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The Breadwinner
In 1924, Pasha Chevalsky is a sixteen-year-old Russian immigrant struggling to make it in New York City's Lower East Side. Forced to leave his home by invading Soviet forces, Pasha lives in a tenement house and takes care of his widowed mother and sickly younger sister. As if being a poor immigrant wasn't bad enough, Pasha sold himself to a street gang known as the Breadwinners to help support his family. Pasha, who is gentle by nature is forced to street fight, steal, and bootleg to earn a living. As much as he despises being a Breadwinner he can never leave, for desertion is punishable by death. Fortunately for Pasha, his luck changes when the mythical Firebird appears and the impossible invades his life. Pasha encounters fire breathers in Central Park, strange dreams, a gypsy circus in Grand Central Terminal, and ultimately a meeting with a peculiar man named Staccato Nimbus claiming Pasha is the lost heir to an ancient throne in another world.The Breadwinner is the first in a series of books about Pasha and Voiler, and is Morgan's first novel. Check out her illustrations and other Breadwinner content on her morgan_true_blum_art.
- GenresFantasy
407 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 17, 2018
2 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Morgan True Blum
5 books11 followersMorgan True Blum was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, the youngest child in a highly creative family. From an early age she was drawn to creative pursuits, primarily writing, art, and acting. As an author Morgan strives to combine all these disciplines into creating vivid and stimulating worlds for her Young Adult Fantasy novels. In addition to writing, Morgan illustrates her own covers, and narrates her own audiobooks.
Morgan began outlining her first book, The Breadwinner, at the age of 18, after moving to the Bay Area of Houston, where the ocean was always nearby, filling her mind with dreams of mermaids, and sea serpents. This combined with her passion for history, and Russian culture, was a recipe for what she considers her passion projects for the past several years.
Today Morgan resides happily in Houston with her beloved husband, her son Magnus, and many, many pets.
Morgan began outlining her first book, The Breadwinner, at the age of 18, after moving to the Bay Area of Houston, where the ocean was always nearby, filling her mind with dreams of mermaids, and sea serpents. This combined with her passion for history, and Russian culture, was a recipe for what she considers her passion projects for the past several years.
Today Morgan resides happily in Houston with her beloved husband, her son Magnus, and many, many pets.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 16, 2019
““Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of trying to cover up those bruises?”… Aunt Poppy leaned against the table and cocked a hand on her hip.
“Malyuka,” little one, “you keep this up any longer and people are going to think you have landed yourself a man.””
Chapter 27, page 329
Starting with this quote might really throw some people off, but I mean it when I say that I laughed out loud completely by myself when I read this. Then, I immediately grabbed my phone and took a picture of the page to save it for later. It may be a bit cynical of me to find this quote funny, but what I think I like about it so much is that it felt like it was placed there on purpose for me, and when I say me, I mean the ‘older’ reader. Although this book contains some dark themes such as some low-key genocide and gang violence, it reads a lot like a book middle-school age me would have read and OBSESSED over (seriously, I might not have shut up about it until at least the start of 8th grade when fangirling over a fictional book starts to feel weird in a social setting). Some of the content may be dark, but it is described and presented in a way that reads as responsible, and aware of a younger audience. And yet, we swing back around to the quote above, there are little bits of more adult pleasure and content cleverly snuck in for any 18+ readers out there. This is something big companies like Disney make so much money doing, and Morgan True Blum nuances her wide-ranged audience flawlessly.
"The Breadwinner" is a YA historical fiction (more on that later) featuring fantasy, fay, and an angry fire guy. The main character, Pasha, is a Russian immigrant struggling to survive in 1924’s New York. In order to help support his mother, Lydia, and his younger sister, Katya, he joins a notorious gang called The Breadwinners. Pasha lives a discouraging life of thieving and violence, accompanied by his friend Faina. That is, until a firebird starts getting him out of tricky situations and a mysterious gypsy caravan rolls into town. Quickly, Pasha’s life is thrust away from the unfulfilled American Dream and into a whole new world full of magical beings, blood-thirsty villains, and a painfully similar kind of injustice.
I truly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. I mean it when I say that every time I closed the book, I was eager to jump back in and read more. Although I reminisce about how younger me would have lost their mind over this book, older me still had a damn good time. One of the characteristics that this book had that really improved my experience of it was the pacing. I have ADHD and unfortunately, once I fall out of a book (which happens sadly far too often), it is near impossible for me to get back to it again (looking at YOU lying over there on my desk). But the rapid pacing, sparing no time for filler or nonsense, kept my impatient mind interested and hooked.
My favorite character is a mermaid named Sonata who had her bottom half (legs in human form and end of the tail fin in mermaid form) cut off by the big bad guys the C.O.N. She is outspoken, gentle, wise, stubborn, driven, and not to mention cool as all hell with her magical prosthetics. (Maybe I don’t have to be a kid to be obsessed with this book because I kind-of really want an art print of her… which, cool side-note, the Morgan True Blum is an amazingly multi-talented individual and did all the illustrations for her book herself).
Unfortunately, as much as I love this book, I do have to lean into critique by principle.
Swinging the circle back to this book’s genre, I want to talk more about it being a historical fiction. If I’m being honest, I find this book to be more fantasy than history (although I’m sure it took a large amount of research to write this book). The lines between historical fiction and a fiction book with a specific setting in history unfortunately get blurry sometimes. Plenty of fantastical YA books are set in a specific time, that is all part of setting, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a historical fiction.
My other critique is that it did oftentimes feel as if the characters were helped out too conveniently, or like the plot was pushed forwards in a way that seemed too easy or glaringly obvious. This may have been a result of over-plotting in the drafting phase which can cause the author’s intentions to shine through too clearly. That being said, Morgan True Blum is not at all nice to her babies and has no problem putting them in awful situations for a while. She is certainly not waiting around to swoop in and save them the moment they face danger. She lets them face the big bad for a bit before pardoning them.
In summary, this book was a true pleasure and I sincerely cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel "The Glassblower". Like, I specifically didn’t read the teaser at the end of "The Breadwinner" because I want to go into "The Glassblower" 100% fresh and unawares.
“Malyuka,” little one, “you keep this up any longer and people are going to think you have landed yourself a man.””
Chapter 27, page 329
Starting with this quote might really throw some people off, but I mean it when I say that I laughed out loud completely by myself when I read this. Then, I immediately grabbed my phone and took a picture of the page to save it for later. It may be a bit cynical of me to find this quote funny, but what I think I like about it so much is that it felt like it was placed there on purpose for me, and when I say me, I mean the ‘older’ reader. Although this book contains some dark themes such as some low-key genocide and gang violence, it reads a lot like a book middle-school age me would have read and OBSESSED over (seriously, I might not have shut up about it until at least the start of 8th grade when fangirling over a fictional book starts to feel weird in a social setting). Some of the content may be dark, but it is described and presented in a way that reads as responsible, and aware of a younger audience. And yet, we swing back around to the quote above, there are little bits of more adult pleasure and content cleverly snuck in for any 18+ readers out there. This is something big companies like Disney make so much money doing, and Morgan True Blum nuances her wide-ranged audience flawlessly.
"The Breadwinner" is a YA historical fiction (more on that later) featuring fantasy, fay, and an angry fire guy. The main character, Pasha, is a Russian immigrant struggling to survive in 1924’s New York. In order to help support his mother, Lydia, and his younger sister, Katya, he joins a notorious gang called The Breadwinners. Pasha lives a discouraging life of thieving and violence, accompanied by his friend Faina. That is, until a firebird starts getting him out of tricky situations and a mysterious gypsy caravan rolls into town. Quickly, Pasha’s life is thrust away from the unfulfilled American Dream and into a whole new world full of magical beings, blood-thirsty villains, and a painfully similar kind of injustice.
I truly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. I mean it when I say that every time I closed the book, I was eager to jump back in and read more. Although I reminisce about how younger me would have lost their mind over this book, older me still had a damn good time. One of the characteristics that this book had that really improved my experience of it was the pacing. I have ADHD and unfortunately, once I fall out of a book (which happens sadly far too often), it is near impossible for me to get back to it again (looking at YOU lying over there on my desk). But the rapid pacing, sparing no time for filler or nonsense, kept my impatient mind interested and hooked.
My favorite character is a mermaid named Sonata who had her bottom half (legs in human form and end of the tail fin in mermaid form) cut off by the big bad guys the C.O.N. She is outspoken, gentle, wise, stubborn, driven, and not to mention cool as all hell with her magical prosthetics. (Maybe I don’t have to be a kid to be obsessed with this book because I kind-of really want an art print of her… which, cool side-note, the Morgan True Blum is an amazingly multi-talented individual and did all the illustrations for her book herself).
Unfortunately, as much as I love this book, I do have to lean into critique by principle.
Swinging the circle back to this book’s genre, I want to talk more about it being a historical fiction. If I’m being honest, I find this book to be more fantasy than history (although I’m sure it took a large amount of research to write this book). The lines between historical fiction and a fiction book with a specific setting in history unfortunately get blurry sometimes. Plenty of fantastical YA books are set in a specific time, that is all part of setting, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a historical fiction.
My other critique is that it did oftentimes feel as if the characters were helped out too conveniently, or like the plot was pushed forwards in a way that seemed too easy or glaringly obvious. This may have been a result of over-plotting in the drafting phase which can cause the author’s intentions to shine through too clearly. That being said, Morgan True Blum is not at all nice to her babies and has no problem putting them in awful situations for a while. She is certainly not waiting around to swoop in and save them the moment they face danger. She lets them face the big bad for a bit before pardoning them.
In summary, this book was a true pleasure and I sincerely cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel "The Glassblower". Like, I specifically didn’t read the teaser at the end of "The Breadwinner" because I want to go into "The Glassblower" 100% fresh and unawares.
August 29, 2019
First off, I love the illustrations for this book! The author has a nostalgic touch to her paintings and drawings. The story is entertaining, but the violence got a little gratuitous for me sometimes.
Pasha got on my nerves several times. Faina is pretty cool—her daring can be a little too risky sometimes, but I did appreciate her getting onto Pasha when he acted up, and that she had no problem believing in the magic that was around her. Katya is a cute and mysterious little girl. It’s not hard to like her! I detested Klokov and Anastas from the first. Lydia is a nice lady, and though my first thought was that she treated Pasha a bit much like a child, I had to remind myself that he’s 16 and still a kid (though in this time, 16 was almost considered an adult by some).
The detail is very well done. I think the author did a great job describing the scenery, especially! The magic felt like something from childhood. There is a lot of suspense in this story. It felt sort of slow sometimes (and maybe that’s because of the length of the book). But otherwise, I think it’s an interesting story. Particularly the illustrations, and the writing!
Pasha got on my nerves several times. Faina is pretty cool—her daring can be a little too risky sometimes, but I did appreciate her getting onto Pasha when he acted up, and that she had no problem believing in the magic that was around her. Katya is a cute and mysterious little girl. It’s not hard to like her! I detested Klokov and Anastas from the first. Lydia is a nice lady, and though my first thought was that she treated Pasha a bit much like a child, I had to remind myself that he’s 16 and still a kid (though in this time, 16 was almost considered an adult by some).
The detail is very well done. I think the author did a great job describing the scenery, especially! The magic felt like something from childhood. There is a lot of suspense in this story. It felt sort of slow sometimes (and maybe that’s because of the length of the book). But otherwise, I think it’s an interesting story. Particularly the illustrations, and the writing!
May 6, 2020
Brilliant Historical Fantasy
This epic saga immerses us in New York of the 1920’s, a rough and unforgiving society where bootlegging and street fighting are the norm. Then we are swept away to another world where a host of mythical creatures abound. The descriptions of each world and their societies are colorful and detailed. We learn of all their intricate histories, their codes of behavior and the dilemmas they face.
The characters are thoroughly believable as they somehow they manage to survive the real emotional turmoil brought about by the tragedies of their past and present. Pasha is a 16-year-old immigrant who had to flee Russia with his mother and sister. He’s tough, yet kind and considerate and struggles to support his family whilst being a member of a street gang. The breadwinners are ruthless; their code is strictly adhered to with no leeway. He has a close friendship with Faina, a beautiful young thief whom he has known all his life. As a teenager he is not yet fully aware of the depth of their relationship and the reader wonders if this could develop into something more in subsequent books. Faina is a gritty, fiery, strong female character who makes her living by selling stolen alcohol. Having lost most of her family she stands steadfastly with Pasha and helps him in his quest to catch the Firebird and save the world of Voiler. There are several other noteworthy characters that are gradually fleshed out as the story unfolds, Pasha’s mother and sister, other street gang fighters, and the members of the travelling circus who are much more than they seem.
The themes of the novel are relevant to readers of all ages. Pasha and Faina teach us about loyalty, friendship, protecting the ones we love and trying to save those who are vulnerable.
The author has a flowing narrative style that is so easy to read. The fast pace, intrigue and skulduggery make this book a real page-turner. Although some of the mysteries are resolved at the end of the book there are still more questions to be answered. I’m really looking forward to the next instalment!
This epic saga immerses us in New York of the 1920’s, a rough and unforgiving society where bootlegging and street fighting are the norm. Then we are swept away to another world where a host of mythical creatures abound. The descriptions of each world and their societies are colorful and detailed. We learn of all their intricate histories, their codes of behavior and the dilemmas they face.
The characters are thoroughly believable as they somehow they manage to survive the real emotional turmoil brought about by the tragedies of their past and present. Pasha is a 16-year-old immigrant who had to flee Russia with his mother and sister. He’s tough, yet kind and considerate and struggles to support his family whilst being a member of a street gang. The breadwinners are ruthless; their code is strictly adhered to with no leeway. He has a close friendship with Faina, a beautiful young thief whom he has known all his life. As a teenager he is not yet fully aware of the depth of their relationship and the reader wonders if this could develop into something more in subsequent books. Faina is a gritty, fiery, strong female character who makes her living by selling stolen alcohol. Having lost most of her family she stands steadfastly with Pasha and helps him in his quest to catch the Firebird and save the world of Voiler. There are several other noteworthy characters that are gradually fleshed out as the story unfolds, Pasha’s mother and sister, other street gang fighters, and the members of the travelling circus who are much more than they seem.
The themes of the novel are relevant to readers of all ages. Pasha and Faina teach us about loyalty, friendship, protecting the ones we love and trying to save those who are vulnerable.
The author has a flowing narrative style that is so easy to read. The fast pace, intrigue and skulduggery make this book a real page-turner. Although some of the mysteries are resolved at the end of the book there are still more questions to be answered. I’m really looking forward to the next instalment!
December 30, 2019
First of all I gotta say this book is amazing.
It's written from a third person POV which was really refreshing and at least for me different.
It's a YA historical fiction and greatly showcases the time in which the story is set.Its really obvious the author paid a lot of sense on little details and made a lot of research.Which only made me dive into the book deaper.
The character building and development is amazing and really made me connect with the characters.
Another thing I really liked, is that the author didn't scare from using perhaps "harder" and older words. As English is not my first language I greatly appreciate when a book challenges my vocabulary.
All in all, this book is amazing and I can't wait to read the second part.If you like YA and historical fiction, or are just looking for a next great read, this book is definitely for you.
It's written from a third person POV which was really refreshing and at least for me different.
It's a YA historical fiction and greatly showcases the time in which the story is set.Its really obvious the author paid a lot of sense on little details and made a lot of research.Which only made me dive into the book deaper.
The character building and development is amazing and really made me connect with the characters.
Another thing I really liked, is that the author didn't scare from using perhaps "harder" and older words. As English is not my first language I greatly appreciate when a book challenges my vocabulary.
All in all, this book is amazing and I can't wait to read the second part.If you like YA and historical fiction, or are just looking for a next great read, this book is definitely for you.
February 17, 2020
Great historical YA novel based in the 1920s. Imaginative characters with great development. My favorite character was Staccato Nimbus, probably because I tend to like powerful mastermind characters. I also really enjoyed the humor. Pyro Anomaly was particularly funny. Can't wait for The Glassblower to come out.
April 27, 2019
This book had everything. Magic, great characters, accurate historic setting and a well paced narrative that sets the series up to continue. As a reader I was left wanting more.
December 16, 2019
I loved looking at Morgan True Blum's illustrations on Instagram so was really excited to finally read her book. Morgan's creativity extends beyond her illustrations and into her writing. Her wording is vivid and puts the reader right there in the historical setting. A great book takes one away from reality... it takes the mind and emotions on a journey and that is what Morgan True Blum was able to do with the world she created!
November 26, 2018
History meets Fantasy
This book was written from a third person POV. Most books I have read recently are from a first person POV. The difference was refreshing. The writer challenged my vocabulary from time to time by choosing words that were unfamiliar to me, sending me to my thesaurus. Character development was well done. A love story seems to be developing. Descriptions of places and things seemed to paint pictures in my mind. I was disappointed when I reached THE END until I remembered this is the first in a series. I look forward to purchasing and reading the continuing story of The Breadwinner.
This book was written from a third person POV. Most books I have read recently are from a first person POV. The difference was refreshing. The writer challenged my vocabulary from time to time by choosing words that were unfamiliar to me, sending me to my thesaurus. Character development was well done. A love story seems to be developing. Descriptions of places and things seemed to paint pictures in my mind. I was disappointed when I reached THE END until I remembered this is the first in a series. I look forward to purchasing and reading the continuing story of The Breadwinner.
February 19, 2020
I absolutely loved every minute of this book! I immediately fell in love with the characters, and couldn't help but feel I was right there with them. I even cried at one point, I felt so bad for Pasha, the main character. The imagery was so vivid, and really made the setting and time period come alive. There was plenty of action to hold my attention, and I can definitely say this book will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you're looking for a colorful, magical read to lose yourself in then I would highly recommend The Breadwinner!
February 19, 2020
The Breadwinner by Morgan True Blum was a wonderful read! The storyline was very interesting and unique. The book falls in the historical fiction, fantasy, and young adult categories. I don't read a lot of historical fiction and young adult books, but I really enjoyed The Breadwinner. It was a bit more violent than I expected, but I was okay with it. If you're a fan of magic and historical fiction, you should read this book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews