What do you think?
Rate this book
Hereville #3
How Mirka Caught a Fish
Welcome back to Hereville, where Mirka, the time-traveling, monster-fighting, Orthodox Jewish girl faces her greatest challenge yet: babysitting! Mirka wants to find new adventures, but she's stuck having to watch her disapproving little sister. Add a magic fish with a grudge, and Mirka's in way over her head--and this time, her whole family is in danger!
142 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 2015
27 people are currently reading
596 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
February 11, 2016
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first two Mirka/Hereville books. :-(
Partly, the continuity seemed off somehow. Mirka's older sisters don't appear and aren't mentioned, while a younger sister who wasn't in the previous two books is suddenly the driving force for this story. And partly, while this story is a little more mature than the previous installments, it's also darker and creepier in a way I just didn't like that much.
On the other hand, it gets four stars because it's just as wildly creative and unexpected as everything that happens to Mirka has been, and because it tackles Mirka's emotional development and her relationship with her stepmother sweetly and touchingly. I enjoyed learning a bit more about Fruma's background, although it did leave me with more questions than answers.
I do hope there will be more books in this series. It's really unusual and so charmingly quirky. I'd love to spend more time in Hereville.
So, recommended, but less wholeheartedly than the previous two books.
June 21, 2017
Humor, logic, time travel! I love this series.
December 15, 2015
For all of the Mirka books, I've flown through them, unable to read them fast enough, and then closed the book at the end with a warm, fuzzy glow. This one...
This one is a brilliant example of why children's literature is important, and significant, and should be taken seriously. I think Mr. Deutsch has done the credibility of graphic novels, and especially those for children, a huge favor.
A lot of good children's literature is very metaphorical. Where the Wild Things Are is a bildungsroman. Harry Potter has metaphors about the real world and the way we treat each other out the ears. The Hunger Games is a social commentary of modern-day America that lambasts the military-industial complex. I could go on but I don't have to, I'm sure the Goodreads crowd knows. In this book, I'm reading a badly-needed message, and one that, if I prayed, I would literally pray that children reading it today would absorb into their worldview the way I did messages from the books I read as a girl.
To sum it up, the lesson I take away from it is basically the Golden Rule, or the Torah teaching Fruma tells Mirka in her parable at the beginning of the book, but with an added precept: "When someone does you wrong, justice doesn't mean an eye for an eye; keep your head, or else the world will go blind".
I don't want to spoil the book so I'll be vague: Mirka has, throughout the series, had a complicated relationship with her stepmother, Fruma, who is both a thorn in her side and a source of important wisdom. Turns out Fruma was once a girl herself, and wasn't always perfect--a duh moment for older readers, but I hope we all remember the very real shock that can be when growing up, and how important it is to our doing so. It also turns out Fruma made some mistakes and not-so-wise choices in her past...and now Mirka and her sister have to bear the consequences of it. Fruma made an enemy for herself who is now bent on getting back at Fruma in any and every way possible, and is perfectly happy to let the girls be pawns or collateral. And when the bad guy has been defeated--without Mirka ever using her prized sword, by the way, which is important--the time comes to dole out justice.
But that's the hard part. Justice isn't always justice, Fruma tells Mirka early on in the book. Fairness, or doing unto another what they have done unto you, isn't always just. Fruma, by now, thinks her earlier mercy was too lenient, and shies away from Mirka's solution. But Mirka, who has been unfairly brought into her elder's conflict, victimized by it, and had to clean it up, has learned the lessons from Fruma's better nature well. And Fruma, in her wisdom, puts her faith in a child's idealism.
I get it. It's an allegory. Duh. But for what?
Given that the characters are in an Orthodox Jewish community, the easy choice would be to see Israel reflected in Mirka's family. Heck, I even had a moment where I realized it could be a stand-in for Jewish-Christian relations over the past two millenia--fish are a symbol strongly rooted in Christianity, with our fishermen-apostles and the ICTHOS acronym--although I absolutely don't think the message is anti-Christian or anti-Gentile.
Instead, when I see the panel of Mirka's shocked and horrified face at the idea of doing to the fish what it did to her, I remember a photograph of a body in a business suit, necktie flapping in the wind, angled in an unnatural manner toward the ground it hurtles toward so the former inhabitant won't have to wait and suffer while the tower works on collapsing. While I look at panels of Mirka's sister crying out for vengeance, I think of juxtaposed images of French mourners laying flowers in the street and a newspaper headline with military jets. In Mirka's initial quick-snap solution to the problem toward the middle of the book, one that comes back to bite her, I think of my lesser countrymen spitting on and shooting at people leaving their places of worship this weekend in Tampa and a newspaper article saying people have never seen sentiment against their community as bad as it is now.
This wasn't Mirka's fight; she inherited the mistakes of her elders and is being asked how to solve them. And yes, Mirka is resentful, as she should be...but she rises to the occasion, and remembers the wisdom her stepmother has given her as well, and KEEPS HER HEAD when all she wants is revenge.
And Fruma listens. Even when her own wisdom fails her, the lessons she taught Mirka shine through and she trusts Mirka. She doesn't condescend or ignore, and she recognizes, with the wisdom of humility, that her own decisions have not served the family well thus far. So although she isn't fully confident in Mirka's ability to be responsible, she remembers that values aren't really values if you only adhere to them when they are easy...and trusts Mirka.
The family's life will never be the same, but vengeance won't fix that. Mirka makes a smart but compassionate choice, hopes, as one has to, that her faith is not misplaced, and works toward the future while not forgetting the past.
I get it.
And Bravo. Bravo, Mr. Deutsch.
I was already giving these books to any kids I could at my library, but now I'll stand on a street corner and hand them out to strangers or just mail a crateload to Congress. Obviously I can't actually do that, but I'll put this book series into the hands of anyone I can, young or old.
Can I just say, this is exactly what good children's literature does, and why it is needed?
This one is a brilliant example of why children's literature is important, and significant, and should be taken seriously. I think Mr. Deutsch has done the credibility of graphic novels, and especially those for children, a huge favor.
A lot of good children's literature is very metaphorical. Where the Wild Things Are is a bildungsroman. Harry Potter has metaphors about the real world and the way we treat each other out the ears. The Hunger Games is a social commentary of modern-day America that lambasts the military-industial complex. I could go on but I don't have to, I'm sure the Goodreads crowd knows. In this book, I'm reading a badly-needed message, and one that, if I prayed, I would literally pray that children reading it today would absorb into their worldview the way I did messages from the books I read as a girl.
To sum it up, the lesson I take away from it is basically the Golden Rule, or the Torah teaching Fruma tells Mirka in her parable at the beginning of the book, but with an added precept: "When someone does you wrong, justice doesn't mean an eye for an eye; keep your head, or else the world will go blind".
I don't want to spoil the book so I'll be vague: Mirka has, throughout the series, had a complicated relationship with her stepmother, Fruma, who is both a thorn in her side and a source of important wisdom. Turns out Fruma was once a girl herself, and wasn't always perfect--a duh moment for older readers, but I hope we all remember the very real shock that can be when growing up, and how important it is to our doing so. It also turns out Fruma made some mistakes and not-so-wise choices in her past...and now Mirka and her sister have to bear the consequences of it. Fruma made an enemy for herself who is now bent on getting back at Fruma in any and every way possible, and is perfectly happy to let the girls be pawns or collateral. And when the bad guy has been defeated--without Mirka ever using her prized sword, by the way, which is important--the time comes to dole out justice.
But that's the hard part. Justice isn't always justice, Fruma tells Mirka early on in the book. Fairness, or doing unto another what they have done unto you, isn't always just. Fruma, by now, thinks her earlier mercy was too lenient, and shies away from Mirka's solution. But Mirka, who has been unfairly brought into her elder's conflict, victimized by it, and had to clean it up, has learned the lessons from Fruma's better nature well. And Fruma, in her wisdom, puts her faith in a child's idealism.
I get it. It's an allegory. Duh. But for what?
Given that the characters are in an Orthodox Jewish community, the easy choice would be to see Israel reflected in Mirka's family. Heck, I even had a moment where I realized it could be a stand-in for Jewish-Christian relations over the past two millenia--fish are a symbol strongly rooted in Christianity, with our fishermen-apostles and the ICTHOS acronym--although I absolutely don't think the message is anti-Christian or anti-Gentile.
Instead, when I see the panel of Mirka's shocked and horrified face at the idea of doing to the fish what it did to her, I remember a photograph of a body in a business suit, necktie flapping in the wind, angled in an unnatural manner toward the ground it hurtles toward so the former inhabitant won't have to wait and suffer while the tower works on collapsing. While I look at panels of Mirka's sister crying out for vengeance, I think of juxtaposed images of French mourners laying flowers in the street and a newspaper headline with military jets. In Mirka's initial quick-snap solution to the problem toward the middle of the book, one that comes back to bite her, I think of my lesser countrymen spitting on and shooting at people leaving their places of worship this weekend in Tampa and a newspaper article saying people have never seen sentiment against their community as bad as it is now.
This wasn't Mirka's fight; she inherited the mistakes of her elders and is being asked how to solve them. And yes, Mirka is resentful, as she should be...but she rises to the occasion, and remembers the wisdom her stepmother has given her as well, and KEEPS HER HEAD when all she wants is revenge.
And Fruma listens. Even when her own wisdom fails her, the lessons she taught Mirka shine through and she trusts Mirka. She doesn't condescend or ignore, and she recognizes, with the wisdom of humility, that her own decisions have not served the family well thus far. So although she isn't fully confident in Mirka's ability to be responsible, she remembers that values aren't really values if you only adhere to them when they are easy...and trusts Mirka.
The family's life will never be the same, but vengeance won't fix that. Mirka makes a smart but compassionate choice, hopes, as one has to, that her faith is not misplaced, and works toward the future while not forgetting the past.
I get it.
And Bravo. Bravo, Mr. Deutsch.
I was already giving these books to any kids I could at my library, but now I'll stand on a street corner and hand them out to strangers or just mail a crateload to Congress. Obviously I can't actually do that, but I'll put this book series into the hands of anyone I can, young or old.
Can I just say, this is exactly what good children's literature does, and why it is needed?
September 19, 2016
Mirka is something else. She's the Orthodox Jewish equivalent of Tiffany Aching and if the running of all universes was handed over to girls of their ilk, then things would run smoothly, logically, and with plenty of action.
Library copy
Library copy
July 9, 2022
Builds on the first two episodes, so those should be read first. I love this series--not only for the story lines and the humor, but also for the way it gives me a feeling for what it is like to read a story as a cultural outsider. I think HEREVILLE should be required reading for anyone who is puzzled by minority readers who express feelings of alienation or otherness thanks to the underlying, usually unstated (and invisible to us white, mainstream, cisgender, etc folk) attitudes, values and assumptions that pervade children's literature.
May 22, 2018
You don't have to be Jewish to love Mirka. Deutsch stories uses religion and folklore to tell a story that is also about family. Religion simply is in the book, which is lovely. Mirka rocks. I love this series.
July 4, 2025
Impulse grab at the library. Didn't realize it was third in a series, no wonder I was confused in the beginning. Fine print, unattractive art makes it difficult for my old eyes to enjoy. But I did like the theme as shown by the final solution. I'm undecided about reading the first two. Rounding up from 3.5 because diversity rep.
December 17, 2016
Story: 5 stars
Art: 5 stars
Children's graphic novel with Orthodox Jewish characters and some fantasy elements thrown into the mix. Characterization is superb. Story line is interesting. Very original series. Art is above average.
I've never encountered a children's book that incorporates religion so well into the story. The Jewish-ness isn't just an incidental part of the characters to add some flavor; it defines who the characters are. The Jewish customs and culture are woven tightly into the plot as well, but don't overtake it or reduce any of the entertainment value. In fact, the enjoyment of the book is actually increased by the Jewish aspects.
This third installment in the Hereville series is phenomenal. The plot twists, the intense conflicts, the depth of emotions, the character growth, and the vivid art all combine to make this one of the very best graphic novels I've ever read. Barry Deutsch is really hitting his stride with this series. I would love to see it continue.
Art: 5 stars
Children's graphic novel with Orthodox Jewish characters and some fantasy elements thrown into the mix. Characterization is superb. Story line is interesting. Very original series. Art is above average.
I've never encountered a children's book that incorporates religion so well into the story. The Jewish-ness isn't just an incidental part of the characters to add some flavor; it defines who the characters are. The Jewish customs and culture are woven tightly into the plot as well, but don't overtake it or reduce any of the entertainment value. In fact, the enjoyment of the book is actually increased by the Jewish aspects.
This third installment in the Hereville series is phenomenal. The plot twists, the intense conflicts, the depth of emotions, the character growth, and the vivid art all combine to make this one of the very best graphic novels I've ever read. Barry Deutsch is really hitting his stride with this series. I would love to see it continue.
October 30, 2016
The author manages to tell a simple, creep-inducing tale with a flourish of humor and whimsy. Our heroine is a frum, Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jewish girl with a stepmother named “Fruma” (translation: pious female) and a half sister to babysit. After a strict injunction not to enter the woods, Mirka and her sister do exactly that, and encounter a wish-granting fish out for revenge.
An all-too-tidy resolution and a lack of real character development made my enjoyment of this middle grades adventure relatively mild.
An all-too-tidy resolution and a lack of real character development made my enjoyment of this middle grades adventure relatively mild.
December 5, 2015
Another excellent volume of Hereville. This just might be the best one yet, actually. I feel like there's more character development in this one book than in the previous two combined, especially in regards to Mirka's step-mother. There's also a more keen sense of actual danger to the protagonists. One thing that I've liked about the series as a whole is how much the characters need to rely on their wits to save the day, and that's never been more true than in this story.
June 23, 2021
I think this is my favorite in the Hereville series! More was revealed about Mirka's stepmom via a hairband time travel loop device. Kids rarely think their parents are or were ever interesting, but Fruma was a lot more like Mirka than either would probably admit. And Mirka learned a good lesson of kindness and selflessness here. She's growing, bit by bit. Another great installment.
December 13, 2017
This was my favorite of the three, I think.
July 8, 2019
I'm on the fish's side tbh. Mirka and her family are all terrible people. Well except Rochel. She's reasonable.
June 20, 2023
i was enthralled
Read
September 19, 2016green fish take mirka's sister name is layele. mirka got big worry then look for her. she find her in water. you want to know why fish take her then read this book.
November 15, 2015
I love Mirka, so I was anxiously awaiting this book. The illustrations are fabulous and really take advantage of the graphic format with different layouts and lots of great facial expressions. It was hard for me to follow the action with interruptions from the "magic hairband," and I had trouble following the convoluted logic of Fruma and Mirka, but that is what makes their relationship so special. Layele, Mirka's little step-sister has not figured prominently until now (I don't know the time line, but Mirka seems about the same age).
As with all sequels, the first book was unique and different, and while this was enjoyable, it did not reach that level for me.
As with all sequels, the first book was unique and different, and while this was enjoyable, it did not reach that level for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2015
Deutsch's Herevillebooks just keep getting better and better. This third volume is the most entertaining entry with a significant amount of depth and humanity amid the adventure and humor. Highly recommended. Gwen and I will be discussing this one soon at The Comics Alternative Podcast.
November 26, 2015
I love Hereville. The adventures, the humor, the family dynamics... Mirka is becoming a younger version of her stepmother, and at this point in the series they're both starting to lean into it a little more. I would happily read a comic about them doing nothing adventurous -- they're just such great characters together.
November 24, 2015
The third book in the Hereville series finds Mirka babysitting her younger sister--and of course, disobeying instructions. A forbidden trip into the woods lands everyone in hot water when a magic fish with a grudge against her stepmother kidnaps her sister. Love this series!
November 18, 2015
Best yet in the series.
November 27, 2015
This is such a great series and it's really cool how the author mixes in Jewish culture without taking away from the main characters heroics
December 14, 2015
I LOVE THIS SERIES
May 17, 2016
The best Hereville yet!
August 6, 2016
Very charming and quirky.
November 11, 2019
Welcome back to Hereville!
January 19, 2022
Mirka has certain positive qualities. She’s inquisitive, stalwart, brave and spirited. But oftentimes she’s selfish, vicious, contradictory and needlessly cruel. So she’s a complex mix, a multi-faceted character. But most of the time, she doesn’t seem to care for anyone but herself.
In this story, she’s as obnoxious as ever. She rats out her little stepsister when she catches Layele burying the pictures of Mirka’s dead mother. Rather than find out why the little girl is performing such a macabre deed, she eagerly drags the girl to her Fruma, crying out about her disgusting act.
There are two reasons for snitching. One is to prevent something terrible from happening. The other is to see someone get in trouble. With Mirka, it’s decidedly the latter. She positively salivates to see Layele punished and her disappointment over the lack of any punitive consequences points to a mean-spiritedness that makes it hard for the reader to root for her.
When her aunt forbids her to go into the forest, Mirka IMMEDIATELY disobeys. Why? She’s curious to know what her aunt got up to when the older woman was younger. Her aunt’s youthful hijinks are none of her business but you couldn’t tell that to Mirka.
(I believe I mentioned in a previous review that she’s a poor listener. Apparently, that’s a fault she still hasn’t fixed.)
Mirka’s willful disobedience leads her to tangle once more with the ogre she enslaved, a creature that intensely dislikes Mirka for her intrusion on his time and space and demands for his worldly goods. Mirka is annoyed when Layele bonds with the creature, telling Layele that she shouldn’t have anything to do with it because it’s a monster. Layele is too young to point out the obvious flaw in Mirka’s demand. If Layele shouldn’t associate with the creature because it’s a monster, what is Mirka doing with it?
In time, Mirka’s defiance causes her stepsister to be abducted by a magical fish and her aunt to be turned into a tree. When her aunt scolds her for disobeying her one demand, Mirka’s contrition lasts only long enough for her to retaliate with the verbal riposte that it’s her aunt’s fault for a mistake the older woman made years ago. Mirka thought her aunt perfect but peering into the past allowed her to see that her aunt was no better when she was Mirka’s age.
This is patent nonsense. If Mirka thought her aunt was perfect, why does she defy the older woman at every turn? Why doesn’t she listen to her? Why does she get into trouble after trouble?
As various people point out, Mirka isn’t competent at anything. She’s lousy at math, can’t knit anything except caps, can’t really handle that sword she demanded from the ogre and is a terrible babysitter. In one novel, she beat up one of her boy relatives. In this one, she pushes Layele into a river. She’s a pitiful excuse for a heroine. However, she does manage to pull victory from the jaws of defeat…or at least a real, big fish.
She’s basically a female version of Bart Simpson and I don’t like him at all. Why should I care for Mirka?
In this story, she’s as obnoxious as ever. She rats out her little stepsister when she catches Layele burying the pictures of Mirka’s dead mother. Rather than find out why the little girl is performing such a macabre deed, she eagerly drags the girl to her Fruma, crying out about her disgusting act.
There are two reasons for snitching. One is to prevent something terrible from happening. The other is to see someone get in trouble. With Mirka, it’s decidedly the latter. She positively salivates to see Layele punished and her disappointment over the lack of any punitive consequences points to a mean-spiritedness that makes it hard for the reader to root for her.
When her aunt forbids her to go into the forest, Mirka IMMEDIATELY disobeys. Why? She’s curious to know what her aunt got up to when the older woman was younger. Her aunt’s youthful hijinks are none of her business but you couldn’t tell that to Mirka.
(I believe I mentioned in a previous review that she’s a poor listener. Apparently, that’s a fault she still hasn’t fixed.)
Mirka’s willful disobedience leads her to tangle once more with the ogre she enslaved, a creature that intensely dislikes Mirka for her intrusion on his time and space and demands for his worldly goods. Mirka is annoyed when Layele bonds with the creature, telling Layele that she shouldn’t have anything to do with it because it’s a monster. Layele is too young to point out the obvious flaw in Mirka’s demand. If Layele shouldn’t associate with the creature because it’s a monster, what is Mirka doing with it?
In time, Mirka’s defiance causes her stepsister to be abducted by a magical fish and her aunt to be turned into a tree. When her aunt scolds her for disobeying her one demand, Mirka’s contrition lasts only long enough for her to retaliate with the verbal riposte that it’s her aunt’s fault for a mistake the older woman made years ago. Mirka thought her aunt perfect but peering into the past allowed her to see that her aunt was no better when she was Mirka’s age.
This is patent nonsense. If Mirka thought her aunt was perfect, why does she defy the older woman at every turn? Why doesn’t she listen to her? Why does she get into trouble after trouble?
As various people point out, Mirka isn’t competent at anything. She’s lousy at math, can’t knit anything except caps, can’t really handle that sword she demanded from the ogre and is a terrible babysitter. In one novel, she beat up one of her boy relatives. In this one, she pushes Layele into a river. She’s a pitiful excuse for a heroine. However, she does manage to pull victory from the jaws of defeat…or at least a real, big fish.
She’s basically a female version of Bart Simpson and I don’t like him at all. Why should I care for Mirka?
April 7, 2021
Super strong Vol. 3!
I always start off reading Hereville being super annoyed at Mirka (she can be such a brat! lol). But somewhere in the middle, I end up rooting for her & only want to see her succeed.
The stakes in this volume were pretty high (for the first time it was not Mirka's own safety that was threatened & she realized how serious the trouble was).
I ADORE Mirka's step-mother. She's such a strong and smart character. The way Mirka doesn't "get her" is the same way any child wouldn't understand an adult/their caretaker and their decisions.
(Deutsch also does a good job explaining the differences between being "modern" and being Ultra-Orthodox in this volume, regarding Mirka's step-mom's upbringing vs. her own.)
I loved how they had to stop for Shabbat & Mirka was furious at the 25-hour pause.
But that time gave them both perspective, time to take care of themselves & time to heal. (Mirka's step-mom also knew there was nothing to do without the seashell charm, so waiting for a bit was also necessary.)
I also loved how Mirka appealed to her step-mom's logic at the end. Their relationship grew into something strong and beautiful by the end. I loved the last pages. <3 <3
Here's to hoping this series comes back one day!! <3
I always start off reading Hereville being super annoyed at Mirka (she can be such a brat! lol). But somewhere in the middle, I end up rooting for her & only want to see her succeed.
The stakes in this volume were pretty high (for the first time it was not Mirka's own safety that was threatened & she realized how serious the trouble was).
I ADORE Mirka's step-mother. She's such a strong and smart character. The way Mirka doesn't "get her" is the same way any child wouldn't understand an adult/their caretaker and their decisions.
(Deutsch also does a good job explaining the differences between being "modern" and being Ultra-Orthodox in this volume, regarding Mirka's step-mom's upbringing vs. her own.)
I loved how they had to stop for Shabbat & Mirka was furious at the 25-hour pause.
"First, because celebrating Shabbos wouldn't mean anything if we only did it when it's EASY."
But that time gave them both perspective, time to take care of themselves & time to heal. (Mirka's step-mom also knew there was nothing to do without the seashell charm, so waiting for a bit was also necessary.)
I also loved how Mirka appealed to her step-mom's logic at the end. Their relationship grew into something strong and beautiful by the end. I loved the last pages. <3 <3
Here's to hoping this series comes back one day!! <3
February 14, 2020
And in this adventure, Mirka learns the importance of family, even if you don't feel like it's your family, and that things are not always what they seem. After a magical fish is accidentally awakened from a long slumber by Mirka and her sister Layele, Mirka learns that her stepmother Fruma has a past that seems not so different from Mirka's own--and maybe even more strange. Chaos erupts as Mirka attempts to free her sister from the fish's malevolent grasp, and the family tries to find calm in their spiritual tradition. What I love about these stories is that Judaism is shown as the foundation for life, but not all actions are informed or dictated by religion, and spiritual connection can provide hope and comfort in times of stress. It is the kind of approach to the conversation that makes me feel like I could find that hope and comfort myself, but I know there is much more to Jewish faith than just that, things I don't think I could accept. However, I admire the portrayal of people of faith who still have crazy adventures that have nothing to do with their religion. I also wonder if we will ever meet Mirka's father, if there are more of these in the future!
October 2, 2021
Mirka is left babysitting her sister, Layele, she is told NOT to go in the forest....so of course she goes into the forest first thing. She finds the troll who owes her and makes him tell her what Fruma, her stepmother saw in the forest. The troll gives her a magic hair band that allows her to "travel" to the past....where she sees things leading to Fruma being granted three wishes. Sometimes wishes can be tricky. Layele is given a shell token by the troll that allows her to breathe underwater. Wearing the token she is pushed into the water by Mirka and a frog who has been living under a curse realizes that Layele holds a key to reversing his curse. One thing leads to another with magic, witches, secrets and Mirka has her hands full of trouble. This graphic novel shows the way of life in a Jewish household but with weird magic thrown in....very strange. Jewish phrases are translated to English, customs are practiced and explained, morals, teachings and clothes are written about....but add in trolls, witches and magic for an unique experience.
July 11, 2020
The longest, most personal, most complex and interconnected book in the series yet; perhaps also the last. Mirka's world doesn't expand very much in this book - there's effectively only one new character of any significance - but it gains a lot of depth as we (and the main character) learn about her family's past, and there are some pretty dramatic events that will impact its future as well. This is also the book in which Mirka finally starts to constructively inhabit the monster-hunter role she's always dreamed of, apparently without even noticing.
If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, definitely check it out. If you haven't read them yet, it's probably best to start at the beginning and work your way here: there are brief nominal bits of exposition for new readers, but in order to get the full impact, you really want to know the background and character dynamics going into this one.
If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, definitely check it out. If you haven't read them yet, it's probably best to start at the beginning and work your way here: there are brief nominal bits of exposition for new readers, but in order to get the full impact, you really want to know the background and character dynamics going into this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews