Translated – Page 2 – The Speculative Shelf

Title: Thirst
Author: Marina Yuszczuk
Translator: Heather Cleary
Pages: 256
Release: March 5, 2024

An evocative read that is ultimately unsatisfying in its execution.

The prose is quite pretty, especially in Part I, which vividly depicts the tumultuous life of a 19th-century vampire lusting for blood and leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. However, Part II fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion, abruptly jumping to the present day and losing the momentum of the first half. The writing here feels stilted and uninspiring, lacking the sorrowful beauty of the first half.

The integration of the two plotlines is awkward, and the plot sometimes reads like a series of disjointed events rather than a cohesive narrative. While vampire enthusiasts will have plenty to sink their teeth into here, this book fell short for me.

★★½

My thanks to the public library for providing me with a post-release copy in exchange for a promise that I’ll return it within 14 days. (I did).

Title: Vita Nostra (November 13, 2018)
Authors: Marina and Sergey Dyachenko
Translator: Julia Meitov Hersey
Pages: 416

Vita Nostra follows the plight of Sasha Samokhina, a Russian teenager who is enrolled at a mysterious college where she undergoes major transformations as she navigates social politics, her unique nature, and a bizarre cadre of peculiar professors.

When I read Harry Potter for the first time, I dreamt about how wondrous and wonderful it would be if a place like Hogwarts existed. The school featured in Vita Nostra elicited the opposite feeling and I hope I never come across such a twisted place. It seemed as though a storm cloud drifted over my head every time I opened this book and it felt like I was reading with gray tinted glasses. The dread and foreboding are palpable.

Have you ever had the nightmare where you show up to a final exam and you forgot to study? Or you forgot you had an exam in the first place and you miss it altogether? This book is like that nightmare on acid. It touches on many anxieties that I had packed away and left in high school. It’s odd and unnerving and it really dug itself into my brain in ways that books don’t normally do.

The plot is evasive by design and we know as little about what’s going on as Sasha does at the start. Sasha eventually finds clarity, but things felt just as murky to me. This was a frustrating read, but there’s something to be said about an author being able to evoke an emotional reaction for a reader. I may not have enjoyed Vita Nostra, but I certainly respect its uniqueness and the tone it sets and maintains throughout.

★★★ out of 5

My thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.