‘Vassa in the Night’ by Sarah Porter book review

On Sept. 20, Tor Teen released a unique novel based on a Russian folktale called Vassa in the Night. The YA book tells the story of an enchanted Brooklyn and the girl who saves it from an everlasting night, like a dark and dangerous fairytale.

New York City has fallen into the dark. Nights last longer and longer and time loses its meaning. Somehow connected to the mischief are Babs Yagg’s dancing stores where shoplifters lose their heads, literally. When Vassa is sent on a suicide journey to bring home light bulbs, it also becomes a mission to save the city from Babs’s evil clutches. Can Vassa and her sassy wooden doll save the world and their friends without becoming the next heads on the pike?

This book is unlike any other YA fantasy on the market. The writing dunks you into an ocean of shadowy magic and doesn’t let up until the end. It’s dark and funny, a horror novel and fairytale combined. The prose is beautiful and moves like poetry and the characters are strong and snarky. I fell in love with Vassa and her motorcycle man. While the ending was extremely satisfying, I was sorry to have to close the book.

If you prefer Grimm to Disney and enjoy urban folktales, fantasy and magic, this is the book for you. It was one of the best novels I read this year and Sarah Porter has gained a fan for life. Pick it up for yourself today or gift it to a friend for the holidays.