Welcome to Litsy!

Taking place on a female only island most of who are escaping bad situations. On the island they‘re free &safe. They learn ancient knowledge &magic which helps when events occur that threaten their peace on the island.

Mostly middle grade, but there are scenes near the end that are more mature.

This is written by a Finnish author & I found it serendipitous that there was a woman‘s only island (SuperShe) around the same time in Finland.

This book was magic and delightful 🖤much like these saffron-infused madeleines 👩‍🎨I recommend both

It's an interesting story told in an almost journal format. The pacing was a little different from what I'm used to. Recommend it to anyone who wants something different, or looking for feminist lit. I will WARN you, there are mentions of abuse and rape, nothing too graphic but just enough reference to understand what's happening/happened. So please choose carefully if you want to read this. Overall, I give it a 3.5/5

This #ya #fantasy in translation was interesting but ultimately didn‘t quite work for me. There‘s two ways to do a feminist story in a fantasy world: to give us a utopian vision of gender equality, or to show us all the flaws in a system similar to our own. This one tries to do both, with an all-women maiden-mother-crone-worshipping Red Abbey as well as what happens when the men they escaped come calling. Both are pretty successful... ⬇️

The women and girls of the Red Abbey believe they have found a safe place in a world which doesn‘t allow women to feel safe and to be educated. This feeling of safety is destroyed when men arrive at the Abbey to hunt down a girl they don‘t want to let go.

#SOS #ABBAinAugust

Such a great book and interesting story. I can‘t wait to read the rest :) I recommend. 5/5

#AprilBookishMadness
Day 11 - title starts with M
One of my favorite finds from 2016.
An import from Finland, it is a wonderful little feminist YA fantasy. I loved it.
#fantasy #yafantasy #feminism

Leuk boekje maar er was weinig 'actie' . De schrijfstijl beviel me wel en had iets sprookjesachtig. Ik ben echt wel benieuwd naar hoe het verhaal verder gaat ontwikkelen dus ik lees zeker de opvolging.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Maresi there are a lot of #believer(s). They live at the Red Abbey and worship women in all their forms - Virgin, Mother and Crone.

#DecDays

This was pretty great! I loved how it was so different from all the YA I've read so far, and, also, that it went against some of the over-used YA tropes (I'm looking at you love-triangle). The Abbey setting was very interesting, and I really wanted to know more about their religion and its background. It did get a bit too action packed and fast-paced at the end, which I felt was a shame. I would rather have had 50-100 more pages, actually.

A completely #blameLitsy buy - or, actually, a blame @Moray_Reads buy. I couldn't resist buying this after her recommendation, and now I'm really looking forward to reading it! 👏

That's partly why I love Litsy and Littens - it is so much easier discovering #newauthors 👌

#bookmail #AwesomeAutumnBooks

The reviews on Goodreads are mixed on this, but I liked it. The Red Abbey is a kind of female Utopia where women that are broken or damaged, physically or emotionally, can go to escape the world and learn the spiritual ways of the First Mother under the tutelage of various Sisters. Maresi is a novice there whose life is changed forever when a girl named Jai comes to the island under bad circumstances. The last quarter of this book is very dark.

Birthday gifts from my brother! Thanks @JoCo1990 so excited to read them both!!

I kind of loved this book. A feminist fantasy book for YA readers, it was lovely. Translated from Swedish, this is book one in the Red Abbey chronicles. The Red Abbey is a spiritual haven for young girls and is located on an island where men are forbidden. Their peaceful existence is disrupted when Jai arrives on the island. Some dark stuff that may be tough for younger readers but also empowering in its emphasis on sisterhood and women's strength

Pretty good book. It reminded me little of Grave Mercy.

The Red Abbey is a haven for women far and wide and provides shelter and learning on an island forbidden to men but the Sisters know they won't be able to keep the world or forever. Maresi is fantastic. I champions the rights and strengths of women for a new generation. It is steeped in the traditions of the traditional Triple Goddess giving it great mythological depth and the Avery is a beautifully realised community 👇

This book is A LOT, so for now I'll just highlight a word that is, in my brain, equally and deeply connected to both 11th grade English vocab quizzes and the Buffy episode "Fool for Love."

Now, I have to finish this book immediately; it is TOO MUCH right now.

The first book in a YA trilogy, this book about a society of women kicked ass. The Red Abbey offers refuge to girls who have been abused or need food and shelter. They can learn to read, learn medicine, farming and sisterhood. It is a sacred and powerful place. So what happens when evil, barbaric men show up, looking for the daughter who escaped her father's cruelty? I'm not going to tell you! You'll have to read it to find out!

Sharing is caring. Lily LOVES the bookmark from my cupid- @ChasingOm ! This is how we party most Friday nights in the winter. This photo is my #FunFridayPhoto, as this is Friday and Lily and I are both having the fun. Happy Friday, Littens!

I've been tasked with reading this YA book for the store. Translated from Finnish, and the first in a new trilogy, it is posited as a staunchly feminist book, with echoes of Le Guin. Any of you Littens in the know about this one?

This book starts quiet and descriptive. Told by the innocent Maresi who has a thirst for knowledge. She lives on an island just for women, where they can live in peace away from the command of men. There is a mysterious air to the island and the inhabitants of the Red Abbey. This book is written beautifully. 5/5
#bookreview #bookworm #bookdragon

The matriarchy saves the day!

Seriously intrigued about this one. Got it from my local library this weekend.
#librarybook

Simple plot with subtle fantasy. I was interested to see the portrayal of the triple goddess. Beautifully descriptive. It starts out slow but once it picks up it is suspenseful and at times disturbing. Too short! The reviews seem pretty polarizing. I recommend a strong #borrow #yafantasy #ya

I don't read much YA but this is blurbed as being "thrilling, suspenseful and gloriously feminist" which sounds promising :-)

Rachel D., our Teen Board Member, is currently reading #Maresi a book that has already been published in several other countries and languages! Rachel's review will be in our next update!

Only women and girls are allowed in the Red Abbey, a haven from abuse and oppression. Maresi, a novice there, arrived in the hunger winter and now lives a happy life in the Abbey, protected by the Mother and reveling in the vast library. Into this idyllic existence comes Jai, a girl with a dark past. Soon the dangers of the outside world follow Jai into the sacred space of the Abbey, and Maresi can no longer hide in books and words. #tbr

I finally sent in my review for Maresi and scheduled my full review on the blog for Tuesday. I'll spoil the whole review here, I really enjoyed this one. This is a feminist coming of age for girls. I loved the world of the Abbey, and it's three aspect goddess. I'd live there in a heartbeat. It was fun, beautiful, sad, and hopeful. If you want a good YA pick this up next year.

Currently reading and it feels very promising!

I'm loving this book so far! ❤️

Bus Stop Reading. Sounds amazing!

A mysterious, gripping read that explores female power in a troubling fantasy world that is a little too close to our own history. I enjoyed the wonderful depictions of friendship and the compelling narrator, Maresi.