Sacha Lamb’s debut novel, When the Angels Left the Old Country, is a poignant, funny, adventurous story filled with Jewish folklore, dark realities of the immigrant experience, and the blossoming of unexpected love.
A River Enchanted, by Rebecca Ross, is a careful, steady book full of atmosphere and surprising depth. “Earnest” is a word I might use to describe the characters, tone, and romance – but not at all dry or dull.
Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale is a Russian fairy tale that requires an investment of your time and attention, but the payoff is so worth it! Arden painstakingly creates this world, the characters, the forest, the village, the home, the conflict – all of it, with such detail and ache and emotion.
Naomi Novik’s Uprooted was one of my favorite reads this year. A rich, atmospheric, wonderfully written fantasy for adults with warlocks and witches and kings and court and an enchanted wood.
BOOK:30 