Review by Booklist Review
Without an angel on either shoulder and with a dybbuk claiming co-ownership over her body, Sorel finds herself on the run, desperately avoiding her impending marriage to the local rebbe's son. The dybbuk is the displaced soul of a boy named Isser, whose criminal dealings went a step too far after he stole a divine artifact from the rebbe (at Sorel's father's behest) and was killed. Sorel teams up with Adela, the girl who was Isser's lifelong partner in crime, and starts following the murky trail Isser left behind in the name of revenge. With a delightful folkloric cadence that gives a classic Disney tone combined with a high-stakes tale of intrigue, everything about Sorel's story has wide appeal. Heavily underrepresented Jewish mythology and the prolific use of untranslated Yiddish take the classic girl--impersonating-boy trope to interesting places, with the added twist of acknowledged queerness. Overall, an easily accessible bridge to YA that remains a fantastic adventure for readers of all ages.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
It's the eve of her wedding night when Sorel Kalmans--the 17-year-old daughter of a wealthy Jewish merchant who, along with the Hasidic rebbe, rules her small Russian town of Esrog--heeding the advice of a mystical "shadowy reflection" in her mirror, disguises herself as a boy and flees. But Isser Jacobs, the new name she chooses for herself, is also the name of a man who printed illegal political pamphlets and had secret dealings with her father. Accompanied by a mysterious young man and Adela, Isser's accomplice--both of whom may or may not be trustworthy--Sorel searches for her namesake, along the way uncovering more about what's going on in her hometown. As the trio delve deeper into their investigations, Sorel also finds herself drawn to Adela. Throughout, Sorel contends with myriad personal challenges surrounding those she left in Esrog, the life she weaves as Isser, and the future she wants for herself, adding sometimes-meandering complications to her and her companions' plight. Lamb (When the Angels Left the Old Country) packs their swift sophomore effort with adventure, folklore, and Jewish mysticism: Sorel and her companions must not only confront people who wish them ill but also face existential questions regarding angels and the future. Ages 12--up. Agent: Rena Rossner, Deborah Harris Agency. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--When the prospect of marrying into a prominent family feels too dire a reality to withstand, 17-year-old Sorel Kalmans leaps from her window and flees into the unknown. Disguising herself in the stable-boy's clothes and stealing a knife for protection and an impromptu haircut, Sorel takes on the name of Isser Jacobs. Her momentary freedom as Isser is short-lived, however, as it turns out that there is a real-life Isser Jacobs and that undertaking his existence also means taking on his significant troubles. As she navigates the world as Isser, Sorel finds that their lives are far more interconnected than she could have ever imagined. Beyond the chilling and enticing first line, this novel presents many hurdles for readers. Undefined Yiddish words are prominent, excluding all but intermediate to advanced students of the language. A disorienting journey is intensified by the presence of two Issers and a protagonist that goes by three first names. The plot lacks a sense of urgency and momentum, and the characters' motives and desires are unclear. VERDICT Despite the promise of "a genderqueer lesbian with a knife," fans of Lamb's previous work will struggle to connect with an uninspired lead character and a dearth of adventure.--Ingrid Conley-Abrams
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Review by Horn Book Review
"On a full moon night, after a day of fasting, the young bride Sorel Kalmans leapt from a window and left her life behind." Seventeen-year-old Sorel is betrothed to the rebbe's son, a rather milquetoast character, but something compels her to flee. That something turns out to be both her own impulse and an otherworldly force, which is revealed partway through this unique and absorbing novel. Disguised as a boy, she doubles back to her own pre-wedding "beggars' feast" and encounters a young peddler, Sam, who helps protect her from the city guards after a case of mistaken identity (or is it?) gone wrong. The two are joined by a third ally, revolution-minded Adela, in helping find the missing boy whom Sorel so resembles. There are many gripping twists and turns, along with dubious motivations, questions of faith and orthodoxy, friendship, identity (gender and otherwise) -- and a stolen book that was "written by an angel, with its own hand." Says Sam: "Paradise is a book...a place built of the same Hebrew letters that built the world. No book a human hand could write contains all of Paradise, but a book that captures even one chapter of it can change the world." In this worthy follow-up to When the Angels Left the Old Country (rev. 1/23), Lamb demonstrates a deep commitment to this heady idea while crafting another page-turning and un-put-downable narrative. Elissa GershowitzSeptember/October 2024 p.78 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A girl runs away from her wedding and meets the Angel of Death. Seventeen-year-old Sorel Kalmans, motherless and wealthy, does not want to marry the rebbe's son. For one, the young people's fathers arranged the match to strengthen both their business relationship and the Jewish communities of the (likely) 19th-century Russian town of Esrog and its surrounding shtetlach. More importantly, Sorel doesn't recognize herself as a blushing bride--when she looks in the mirror, she sees a stranger. So she steals a stableboy's clothes and runs away. A mysterious young man named Sam helps her survive her new vagabond life, but Isser Jacobs, the false name she chooses at random, also belongs, unfortunately, to a local boy who's deeply embroiled in Sorel's father's licit and illicit business interests. Lamb's sophomore novel contains fascinating magical elements drawn from Ashkenazi Jewish lore, such as dybbuks, angels, and demons, but confusing timelines and a muted and anticlimactic ultimate reveal weaken the story. Relatedly, Sorel herself is a blank cipher at the center of this slice of Yiddishkeit life, a character who plays others so much that readers never quite learn who she is, what she wants, and what is at the root of her motivation to leave. An interesting frame for a story that ends up spinning its wheels.(Historical fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
