Starred Review Sisters Clara and Molly are estries reatures from Jewish folklore who shape-shift into owls and thirst for blood. They comanage the Grand Dame, a wonderfully old Yiddish theater in New York City that provides the perfect cover for their dietary needs. Unbeknownst to them (for now), their funny, clever coworker Boaz is able to see the undead, a threat to both their centuries-­old secret and Clara's vow never to fall in love. But when Molly's girlfriend, Anat, is taken, Clara and Boaz are drawn together into a rescue mission, bringing them face-to-face with some terrifying monsters (including the ones inside them). Plus, Boaz's theft of an ancient relic with an increasingly strong will of its own sets off another set of interconnected problems. Vishny presents an intense, immersive quest full of deeply woven traditional and cultural lore, with emphasis on the value of Jewish faith and culture to the development of the characters. Serious situations experienced through the lens of enchantingly witty and emotional characters combine with a gentle touch for delicate subjects, and a plethora of Jewish experiences is illuminated. Readers will be a little bit scared of and for Clara and Molly in a story jam-packed with sweeping action, historical asides, and threads to follow.

Jewish mythology, Yiddish theater, and New York City history meet in the present dayThe Sender sisters, Molly and Clara, are surprisingly successful 18-year-old co-managers of a revived Yiddish theater on Second Avenue in Manhattan. That's because they're also more than a century old; Molly and Clara are Estries, undead women from Ashkenazi lore who turn into blood-drinking monsters and can fly around on owls' wings. They've done a good job of keeping their true identities a secret, but of course, new love interests complicate everything. Molly's girlfriend, Anat, gets possessed by a dybbuk who might have ties to Molly's past. Clara would insist that she doesn't have feelings for Boaz, their Syrian Jewish employee, but his ability to see the dead and his family's possession of a magic ring turn everyone's world upside down. The plot becomes a bit rudderless once the action picks up in the various storylines, circling around several loci but never quite making the stakes and motivations feel clear or urgent. Debut author Vishny's writing is at times muddy but mostly unobtrusive and is most successful when re-creating scenes from older history. Overall, the story excels at taking relatively hidden aspects of Jewish history, contemporary community life, and bubbe meises (or fables) and making them feel fresh and vibrant.A spirited retelling of lesser-known tales. (author's note)(Paranormal. 14-18)