[Book Review + Favorite Quotes] Wench by Maxine Kaplan || Blog Tour ||

Name: Wench
Author: Maxine Kaplan
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publishing Date: January 19th, 2021

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Content warning: Some magic in the book involves self-harm.

A funny, fiercely feminist YA epic fantasy—following the adventures of a tavern wench

Tanya has worked at her tavern since she was able to see over the bar. She broke up her first fight at 11. By the time she was a teenager she knew everything about the place, and she could run it with her eyes closed. She’d never let anyone—whether it be a drunkard or a captain of the queen’s guard—take advantage of her. But when her guardian dies, she might lose it all: the bar, her home, her purpose in life. So she heads out on a quest to petition the queen to keep the tavern in her name—dodging unscrupulous guards, a band of thieves, and a powerful, enchanted feather that seems drawn to her. Fast-paced, magical, and unapologetically feminist, Wench is epic fantasy like you’ve never seen it before.

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Time to play with some blood and quills! Tadooom! (I honestly don’t know why I made that sound.)

Well, let’s get into the review of the book, I just honestly have finished it right before I sat and wrote this review. You definitely need some guts to read this book. It has its own and just a complete different world. I would like to start by the writing style of the author. I enjoyed the way the whole book was written. The plot changes its scenery more than thrice throughout the whole book and I really love how well everything is described in the book. It definitely is not a writing style for beginners, but, you can just give a try to it and see for yourself here. The English is quite well as well, again, the english is easy here but not the writing style. What I want to say is, if you are long into reading books and absolutely love reading books or rather love fantasy, this one is definitely for you.

Let’s talk about the plot-line now. The plot is complex and keeps changing from here to there, new characters keep introducing throughout the book. That is if you are not someone who has difficulty remembering different characters. Also, if you like reading a constant scene and not a lot of change in the aesthetic, you might want to consider it! But but but, I absolutely love it. I have a lot of fun reading higher and deeper dig into fantasy. I also enjoy diving deep into complex plots where I have to cause my mind to think “what’s next. . . what’s next. . .what’s next!” and Wench definitely gives you this!

Character Time! The lead character, Tanya, is a loveable and an absolutely fun protagonist. She is witty rather than intelligent. She has never studied books or have learnt from school but she has powered her wit through the experience she have had at the Tavern. She is strong and somewhere a bit over-confident. What I like about Kaplan’s characters’ are the rawness of them. If you have read my reviews for long, you know I love when characters feel natural and lively. There are characters in the book which tend to seem perfect yet in someway they are not. What more can you ask for?!

The supporting characters. There are a lot of supporting characters but none useless. Each of them has a different impact of Tanya’s life which really attracts the book to me. As much as the lead character, the same importance has been given to the sub characters! Great job done there!

The book is medium paced. It neither felt slow nor fast. Also, it falls under neither plot-driven nor character-driven books. It balances finely between that line.

Overall Sum-up: I enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it to anyone thirteen and above. There is fantasy, strong characters, loveable aesthetics and what not!

Favorite quotes:

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I give this book a solid four on five for everything the book has! I will definitely read it again and maybe get my hands on the paperback if possible!

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Maxine Kaplan was born in Washington, DC. She and her twin sister spent their early childhoods trotting behind their journalist parents as they traveled around the world, eventually settling in Brooklyn, NY. Maxine graduated from Oberlin College in 2007. Following a long stint in the world of publishing, she has worked as a private investigator since 2009. She lives in her adopted hometown of Brooklyn, NY, with her dimwitted, but soulful cat.

Her first novel The Accidental Bad Girl received a starred review in Publishers Weekly and will be available in paperback January 5, 2021. Her sophomore novel, Wench, is coming in January 19, 2021.

Author Links:

Website || Twitter|| Instagram|| Goodreads

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Thank you so much Amulet Books, TBR and Beyond Book Tours and Netgalley for this ARC!

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