Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko

Title: Vita Nostra
Authors: Marina and Sergey Dyachenko
Translator: Julia Meitov Hersey
Page Count: 404
Rating: A
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Fantasy
Keywords: Magic, Science, Russia
Kid Appropriate: Probably not

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Our life is brief . . .

The definitive English language translation of the internationally best-selling Russian novel – a brilliant dark fantasy combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way.

‘A book that has the potential to become a modern classic.’
Lev Grossman, best-selling author of The Magicians

Our life is brief . . .

While on holiday at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerless to refuse when this strange and unusual man with a sinister air directs her to perform strange and uncomfortable tasks. He rewards her efforts with a strange golden coin.

As the days progress, Sasha carries out other acts for which she receives more coins from Kozhennikov. As summer ends, her new domineering mentor directs her to move to a remote village and use her gold to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. Though she does not want to go to this unknown town or university, she also feels that somehow it’s the only place she should be. Against her mother’s wishes, Sasha leaves behind all that is familiar and begins her education.

As she quickly discovers, the institute’s ‘special technologies’ are unlike anything she has ever encountered. The books are impossible to read, the lessons maddeningly obscure, and the work refuses memorization. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures; instead, their families pay a terrible price.

Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences which are nothing she has ever dreamed of… and suddenly all she could ever want.

A complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility, this astonishing work – brilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey – is reminiscent of modern classics such as Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Max Barry’s Lexicon, and Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale, but will transport them to a place fantastical and new.

My Review:

Oh lordy I loved this book a million times more than I had expected!

For some background, this is not a new book but the English translation and American release of Vita Nostra is new as of November 2018. The authors are a couple originally from Ukraine and this book was published in Russian around 2013. From my understanding, this is a series...and I have high hopes that the other books will be translated as well if that is true!

First, I need to address that this is in no way like The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. If that is what you expect going into this one you will be incredibly disappointed. Arden writes a great fantasy novel that pulls more from the medieval culture of Russia and folklore prevalent in the countryside. You can read my full review for that book here. Marina and Sergey are not writing such a book. Sasha is a girl in modern Eastern Europe and you will experience glimpses of what life is like in post-Soviet culture. As long as you go in expecting that rather than the fairytale story of Arden's creation then you will be just fine.

The book begins in a slow and somewhat confusing way, mirroring the summer vacation mood that Sasha and her mother are experiencing as well as the fear that Sasha faces with this peculiar man following her about. This feeling of the story following the way that Sasha is feeling and morphing throughout the story is perhaps one of the strongest aspects of the writing.

I took the advice of one reviewer while I was reading and focused more on the concept of liminal spaces (a term anyone that has ever studied Russian culture is incredibly familiar with). For this book that is the space between being a child and an adult. That is what this story is about at it's very root, becoming who you are meant to be. Because the characters are college age and making this transition I would say that this book falls closer to being a New Adult fantasy rather than a YA or adult fantasy. Sex is a frequent conversation but I do not recall any detailed scenes of smut.

With the focus on Sasha's transformation and the writing following fairly closely with her emotions and stages of development in her studies, the book is incredibly addictive and you begin to feel as if the book has bewitched you! By the end of the book I felt like Sasha, fixated on the story and unable to look away.

If you are looking for a post-Soviet, addictive, dark twist on the typical magic school setting then I highly recommend giving this one a go!

Please note, if you are sensitive to content relating to sexual coercion or prostitution that it is a small part of this story.

If you want to see my spoiler free video review click here. Happy reading!