossary, I just didn't appreciate it. I don't want to have to look up 10 words per page to find the true meaning to the sentence, just write it one language. With traditional fantasy books, I understand because the author has made a word up, but when you've basically melded two languages together with a sprinkling of another five, it's just too much like work. I also found that the same themes or variations of the same sentences were repeated. I HATE REPETITION.

It's got a good historical sense about it, and the base story line is appealing, however the execution could do with a massive rework. Another book that doesn't deserve its cover.

“Sometimes you know when you don’t belong, but you don’t know how to leave.”

I took a long time to get into this book, which was a shame because it should have been one I really enjoyed. I feel like the story took a long time to really get started and then by the time I was enjoying it, it was over. I liked the fairy tale elements of it and the look at Jewish culture and the way that hatred and prejudice can so easily spread through small towns such as the one that Liba and Laya called their home.

I adored the ending though. It was powerful, magical and hopeful, despite the awful events that took place throughout the book. It would have been easy to end on a sad note, but I'm glad that Rossner chose to show her characters looking towards a future rather than looking back on a travesty.

I loved the languages used in the book as well, showing the coming together of the Jewish bear shapeshifter in the form of the dad and the Catholic swan shapeshifter of the mother. The conversion of the mother and her background with the swans is so central to the book, so it was nice to see this reflected in the phrases and words that she brought into the household.

I think this is a book I'd like to reread at some point. I'd like to see if I get into it more now that I know where it's heading.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood captured my attention from the very beginning and absolutely did not let me go. This is a stunning fairy tale style story that will definitely be on my list of favourite books of 2018.

The story follows two sisters – Liba and Laya – who live on the outskirts of a forest. When their parents leave to travel to their father’s home town, the girls must fend for themselves as well as deal with the secrets that they have learned – that Liba can transform into a bear, and Laya into a swan. But not everything in the forest is friendly and with people in nearby towns spouting anti-Semitic views, the sisters must fight to save each other.

I loved everything about this book. The writing style is gorgeous, and the chapters alternate between the two sisters. Liba’s chapters are told in a traditional format and Laya’s are told in short prose like sentences. I loved the difference between the two and it really brought to life the difference between the practical sister and the dreamlike one.

The plot is exciting and beautifully paced. I raced through this book in two days because I could not put it down. I adored the wealth of detail in the magic and the way Rossner weaved all the magical elements into the story.

The story isn’t just a reimagining of the classic fairy tale. Woven into the tale is a life in a small village and how the seeds of hatred can spread through a nation. As bad things happen and people are discovered dead, the townspeople look to blame the Jewish for their bad luck. I thought this was a really fascinating element to the story and was even more intrigued to discover that this was inspired by true events that occurred in the authors ancestry. It definitely added another fascinating layer to this brilliant story.

The story deals with so many topics, friendship, family, sister love and loss. It’s a stunning debut and fans of books like The Bear and the Nightingale will absolutely adore this one. For me it was the perfect autumn read, full of gorgeous depictions of the forest and plenty of dark and creepy moments. The Sisters of the Winter Wood is a magnificent, engrossing read that you definitely need to add to your wish list.

A gripping and brilliant story of two very different sisters who discover a passed on family secret as they live in the woods of their village, The Sisters Of Winter Wood, is a story that just slowly enchants you.

A story that begins slowly and then just speeds up, The Sisters Of Winter Wood, is a delicious weave of fairy tales and books such as The Song Of Achilles that just makes so difficult to put it down - I have been awake at very early hours of the morning trapped in this book, it should come with a warning!

Liba and Laya are wonderfully constructed characters that are the opposites of one another but really are connected throughout this book - they remind me of me and my own sister and I think that genuineness drags you in to this book (my sister is very much the swan!). This book delivers in every moment when it comes to the people Rossner creates and I loved this book for it.

A gorgeous read throughout, if you love fairy tales and maybe to an extent, fables, you are going to love this book.

(I recieved an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).

The plot is very interesting. This is the tale of two Jewish sisters who live in the outskirts of a town called Dubossary. There is an indication-albeit a slight one-that they are not normal. We can soon see that their parents get called away and have to leave them behind. Before going away, their mother divulges a secret that will change their mundane lives from there on. I liked the way the author told the story-from each sisters' perspective. One sister's point-of-view is the standard format and another's is told in verse. I also love the way the author has portrayed racial customs and injustices, the bond between sisters and family. I would love to read more of the author's works.

The Sisters of Winter Wood is one of the most atmospheric compelling stories that I have every come across, it was addicting from the start and I could almost feel the cold through the pages during winter.

The two sisters are as different from each other as sisters can be, Liba practical while Laya follows her heart no matter how uneasy she feels. The differentiation through the forms of the chapters were interesting and I liked reading Laya's prose format.

I found it interesting to learn more about the Jewish culture through the Yiddish words and sayings, Rena has such an amazing ability of weaving elements of history with elements of magic.

I highly enjoyed Sisters of Winter Wood and would recommend it for anyone who is looking for a fantastic atmospheric read to curl into at night.

*ARC received from publisher via netgalley, all opinions are my own*

I'm afraid this book just wasn't for me, even though lots of people are probably going to love this.
This looked and sounded so promising, (I mean, have you seen that beautiful cover?!) and I'm all for discovering new ethnicities, cultures, history and folklore. I was hyped when I read this also involved shapeshifting swans and bears, but I just didn't like the execution at all. This was sooo slow!

My main problem was the writing. I love it when books borrow or use facts that actually happened in real life (like in this case, the pogroms in Ukraine/Russia) and use some words pertaining to that culture, but this was just excessive. The author mixed in so many Yiddish/Hebrew/Russian words, I didn't understand what was going on half of the time, which is why it took me super long to finish this.
I also feel like the book focused more on the YA aspect of it all, like the sexual awakening and romance both sisters dealt with, while I would've been more interested in the actual historic part and learning more about the pogroms and Jewish traditions.

I also didn't like either of the sisters, though Liba was clearly my favorite of the two. I just wanted to whack Laya on the head the entire time. Laya's chapters were also written entirely in verse (to stress the difference between both sisters I guess, or because Laya is supposed to be the dreamier one) which just seemed unnecessary to me. I felt really detached from everything that happened.

The ending was very unsatisfying to me and felt rushed. Everything the book had been building up towards, got resolved in a couple of pages and I just expected more.

I probably would've loved this if the writing was different and the story advanced a bit faster, but maybe that's just me though.

An absolutely wonderful tale, I was so absorbed in the world and it was such a magical experience. I have not been this absorbed in a world for quite sometime, it really is a delight to read.

This had so much potential, buckets loads in fact, but it sadly wasn't as alluring as I thought it was going to be. The story moves slowly and takes quite a while before it moves at a better pace, and it has an authentic fairytale feel about it which I very much enjoyed. Told from Liba and Laya's perspective with each alternating chapter, the differing points of view add more interest to the story. It did feel as though we were information deficient as there simply weren't enough clues to be able to piece everything together in this world and with these characters. It discusses the Jewish faith sensitively, but there are quite a lot of tropes on show here. There is also a lot of Yiddish vocabulary which is difficult to understand unless you know the language. This affected the flow of the novel somewhat.

A dark, mystical fantasy for those who loved 'The Bear & The Nightingale'. Atmospheric, gripping and enchanting, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. A promising debut from an author I will be keeping an eye open for in the future. I'm very excited to see what she does next!

Many thanks to Orbit for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is difficult for me to review. At about 30% I was considering DNF’ing but I decided to give it until 50% to change my mind. It did improve and that encouraged me to finish the rest of the book.

What I liked about this one was the rich, magical folklore and the atmospheric and descriptive world building.

I also particularly liked Liba’s character, as she was strong and determined but also loyal and fierce. She was prepared to do whatever it took to take care of her sister in her parents absence.
I didn’t really like Laya’s character however. To me she seemed selfish and shallow.

What I didn’t like about this book was how slow it was. Nothing much seemed to happen in the first half of the book and the story just meandered along without any clear direction or purpose. I also didn’t enjoy some of the stilted, broken language. It was difficult to follow and in parts read like a foreign book translated into english.

There are some important messages covered by this story. We get an insight into some of the persecution and discrimination Jews felt at this time as well as the atrocities committed against them by ignorant people. We also get to see the girls discover their own personalities and begin to push against their sheltered upbringing.

Overall the mythology and fairytale aspects were interesting and well written but the slow pace of the story means I couldn’t rate this one higher than 3 stars!

The Sisters of the Winter Wood will be available from the 27th September 2018.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Little Brown Book Group) for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

https://lynns-books.com/2018/09/24/the-sisters-of-the-winter-wood-by-rena-rossner/
The Sisters of the Winter Wood is quite a bewitching little story. I would say that it wasn’t exactly what I imagined when I initially requested a copy and yet I feel it worked really well for me even if it did stray more heavily into the area of romance than I normally like. Strangely enough, in spite of the fairytale feel and the use of folklore this is a story with a serious heart that isn’t afraid to tackle issues. At the same time it’s a sneaky little number because I think it works on many levels. There’s certainly plenty of food for thought here and Rossner doesn’t shy away from difficult topics but at the same time I think you could read this quite simply as a fairy story with the elements that you’d expect such as the house set deep within the woods, the parents who have to leave the two daughters to fend for themselves, etc.

The story begins with an introduction to two sisters Liba and Laya. They live a sheltered life with their parents, a happy existence although the beginnings of unrest are beginning to creep into their lives, troubling times ahead for Jewish people in particular. At short notice Liba and Laya’s parents are called away on urgent family business and the two sisters are left to fend for themselves.

I’m not going to delve into the storyline too deeply because there were certain aspects of this that were surprising and they were elements that I found myself really enjoying, particularly the shape shifting. In fact that’s the one element to the story that really feeds into the darkness and serves eventually to cause the two sisters to become less close – but more of that in a moment.

This is going to be another review of thoughts.

Firstly the two sisters. They both love and care for each other and a lot of the narrative is hinged upon this. At the same they’re quite different in nature, one sister’s nature running to strength and the other sister’s nature being somewhat more flighty. Liba takes after her father and Laya takes after her mother. I will say that this aspect of the story really resonated with me. I have an older sister – although she’s barely older than I am and in fact we were both born in the same year. My sister was constantly likened to our mum and I was frequently told how alike I was to my dad and to be honest, at that age it’s not particularly something you want to hear so I could relate well to Liba. She suffered from doubt about her looks, her weight and about her own place in the family dynamic but, in spite of that her love for Laya remained firm. During the read I didn’t like Laya as much as Liba. I think the author was going for a fragility of nature that I tend to find a little annoying and on top of that her feelings towards her sister never came across as well not to mention she made a number of rather dubious decisions that made me want to shake her. That being said I would say that this tale has not so much of a coming of age feel as a sexual awakening. With the parents removed and the introduction of more freedom both of them become much more aware of the men within their environment and so when a troupe of handsome young fruit sellers enters the scene, well you know things are going to spiral out of control fairly quickly. Added to this are the family secrets and the secrets that the girls are keeping from each other in a bid to try and protect one another from harm. A lack of communication that in the long run proves to be quite costly.

Alongside of this is a storyline inspired by the Goblin Market. A tale of deception with goblins and glamours and honeyed fruit that belies it’s true nature. And on top of this is a historical feel to the story in terms of the actual unrest that was taking place at the time revolving around the Jewish people and the hardships that were looming.

I really enjoyed the writing but then I do like fairytales and anything that has foreboding forests and people that can change into creatures instantly wins me over.

In terms of criticisms. There is quite a lot of romance although I didn’t particularly mind it – just worth a mention particularly as it felt a little rushed in some respects. The real issue that gave me pause for thought was that the underlying story here is one of persecution, about people’s fears and insecurities and the way in which these can be used to cause unrest. I suppose to some extent it almost feels like this setting, with its fairytale feel, is almost inappropriate for such a heavy topic and yet upon reflection I think I appreciated that the author was using this medium and it’s many metaphors to tell a story that was fantastical whilst at the same time being historical. This is a story that has many messages and I think it will appeal differently to varying ages for that very reason. The romance has a YA feel, there are beautiful glamorous boys, forbidden fruit and dangerous liaisons, there are the dark woods and the creatures stalking them but then there is the whole feeling of a period suffering from turmoil and unrest.

All told I enjoyed this. I can’t deny that it’s quite different from what I expected but in a good way. As with all fairytales it’s a strong message wrapped up a a golden nugget of storytelling and with a hopeful ending to conclude upon.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.