I almost DNF’d this one, I enjoyed parts of this story but really struggled to keep reading. There were some parts that took me out of the story and even though they ended up being important later I found it jarring. Also I no nothing about the context of the book and felt like the book talked about a lot of things I had no understanding of… which would have been fine if they were explained more but they weren’t. I felt the book was long and I did like the romance and when the action got going, but I just didn’t love this as much as everyone else. I think it’s that the book wasn’t for me.

A beautiful Jewish fantasy steeped in New York. I loved reading this one; it felt like being wrapped up in Jewish culture and history in New York and every moment had me wanting to continue turning the pages.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I enjoyed Night Owls. It was an interesting take on vampires and Jewish folklore. This was exciting and a fresh take on the paranormal. There was a little bit of romance mixed in.

Clara and Molly have a rule to never fall in love. So what happens when it turns out Molly has been hiding a secret girlfriend? For the two of them, not having any mortal attachments is a must for these undead girls. However, when Molly ends up falling in love, their world will change forever. I loved the theater and Manhattan references in Night Owls. Night Owls is multiple perspective and it allows us to see how Molly is being pulled in different directions, Clara who's just trying to keep them safe, and Boaz who's hiding secrets of his own. Night Owls is a story that builds like a crescendo into a fantastical story of wondering if love will be our end.

Can I just say that before this I had never heard of Estries, and as someone who is a lover of all things vamp I am so excited! I will definitely be looking into them more. I was glad that this seemed to have some elements of horror as well as fantasy. I enjoyed the romantic storylines and I can't complain about sapphic vampyness!

This book had multiple action packed and fast-paced storylines that I perhaps wasn't prepared for that left me slightly overwhelmed in some places. But that is totally a "me" issue and I can see many people sinking their teeth into this!

What a fantastic story. I really loved this one. It started slow for me mainly because I am unfamiliar with Jewish folklore, but once things started rolling, it got so good. The Jewish folklore part was fascinating and complex. The story is unique and the characters are great. I loved the relationship between Clara and Boaz. The author has such a wonderful writing style, I cannot wait to read more by them.

I first heard about this book through Jewish Instagram (Jinsta) and it sounded incredible. The merging of Jewish folklore and urban fantasy is a combination that I can’t resist, and this was done so well. I couldn’t have asked for a book to better suit my preferences than this one.

To start with, the writing is beautiful. I loved Vishny’s way of telling a story while avoiding too much purple prose. Her characters are well-rounded and fully developed, creating an intriguing dynamic between all of the major players in the story, and demonstrate growth and change as they move through the plot points.

The story is told through the eyes of each of the major characters—Clara, Molly, and Boaz. Clara and Molly are estries, female vampires who can shapeshift into owls drawn from Jewish folklore. Naturally, there are also some demons scattered through the story, because how could it be a Jewish fantasy without sheydim. But in this story, Clara and Molly follow strict rules that were set forth by their maker. No feeding on non-Jews, because that could lead to disastrous consequences for the Jewish community in the form of massacres justified by claims of blood libel, or that Jews drain the blood of Christian children to make Passover Matzoh.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is that it was so overwhelmingly Jewish. I especially loved that it included Ashkenazi representation (Jews who spent diaspora in Central or Eastern Europe) as well as Mizrahi representation (Jews who spent diaspora in Arab countries), since so many books focus on one branch of Jews rather than multiple branches. Despite the way that each of them are Jewish, there are differences in languages spoken, dress, and cultural practices. For example, we often associate Yiddish (a Jewish language that falls under the West Germanic languages, but is written in Hebrew letters) with Jews, but Sephardic Jews were more likely to speak Spanish, Portuguese, and Ladino (a Jewish language that derives from Old Spanish, but is written using the Hebrew alphabet.) Clara and Molly come from Eastern Europe, while Boaz is descended from Yemeni Jews, and Anat is Israeli. Seeing so many different facets of Jewish life and culture was an incredible feeling, because not only was I able to identify with Jews who hail from the same regions in which my family resided, but also to learn more about other kinds of Jews. Yiddish is featured prominently in this story, because of the estries, but Anat and Boaz don’t speak a word of it, leading to some humorous dialogue.

The plot is heavy on romance, both sapphic and hetero, with an enemies to lovers trope being written perfectly, although it is very much an urban fantasy. As a reader who primarily reads fantasy, this one was done wonderfully and I couldn’t find any fault with it. The romance is a little on the clean side, since this is considered a YA book despite characters leaning more towards NA territory. There’s also elements of mystery, especially in finding out what is happening to Anat, and seeing the characters set their differences aside and work together to help save her was so compelling that I flew through this book despite not wanting it to ever end.

Overall, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I listened to part of this on audiobook as well, and the narrators were outstanding. Gilli Messer and Josh Bloomberg both handled speaking in various accents and languages, including speaking Yiddish, Israeli English with a very heavy accent, and the more commonly found New York melting pot. The plot was fantastic and the kind I couldn’t wait to read more of, the characters practically jumped off the page, and I was just about ready to get tickets to see shows in Yiddish with my mom. Unfortunately, the Yiddish Broadway has declined from its heyday in the early 20th century, but the Yiddish Walk of Fame can still be seen at 156 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. I know I’ll be heading there on my next trip to the city to view some major history. If, after reading this, you are still intrigued by the idea of Yiddish theater, there is still one operating in NYC called National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene. Either way, this is a debut that doesn’t read like a debut, and I loved literally every second of it. If you like reading urban fantasy, stories involving folklore or vampires, and slow-burn enemies to lovers clean romance, this is the book for you.

"Real monsters concealed their knives. Real monsters wore innocent looks of longing. Real monsters put the knife in; they didn’t take it out."

rating: 3.75

owl-shifting vampires from jewish folklore set in a nyc theater 🦉

there were so many great details about yiddish culture, theatre/film, and jewish mythology. i had never even heard of estries before (owl-shifting vampiresses who feed on men) and i thought it was additionally handled well in regards to antisemitic blood libel tropes. there are also jews of color, celebrating the diversity of judaism. shoutout for the sapphic rep too!

i thought the romance between clara and baoz was cute and sweet, and molly's passion for theatre was v relatable as a former theatre kid. learning about yiddish theatre in past nyc was fascinating as i hadn't even known about it prior. will definitely be looking into some as well as some of the classic films name dropped in here.

a heads up though, a few prominently featured characters are noted as being from / having lived in israel, so that will be up to the reader to discern whether they choose to read this.

an honest arc review ♡

All cultures like to give a little twist to the vampire legend and proudly declare: "OUR vampires are different!"

I now know that in Jewish folklore, they tell of Jewish vampires who are all women, can turn into owls, and only drink the blood of Jewish men. And also can eat salted bagels.

Vishny takes this legend and runs with it, placing two of these vampires in the modern-day East Village, surrounded by hipsters and history. Vishny lovingly brings this melting pot world to sparkling life - including the undead parts - making you absolutely believe there are demon-run night clubs next to the bakeries that makes the world's best bagels. (Never let anyone tell you Yiddish is a dead language!)

Molly and Clara have The Rules to keep them safe, living their un-dead lives running an independent theater and occasionally snacking on men who talk through the movie. Of course, two people, even the undead, can't run a theater by themselves, so there are staff members, including a young man, Boaz, who annoys Clara with his perpetual lateness and geeky enthusiasm for silent films.

Boaz, meanwhile, struggles with a family heritage of being able to talk to ghosts and a legacy of no one in his paternal family making it past 40. (Except one very cranky aunt.)

But the barriers between the dead and living are breaking down, New York is filled with hordes of angry ghosts, and two people with no reason to trust each other have to work together to save their loved ones and possibly the entire world.

Um YES. YA is so hit or miss for me, but this was a home run of a hit. I just adored Vishny's writing; I was drawn in from the start, which is often not the case in YA, and I found the character and world building to be so complete and well executed. I do think I was predisposed to this novel, as I love vampires, shapeshifters, folkloric fantasy and horror, and of course female friendship and sapphic romance. However, my expectations were high, so it took a lot for this novel to deliver as well as it did.

Estries are not a mythological creature I have heard of before. They are female vampires from Jewish folklore, and I fell in love with the very concept of them. I love monsters, and the idea of vampires, but modern interpretations often lack uniqueness and intrigue. Estries are shapeshifters who can take on various animal forms, are undeterred by all religious iconography, and can only fly when their hair is loose. They can also be revived by eating bread or salt, even while shapeshifted. Their name is derived from the French word for night owl, strix. I did love that Vishny leant into the 'night owl' description. Owls are beautiful, funny, and even cute, but they can be intimidating as well.

I'm largely a horror reader, and although I don't mind romance in my adult horror, I was nervous about my first 'romantasy' of sorts, especially since it was YA. I just love the way Vishny writes romance. Something about her dialogue makes for an authentic-feeling development, and I actually want to see more of Molly, Anat, Clara, and Boaz. They are such strong characters individually, and the relationship developments had me fully invested. Boaz's chapters in particular are enthralling, by the way, and I think his POV kept me excited and reading quickly while the plot was slowly unfolding.

I feel that Vishny created a complete world in Night Owls. She wrote cinematically, but also with straightforward wording so that nothing was lost in over-complicated phrasing, and I never found my mind wandering. I am not Jewish, and knew very little compared to how much culture fills this novel, but from a secular point of view, it was interesting and created a fantastic atmosphere. I do love a setting and society driven by lifestyle, custom, values, and tradition. A shared heritage or way of life enriches and complicates the environment, and explains characters' motivations and perspectives more fully than the background one could fit into a novel.

I do think the pacing could have been better planned towards the end of the book, so this is a solid 9/10 4.5 for me. Many thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC. I received a digital Advanced Reader Copy to read in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I struggled to get into this book and found it slow at points. It’s nice to read a book with Jewish, lesbian mc’s and I always love a good vampire book. Thank you for the arc!

As one of my most anticipated debuts, this book blew me away. I loved the Jewish representation and the mythology interwoven into the story. the old Yiddish theater setting was super interesting as well. I loved the characters and the alternating POVs made the story so engaging. I didn't really know a ton about Estries and I think they're such a unique part of Jewish mythology. This story had romance, fantasy, and a bit of horror and I loved it all. The world-building was incredible and I just want more. Clara, Molly, and Boaz all had lovable qualities and I loved each of them individually and together. I absolutely can't wait to read more from A.R. Vishny as this was an incredible debut!

would like to extend my thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy (ARC) of Night Owls.

The novel is intriguingly told from multiple points of view, offering diverse perspectives on the unfolding events. I found Boaz to be the most compelling character, as his chapters were particularly engaging and well-structured. The pacing of the book was deliberately slow, which initially made it challenging for me to immerse myself in the story. However, as the plot developed, I found myself drawn into the narrative. The disappearance of Molly's girlfriend, Anat, and the looming threat posed by the Prince of Demons set the stage for a complex and compelling storyline. As Clara defies conventional norms, Molly fights for her love, and Boaz confronts the spectral entities and their insatiable desires, the narrative unfolds with a sense of urgency and emotional depth.

#BookReview #AdvanceReadersCopy #HarperCollins #NightOwls #PlotTwists #CharacterDevelopment #EmotionalDepth #PageTurner #NarrativeDepth #BookRecommendation

Clara and Molly are estries, vampires that can shift into owls. They are sisters that have been alive for a century living together while hiding what they really are from the world. Clara is the ultimate rule follower. At the top of the list of rules is to never fall in love. Trouble starts when Molly breaks the rule by falling in love with her girlfriend Anat. Clara also is beginning to feel things for their annoying but sweet employee Boaz. He also has his own secret, he can see ghosts.. When Anat goes missing the girls and Boas must join together to find her.

I had a good time with this. I am not familiar with entries in folklore. I found the world and characters all interesting. I found the pace to be slightly uneven. But I do look forward to seeing what AR Vishny does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collings for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can honestly say I’ve not enjoyed a book this much in a long time. It may well be it has a lot of what I love in one package. Vampires, shape-shifting owl vampires, mythology and folklore, fantasy, horror, supernatural, sapphic romance and so much more. It’s hard not to love it. It’s not only the foundations that are fantastic but the writing is beautiful as well and the characters are wonderful.

The writing is so beautiful yet so simple. It transports you to the supernatural and wonderfully founded world by Vishny. The world and characters are so real you have to wonder just if this is a real account of the shadowy world of Yiddish folklore interwoven with wider fantasy themes. I haven’t read such a good romance in a long time, especially a sapphic one. There are elements of horror too which was just perfection.
I have to say that for a debut novel I was blown away. I am sure, and really hope, we’ll be seeing a lot more from Vishny in the future. Her writing is beautiful, her knack for storytelling is laced with passion and care and I cannot wait to see what tales she weaves in the future.

As always thank you to Harper360UK and Netgalley for the copy to review. My review is always honest and truthful.

Fantasy AND horror AND paranormal romance?! Vampires AND demons AND ghosts?! My oh my does this book contain so many of my favorite things. And theater! And phenomenal Jewish representation! It's primarily set in an old Yiddish theater in NYC. As I write this review I'm beginning to wonder if A.R. Vishny somehow peered into my soul and captured all the things I love into one book?

I finished Night Owls days ago and yet my brain keeps wandering back into the tale. Vishny created such a full fantasy world, such well developed characters, that I think some part of my subconscious thinks it was all real? I'll be going about my routine tasks and suddenly I'll wonder, how are Clara and Molly? What's Boaz up to? Oh, wait...the book ended. I was so engrossed in this story that my mind has not yet caught up to the fact that no matter how much more I want, it's over.

And if it isn't clear, I LOVED Night Owls. It is magical in every sense of the word. What an incredible debut novel. Vishny is a talented storyteller and gosh I cannot wait to read whatever she writes next.

All the stars! Night Owls will be out 9/17.

I didn't like the pacing and after trying a few times to get into the book, I had to give up and abandon it.

Clara and Molly Sender are sisters bonded by the same ancient secret: The two women are hundreds of years old estries, female owl-shifting vampires from Jewish folklore. Together, they run the Grand Dame movie theater, a building steeped in decades of Jewish history and culture.

Clara is a rule-follower. Molly wants to be in love. And Boaz, the ticket office attendant, is trying to make peace with all the ghosts in his life... Except for his missing father, of course.

When Molly's girlfriend, Anat, vanishes into thin air and the Prince of Demons threatens the living world, Clara must break the rules, Molly must fight for the love she desires, and Boaz must face the ghosts and their hunger.

I cannot tell you how much joy it fills me with to be able to write a review for a Jewish YA fantasy novel with sapphic representation and ZERO focus on WWII/the Holocaust. Vishny has ignited New York City with not only Ashkenazi joy but Sephardi strength. I have never been a big fan of the city, but suddenly, too, I want to walk around the park with a bag of challah. I had so much fun learning about Jewish history and submerging myself in the legend of estries, which I had never heard about before this novel!

I was not a huge fan of Molly as a character (I don't think she was developed enough), but she pulled through. Clara was fierce and strong, but also dynamic in that she was fun to tease and sometimes slow on modern jokes. Boaz was an absolute trainwreck of a himbo character and I loved him deeply for it. I think there is some struggle to buy in for the romantic aspects of this book with the characters starting the book all connected, but if you're like me and the romance was the last thing on your list here, it shouldn't bother you too much.

MORE YA JEWISH FANTASY!!!

The premise of Night Owls intrigued me with its blend of supernatural elements, mystery, and romance. The idea of two undead sisters running a historic movie theater while navigating the complexities of love and survival was promising. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t hold my interest.

The pacing felt slow, with much of the story spent on exposition rather than allowing the plot to unfold naturally. Clara, as a character, came across as overly rigid, making it difficult to connect with her emotional journey. While the stakes were high, the tension didn't build in a way that kept me engaged.

The supernatural aspects, while creative, didn’t fully integrate into the narrative, leaving certain scenes feeling disjointed. I also struggled to find the chemistry between the characters believable, which made the romantic subplot less compelling.

Ultimately, Night Owls had potential, but it didn’t quite come together for me, leading to my decision to set it aside. This could be a great read for those who enjoy slow-burn supernatural romances, but it wasn’t the right fit for me.

I ADORED this book. As a lifelong New Yorker I am always thrilled when I find out that a book is set in NYC and as a nerd, finding a fantasy book set in NYC is an even bigger treat for me. Night Owls had me hooked from one of its earliest line “ It was seven in the evening and Clara Sender was already considering murder”. Come on, it’s a great way to start a book and I needed to know more! And AR Vishny did not disappoint combining Jewish folklore and mysticism, a bit of mystery, light horror and romance to create a story that made for a fast paced and engaging read. I laughed at Boaz’s antics, felt for Molly and Clara when I learned about their backstories and was frantically turning the page as I got to the epic finale.

If you enjoy paranormal romance, watching old movies, and/or are looking for your next vampire obsession you have to add Night Owls to your TBR.