Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Plain Kate

by Erin Bow 

 
A debut novel that's as sharp as a knife's point.

Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden charms are so fine that some even call her "witch-blade" -- a dangerous nickname in a town where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

(summary from goodreads.com)

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A very melancholy book. Beautifully written but a sad story with a decent ending for the main character but very unresolved for everyone else. Too many bad things happened to too many people for me to love this book. I liked the Russian angle of it, very unusual. I also LOVED the talking cat. But I also wanted Kate to be less alone in life and I'm not sure if that was resolved at the end. A sad book.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: heavy; Profanity: none; Sex: hmm, can't remember. Mild if anything.