A review by angorarabbit
Vita Nostra by Sergey Dyachenko, Marina Dyachenko

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

TLDR: I haven’t read any Kafka yet but I know this book is nothing like Harry Potter. It’s much better written for one. 
 
Small town younger me grew up thinking that all science fiction and fantasy was written only in English. So reading translated fantasy is a revelation to me. I always wonder how much I miss with being unfamiliar with the culture and just the fact that translations can never be transliterations. 
 
That being said it is hard for me to explain why I liked this book so much. Partly because despite the increasing strangeness of the situation that Sasha, her family, and friends find themselves I saw my college age self. Unlike Harry Potter, Sasha is worried about how her actions will affect her friends and most importantly to her her mother and half brother. When a grandmother dies her grandchild is sure it was because they did not study enough. 
 
The book is written in 3rd person with the pov being Sasha. The plot is tight and intricate. The descriptions of places and people are almost cinematic without being flowery. The major characters are well described and consistent throughout the book. I was a little disappointed by the lack of ethnic or lgbtqaa+ representation but it’s hard to find a book with everything. 
 
I am curious as to where there series will go from here, and I will read more by the Dyachenkos. To live in a world where this is available is amazing to me and I thank my libraries yet again.. 

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