3.5 
 Ok this is a hard one, but I felt it needed a proper review. Vassa in the Night is a retelling of a Russian folk tale called Vasilisa the Beautiful which I had never heard before and is quite an interesting tale. I recommend reading it before picking up this novel. 
 I didn't care for Sarah Porter's other books so much, and enjoyed this one quite a bit more. The writing is beautiful and the story VERY unique. However that uniqueness can work for and against it. This book is weird, and if it's weird for me that says a lot because I enjoy anything odd, macabre or eccentric. It is a little confusing, there is a lot to keep track of and there are quite a few characters. I got lost a few times and had to go back and re read to make sure I either a)understood what was going on or b)had read what I thought I read. 
 Vassa is an interesting character, not a Mary Sue, not particularly special in any way by herself. She is a bit whiny, but her character comes together at the end in a nice way. There isn't any romance in this book, which I must say I enjoyed. My favorite character was Erg her talking doll. 
 I felt the world building was a little lax, if it makes sense, there was too much information and not enough information all at the same time, which didn't help the confusing aspects of this novel. It reads in some parts like a folktale and in others like a traditional YA novel. 
 This is not a book to pick up simply because you like fairy tale retellings. In fact I probably wouldn't recommend this at all if that's what you're looking for. This book is dark, VERY VERY strange, a bit complicated, funny, heart felt, beautiful and eye twitch worthy all at the same time. I am glad I read it. Though, it took a bit for me to get into it, about 30 pages. I am also glad I didn't buy it because I won't be reading it again.