See full review at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2019/04/29/unconventional-2019-trans-lit-titles...

Also featured in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2019/06/24/spooky-books-for-sunny-seasons/

Mentioned in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2019/12/23/2019-in-review/ ( )

This is an interesting little YA novel. Ruby, one of three sisters, has heard family tales passed down about how her mother and her sisters were sent away from Russia by their mother because their ability to (this is vaguely alluded to) sort of read tea leaves and predict fates for people got them marked for murder as witches. Lots of delightful Russian culture, folklore and wonderful story detail. The characters in this are great. It reminded me a little of “The Raven Cycle” with the quirky, small, intimate feel of it.

Every woman born into the family sees as a teen the manner in which she will die. When Ruby sees her fate (and it’s coming soon), she wonders if there is a way to change it, especially when the reading of the book where they record the predictions reveals her recently-deceased aunt was the only person they know of who defied fate. A slow and meandering fantasy tale that leaves you questioning where it’s going at times, but highly intriguing, and the details drew me in.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
( )

“Stories are living things [...] not just ink on a page,” for they are born, grow, and “die off if they’re not cared for or fed” (Podos 239).

Ruby Chernyavsky comes from a long line of women and their stories, stories about magic, power, and the danger that comes with both. When the original Chernyavsky sisters fled Russia for America, they left much of their magical knowledge behind. Now, a couple generations later, Ruby, her sisters, and her cousins don’t know all of their ancestors’ magic, but they do know one thing: who and where they will be when they die.

The past means everything to Ruby. Family means EVERYTHING to Ruby. In fact, family is “the only thing—where you came from and who you were” (109). However, when Ruby’s Aunt Polina’s vision of her “Time” is revealed to be wildly different than the reality of her death, everything that was once clear—family, the past, the future—becomes muddy, unpredictable...changeable.

Is there hope for a fate beyond what has been seen and scribbled with finality into the family notebook? Ruby vows to find out, whatever the cost.

I thought this was an interesting book about choice and one’s role in writing his or her own destiny. It’s also a reminder to look for WHO is holding the pen when the story is finished. I really enjoyed the parallels between the podcast Ruby loves and the Russian fairytales (original fairytales are always wickedIy violent; like...hello, Brothers Grimm! Saw off any stepsisters’ toes lately??) with Ruby’s story.

The Wise and the Wicked can get pretty dark, so it is recommended for 9th grade and above. I’ll post some of the amazing lit devices @rebeccapodos uses in a later post, because I am definitely going to use some of her lines as mentor texts in my classroom. ( )