I wanted to enjoy Wench a lot more than I did. The premise was excellent, the cover was fun, and I'm always up for an unapologetically feminist story! Unfortunately, the strange pacing of the book prevented me from connecting with the characters and plot.

Tanya could have been a fun main character. The motivation of going on a quest to save her tavern was one that I was excited to read. Instead, I found it lacking. Her caretaker dies in the first scene, and pretty soon she's on her adventure. As much as I understand the need to get the story going, I didn't feel a hint of emotion at Tanya losing everything she's ever known. I didn't get to understand what the tavern meant to her, we were told, but never shown.

The first half of this book features all over the place action and an introduction to the main characters. It was exhausting. Tanya was being pulled in lots of different directions, but she was often reacting to events rather than taking initiative for herself. That mixed with a lack of understandable motivation made me lose interest very quickly. The second part slowed down considerably, but it was such a strange transition in speed that the pacing felt off.

I did enjoy the LGBT+ representation, and it was great to have a bisexual main character. It's a shame the pacing negatively impacted my experience of the story because the premise and all of the characters seemed to have a lot of potential. I'm not going to rule out reading this author in the future, even though this book didn't work for me.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, ABRAMS Kids and Amulet books, for the chance to read and review this book,

“Wench” was an absolutely pleasure to read! Set in a world where magic exists, but only few are able to use it without crazy incidents, the main character is Tanya, who has worked at her tavern since she was a little girl. When her guardian dies and she risks losing everything she’s ever known, she’s determined to do do anything in her power to get her home back. That means travelling to the Capital and petitioning to the King and Queen. Her whole world expands, not only geographically, but also personally, including meetings with unscrupolous and peculiar guards with unknown business, guild of thieves, magicians and a magic feather drawn to her.

This book was so funny and incredible. It’s fast paced and it was so amazing reading about Tanya, whose life was confined to the tavern, adapting and adjusting to everything this crazy journey throws at her. Tanya is a brilliant main character. She learned how to read people, how to use everything for her advantage, how to adapt and when her life is turned upside down, Tanya is unbelievably stubborn and resourceful. Magic and adventure, kidnappings and breathtaking escapes, indipendent mare and feather, this epic fantasy is funny, brilliant and wonderfully written. The characterization is one of the things I loved the most in this book and Tanya is a genuine heroine with her stubborness, smart retorts and abilities. I loved reading about her interactions with…well, basically, everyone, because this book is full of funny and intriguing moments, like the bond between Tanya and Jana, or between Tanya and Rollo and so on. I love Jana and Riley, they are really complex and amazing, Rollo is a captivating character and Greer too.

It’s really amazing reading about a main character so relatable and lifelike and the story is full of plot twists, peculiar magic and many adventures. So I definitely recommend this book to those who love a good epic fantasy with great characters.

The biggest problem I had with WENCH was the pacing. The book is 400 pages long, but more so than the actual number of pages, I felt than the first 30-40% of the story was too slow and drawn-out. Plot points also felt a little disjointed and messy at points. For a story about an epic journey, it sort of wandered all over the map. The later half of the book was much better in terms of the pacing and storytelling.
Tone was a bit of an issue too. WENCH seemed to flit between wanting to be something light and comic, and a dark, blood-magic fantasy. It sort of wavered around without truly hitting either.
In terms of strengths, the first thing I point to – and something I truly loved – was how unusual and utterly unique the world building and magic system was. Tanya comes upon the magical quill fairly early on, but she learns how to use it in more and more ways throughout the novel. The idea of having to preplan her magic because of a sort of magical “equal-but-opposite-reaction” effect was a nice touch but what truly made it so original to me, was the repeated idea that – in theory – anyone can use the quill, the crucial skill is knowing how to keep things organised and in balance, something Tanya – essentially a small-business owner/ manager – is well-versed with. Efficiency and practicality as a powerful magic ability is something a bit different from the usual chosen one logic, and a nice change of pace.
Aside from the magic system, I liked Tanya as a character. She’s not a perfect person, and her mule-headedness could be frustrating at times, but it worked perfectly for the story. Her personality made a lot of sense for both her backstory and the plot. She was rather a unique leading lady and it was great to see how she bounced back each and every time she was underestimated.
A rocky start, and a book that perhaps could have been streamlined in places, but WENCH is still an enjoyable read. I would read more from Maxine Kaplan and be happy to try a follow-up to Tanya’s story.

Unfortunately I DNFd this book around 30%. The premise was really fun, but it was not as action packed as I would have liked. Honestly, if you liked piratey books and don't mind it being less-than swashbuckling, you could probably do with this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc, unfortunately however, I DNFed it. I’m sure there are people out there who will love this story, but it was right for me. The writing style and narrative voice of the story were just much too young for me, more like a middle grade than a YA.

I honestly can't decide how I feel about this book. I loved the premise and was excited to dive in, but I am struggling to identify whether I liked what I found. The main character is an odd combination of strong and independent while unconfident and unsure. The cast of supporting characters feel rather wooden and flat at times, as if almost all of the characters are stereotypes of the types of characters the author felt should be in a fantasy novel. The plot felt rather disjointed and all-over-the-place, which I think might have been remedied by a bit more explanation and background detail given. The book seemed to prefer constant action over any real exposition, but this becomes problematic in a fantasy where you are trying to bring the reader into a whole new world with its own unique rules, including a unique magic system. The whole premise behind the quill is fascinating, but I found myself feeling like I was playing a video game made up entirely of side quests. There really seemed to be no point behind the quill and all the magic for much of the story except as a plot device to get the main character to the appropriate places to achieve the main goal (with, of course, an appropriate number of road blocks in the way, all to some extent caused by the quill). The love interest felt similarly awkward and rushed.

The queen was a rather fascinating character, but I was so torn about whether or not she was a trustworthy character that it distracted me from the plot a bit. I wish we could have been given a bit more certainty about her character just a bit sooner in the story, because it made me rather anxious as the reader and I felt like I couldn't get a handle on her.

I think, all in all, this was a fantastic premise and an interesting world and interesting characters who were all collectively just poorly executed. I would almost have preferred the book be slightly longer so as to give more background and detail to the world and the lore, and that would have made things much richer and easier to follow.

An excellent debut from Maxine Kaplan. This book was fun, feminist, and has great supporting characters. I love the LGBTQ representation and look forward to reading more from this author.

When I saw the cover, this looked to me like it would be a medieval romp, and the blurb led me to believe there would also be magic. In fact, there was a lot more magic than I was expecting! Not quite medieval besides the term "wench", "tavern", and the presence of blacksmiths, etc., but there is a castle made of ice and a Queen that doesn't seem quite human. All in all, this did not have the medieval feel I was expecting.

Tanya is a tavern wench who learned to break up fights and run the place herself by the time she was eleven years old. There are very brief and rare hints to her past before that, and I think it would have been more interesting if we had been given more information on those things, if only to help us know her better. I found it really hard to connect with her, and I think it was because this was in third person, even though it was her story. As it was, I only saw Tanya's fear, anger, pride, and desires (also briefly), but that's it. There are way more emotions on the human spectrum than that, and I think because we weren't in her head, we did not get to experience them.

I enjoyed the side characters, especially Jana, Greer, Darrow, and Riley, which definitely helped me to stay interested in what Tanya was up to. The lesson seems to be that "you can do anything, but don't cut out others from being a part of your story." Because up until the very end, Tanya wanted to do every single thing by herself, which is great, but when people are offering to help, it's okay to let them.

The climax and solution were convoluted, and I didn't understand how it worked. This is definitely an adventure story with lots of magic (and darkness), and I think it will be appealing for a lot of readers, but for me it was only okay. I think being in Tanya's head would have helped me feel more for her.

Oh how I wanted to love this book! I enjoyed the main character, premise, and setting. But there was just. so. much. pivoting. Every time I got settled into the story, everything changed. It felt like constant whiplash. I hate to give negative feedback on this one but I really struggled with it.

I really didn't enjoy this book. I tried hard to, and genuinely wanted to, but it really wasn't for me. It was described as "feminist" because the character is feisty, but I don't think that was a fair description of this novel. I'm hesitant to outright critique as I do wish it well, but there was nothing working in this books favour in my experience.

Tavern wench Tanya has been running her tavern since she was tiny and could do it with her eyes closed. When her guardian dies, Tanya expects to take over ownership of the tavern and for everything else to remain the same. But without signed papers that leave the tavern to her, Tanya could lose it all. So she does what any self-respecting tavern wench would: she embarks on a journey to the royal palace to petition the Queen to keep the tavern in her name. However, travel to the palace isn’t going to be easy, which Tanya discovers as she crosses paths with thickheaded guards, unscrupulous thieves, and dimwitted wizards. When she finds a magical feather that seems drawn to her, Tanya realizes that she has the potential to change not just her life but the fate of the kingdom. She must decide who she can trust and figure out exactly how her feather works if she wants to save herself and her friends from a despicable plot years-in-the-making.

This book had great potential, but in my opinion, it just fell short. While I loved the feminist elements, it was hard for me to really connect to the book because of pacing and character development issues. Tanya is a fierce and fun character, but by the end of the book, I had trouble cheering for her after she made some questionable choices. However, the character of Jana, a kick-butt and hilariously wonderful thief, was a joy to read. I also appreciated the LGBTQ+ representation, but the romances seemed abrupt and unsupported, almost entirely appearing in the last hundred pages. Still, I had fun following the misadventures of Tanya’s journey and discovering the magical elements of this empowering novel.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change.)

This was a very solid story! There was a lot I really liked about this book and I really only had a few little complaints.
I loved the femist aspect of this book. I love seeing a book that has not only a strong female lead but strong female friendship as well. I always long to see women working together in books and other media and Kaplan really delivered! Tanya was an amazing heroine in so many ways and paired with her amazing side characters this book really couldn't lose on that aspect.
I also adored the LGBTQA+ representation present in this book. I always seek about books with queer themes and this one was really good. Though I do wish we got to see more of the f/f romance. I felt as if it got a little lost along the way but I am also always looking for more f/f romance in books in general.
The only thing that bugged me about this book was that the pacing seemed a little off. I had a hard time telling where Kaplan was going some times as well as some thing were just a bit to long. Though all of that can probably just be chalked up to this is Kaplan's first novel and she is still working on finding her footing.
All in all this was a solid read for me. Despite the pacing issues I really did enjoy this book over all. I will definitely be giving Kaplan another chance with her next book.

Cute story with a strong and engaging protagonist. I appreciated how she got things done herself, it was refreshing to see a character who was so independent and proactive in their own journey.

Pacing was flawed, some parts dragged while some went by too quickly, but it was a fun read that I would recommend.

I'm going to round this one up to four stars as I'm teetering on the edge of 3.5.

Overall, this story was an enjoyable one and Tanya was a relatable character to follow around for the length of it. Unfortunately, it didn't hold my attention like I think it should have. There's so many twists and turns that I expected to be captivated, but sadly...I just wasn't. It's not bad...it's just not all that great either.

The main plot has Tanya needing to get to The Capital to get possession of the Inn/Tavern that she thought would be left to her once her guardian passed. There's plenty of adventure...or misadventure, if you will, along the way, but I felt like a lot of it could have been avoided had Tanya been a little smarter? I mean, common sense should still be a thing in books, right?

If you're looking for something to just pick up and read between heavy books, this one will do nicely. It's cute and fun and fast-paced...just don't expect to be wow'd or really drawn into the story.



Thank you ABRAMS Kids via NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review honestly.

DNF @ 29%
Nothing wrong with this one, but for now it failed to keep my attention.

I loved the setup of Wench and Tanya, the no-nonsense protagonist who is determined to get her tavern back at all costs.

From the very beginning the plot was fast-paced, and scenes, moods and allegiances changed quickly. It was not particularly funny or surprising, but while I did find it entertaining, somehow I was not especially deeply invested. I think ultimately things just happened a little too fast, and I didn't really know what to do with and think of with various plot elements that were introduced in frequent intervals without really letting the previous one sink in.

In the part I read there were already several intriguing developing relationships, and I am looking forward to eventually picking it back up and finding out how they all end up.
Related to that, Tanya definitely reads as bisexual.

The most overt thing that bothered me was all the misogyny. Tanya knows how to handle herself and use her situation and how men view her as weaker to her advantage, and while it certainly was never condoned it also was treated as so deeply normalized that it was barely worth remarking, much less get upset over.

I picked this book up based upon the author's description of why she wanted to write it. She talked about how the character of the "Wench" is always there to further another's story - to serve the beer, to provide a quick tumble, to overhear secrets and pass them along, or a variety of other things that helps the MC get what they want. She never gets her own story. And so Kaplan decided to give her an adventure of her own.
.
Tanya is a tavern wench. She's damned good at it too, and she's proud of having the best tavern in her village. But when her guardian dies having forgotten to name her as the next rightful owner of the place, the kingdom's soldiers seize the property and all its goods, leaving Tanya effectively penniless and homeless. Turns out the only way that Tanya can get her tavern back is to petition the Queen herself, and this sets in motion Tanya's epic adventure.

Filled with magic, thieves, kidnappings, suitors, shifting alliances, far off lands, a enchanted feather, and a cranky horse, Wench more than meets out the usual epic fantasy genre elements. But it kind of seems just meander to plot point to plot point. It all blends but even at its end I'm still not quite sure what the actual goal of the story was.

I still enjoyed reading it though as Tanya's a solid character with a good head on her shoulders and she doesn't waver from that the entire book. Wench comes out in January 2021, and if you're okay just going on a journey without a destination in mind you should check this out.

I love that the theme of renaissance fairs, medieval taverns, etc. is having a moment in fiction right now, especially as they tell new feminist spins on women referencing those time periods. Historical fiction doesn't need to follow a male dominated norm. There were then and are now women who stood up for themselves and led amazing feminist lives. I also appreciate the LGBTQ representation of course. While the plot wasn't a stand out, the characters, main and supporting, were very well done.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.


Sadly this book failed to grab my attention and it'll be a DNF. The pacing was slow for me and I couldn't fully pull myself into the story to continue.

Wench by Maxine Kaplan is a fun younger YA feminist fantasy that follows a character type that we rarely ever get to see lead their own story in the genre. Tanya is a tavern wench. She may not be the chosen one, a princess, an assassin, or a thief, but she is very good at what she does and finds herself on an unexpected adventure to see the queen anyway when her guardian, the tavern's proprietor, dies without a will and without naming a successor (which deserves to be Tanya herself) to get the deed the business put in her name. While the book is uneven in terms of pacing, Tanya herself really makes the story work. Like I said, she's very good at what she does, is a hard worker, and has a sharp sense of humor all of which I greatly appreciated. In the long run, though, the novel doesn't work out as well as I would have hoped and as much as it should have. The pacing is all over the place and the story itself is inconsistent in places. Plus, the world-building is a little too thin for my tastes as well. Overall, I don't feel like I have a broad enough of a view of characters and the world they inhabit to really become invested in them. Maxine Kaplan's Wench never quite hits the mark that it's aiming for but it still manages to be a fun ride.

This is the first book I've read by Maxine Kaplan and won't be my last. Loved this story so much. Strong women, fantasy, magic, and so much more. Tanya is the strong heroine protagonist in this story and she is determined to get what is hers. Along the way we meet many characters that will both help and try to hurt her. The story moved along and I was swept into the fantasy. Truly enjoyed this book.