#Review - Wrath & Mercy by Jessica Rubinkowski #YA #Fantasy

Series: The Bright & the Pale # 2
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: March 22, 2022
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

This second book in Russian folklore–based YA fantasy duology The Bright & the Pale follows Valeria as she works to truly free her people from the Czar and the Bright God—at whatever the cost.

Surviving the ill-fated expedition to Knnot, Valeria, Alik, and the others have found refuge in Valeria’s village. With her family at long last released from the curse that trapped them in ice for a decade, Valeria should find comfort in their reunion. But everything has changed—including herself. For now, Valeria is the Pale God’s chosen champion. And she is ready for revenge on the Czar.

With the power gifted to her by the Pale God, she will do whatever it takes to liberate her people. Even if that means stealing the Czar’s son away from the safety of the Winter Palace. As Alik watches Valeria struggle to maintain control over the god she holds captive, he begs her to sever the connection. For it is clear the Pale God plans a revenge of his own.

The inevitable is coming—one final battle. And Valeria must be ready to sacrifice everything—even her love for Alik—to win. 

Wrath & Mercy is the second and final installment in author Jessica Rubinkowski's The Bright & The Pale duology. 17-year-old Valeria lost her whole family 10 years ago when a dark magical hold on Knnot Mountain unleashed over her village of Ludminka. Even though everyone else was trapped in an unbreakable sheet of ice, Val was able to walk away unscathed, escape for her white hair, and was taken in and raised by Luiza and the Thieves Guild. 

For 10 years, Valeria hid who she was from the Czar Ladislaw, finding a home in the Assassin Guild under the watchful eyes of Luiza who has had an agenda of her own. After her best friend Alik was used against her in a black mail scheme that send Val, Alik and other on an expedition to Knnot, Valeria made a bargain with the Pale God Kosci to become his champion. A champion that comes with the ability to wake up Ludminka and free her family. 

So, as the story begins, Val, Chinua, Serafima, and Alik now have to focus on the other imprisoned Zladonians trapped by the Czar. With her parents and brothers at long last released from the curse that trapped them in ice for a decade, Valeria should find comfort in their reunion. But everything has changed, including Val herself. Valeria is the Pale God’s chosen champion but what she really wants is revenge on the Czar. Val also knows that she need allies if she is going to be tear down the throne, and rid the country from the cruelness of the Czar.

With the power gifted to her by the Pale God, she will do whatever it takes to liberate her people. Even if that means stealing the Czar's son away from the safety of the Winter Palace. But Val soon discovers that she has abilities and powers that rival the Bright God Zoltay. As Alik watches Valeria struggle to maintain control over the god she holds captive, he begs her to sever the connection. For it is clear the Pale God plans a revenge of his own. Stranger is that Val slowly finds that she not afraid of allowing Bataar get close to her, which puts this on the brink of being a love triangle.  

While Val explores the dark side of humanity and gets pushed more and more by Kosci, it is Arik who remains focused on saving Val before she loses herself forever. Will Valeria be able to save her people with the Pale God’s power and save herself too? Or will the power of the Pale God overwhelm her and the centuries long battle between the Bright God and the Pale God continue? I have no disagreements with how the book wraps up. There is plenty of action, and fighting, and it's not like everything happens over the course of a few days.

Russian culture isn’t often explored in teen fantasies, and the author has created a world like no other. Set in a rich, vivid world where a group of people are unjustly persecuted for a magical evil curse bringing despair and poverty to the entire empire, this story features several Slavic elements, including the idea of cosmic duality, polytheism, and a history of brother gods.

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#Review - The Bright & the Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski #YA #Fantasy

Series: The Bright & the Pale # 1
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: March 2, 2021
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

Inspired by Russian folklore, Jessica Rubinkowski’s epic fantasy debut is a thrilling page-turner perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sara Raasch.

Seventeen-year-old Valeria is one of the few survivors of the freeze, a dark magical hold Knnot Mountain unleashed on her village. Everyone, including her family, remains trapped in an unbreakable sheet of ice. Ever since, she’s been on the run from the Czar, whose sole mission is to imprison anyone who managed to escape. Valeria finds refuge with the Thieves Guild, working odd jobs with her best friend, Alik, the only piece of home she has left. That is, until he is brutally murdered.

A year later, Valeria discovers Alik is alive and being held captive. In exchange for his freedom, she must lead a group on a perilous expedition to the very mountain that claimed her loved ones. But something sinister slumbers in the heart of Knnot.

And it has waited years for release.

 

The Bright and the Pale is Jessica Rubinkowski’s debut YA novel. Inspired by Slavic mythology, this story follows Valeria, who lost her whole family 10 years ago when a dark magical hold on Knnot Mountain unleashed over her village of Ludminka. Even though everyone else was trapped in an unbreakable sheet of ice, Val was able to walk away unscathed and was taken in and raised by Luiza and the Thieves Guild. The Thieves Guild is a network of thieves and assassins. Ever since she managed to survive, she’s been on the run from the Czar, who is determined to imprison anyone who managed to escape Ludminka. 

Valeria, who has to keep her hair colored or covered, had been doing odd jobs with her best friend Alik, who is also a survivor, only to have lost him a year ago during a mission gone wrong. Luiza offers Val a chance to help to overthrow the Csar who hates her people. Val is on board. She agrees to steal a valuable ore (lovite) with magical properties that might aid the Bright Champion in his fight against the Pale God. After the scheme goes wrong, Val finds herself fleeing for her life and encountering a mysterious stranger named Ivan who tells her Alik is very much alive and that he needs her help with a dangerous mission. 

Clinging to the fragile hope that this could be true and that the two of them could reunite, Val agrees to aid Ivan in his mission to mine more lovite. This revelation will set off a chain of events leading Val home to Ludminka and a variety of twists, surprises and betrayals. Everyone is hiding something, and readers are left wondering who to believe along with the main character. In this world, two warring brother gods rule over the world of Strana. The Bright God is thought to bring light and warmth to the world where his brother, The Pale God, feeds on suffering. The gods have once again awakened and their champions, imbued with the powers of their patron god, will fight to secure their master’s presence in the world.

This is the first book in a high-action fantasy duology. The sequel is expected to be released Winter 2022. This novel has many Slavic elements in the story, from the power of the Czar to the idea of cosmic duality, polytheism, and history of brother gods seen in Slavic religion. The Bright & the Pale features several fierce women, including the main character, Valeria, Chinua, and Serafina. And though she’s strong, we also see a tender romance form between her and her longtime friend, Alik. The author has created a rich, vivid world where a group of people are being unjustly persecuted for an evil curse that has brought despair and poverty to an entire empire.

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