The Song of Vengeance is a magical adventure, rooted in Jewish folklore, that follows a young college freshman as she embarks on an expedition to save her two best friends, restore happiness to a magical world, and discover the perks of adulthood.
Table of Contents
Review
Follow Carrie, a homesick college freshman, as she tries to save her two best friends in a world of magic and folklore while she discovers love and independence.
In the second installment of the Dybbuk Scrolls Trilogy, Carrie, now starting college, finds herself missing her two best friends, Lindsay and Rebecca. However, when she looks for them, no one seems to remember they even existed. Paired with the unsettling presence of a mysterious stranger that follows her around, Carrie dives into a new adventure in the magic world of Hadariah.
The Song of Vengeance: The Dybbuk Scrolls Book 2 by Alisse Lee Goldenberg keeps the same assets that captivated me in the first volume while adding new subplots and characters that align with Carrie’s growth. For readers who have not read the first installment, allow me to name them. The book creates an immersive experience of Jewish folklore, not from a religious standpoint, but from a cultural one. The author leaves little clues in Yiddish or Hebrew on the chapter’s subtitles, which might seem like a minuscule detail, but it’s the kind of detail that separates a good book from an unforgettable one.
In this second installment, however, as Carrie grows up, the author adds a romantic subplot and a very innocent dalliance with alcohol. Both topics are approached with great respect. I love that young readers who are growing up with these books can see their experiences reflected in Carrie’s.
The Dybbuk Scrolls Trilogy is a fantastic companion for young adults, who can relate to the characters’ experience while also learning important life lessons. Mihkail struggles with the decisions his father makes to keep him safe, and Carrie has trouble finding her place in a friend group, both very relatable experiences for young adults. Carrie’s self-confidence is to be admired, but the main lesson of the book, and one that I think is crucial in such divisive times as ours, is to keep our values and not stoop to the level of our enemies. The book also emphasizes peaceful conflict resolution whenever possible. In one instance, the friend group captures a magic creature named kapelyushniklech, and both Carrie and Mikhail struggle to keep their anger at bay. It is commendable how the author interweaves these lessons into the character’s experiences, never in a preachy or self-righteous way, which is the best way to engage the target audience with the message fully.
The balance between eerie dybbuks and dreams that seep into reality, and endearing friendship and adventure, is perfect. The book also adds a little humor, giving it a perfect pacing and tone that’s engaging and meaningful but not overwhelming.
I want to make a special note of how well the author handled the subject of grief. Grief is a universal experience, and by the time readers reach Carrie’s age, chances are they will have experienced a form of it. Holding the good memories of our loved ones while still letting them go is fantastic advice for this.
In this second installment, the author expanded Hadariah’s world-building with a quaint cast of magical creatures from Jewish folklore, such as the shretele, little people who are experts at finding things.
If asked to look for a flaw, the only thing I can mention is that to fully enjoy this book, the reader must have read the first novel in the series, The Song of Hadariah: The Dybbuk Scrolls Book One. But, as I see it, that’s just double the fun and an excellent opportunity to grow alongside the characters.
Young adults or full-blown adults can find a fascinating adventure and the missing magic of childhood in this novel.
About the Author
Alisse Lee Goldenberg is an award-winning author whose work spans children’s books, horror, and young adult fiction. She is the creator of four book series, has academic backgrounds in education and fine arts, and pursues studies in fantasy and folklore. She also produces Jay & Shilo and resides in Toronto with her husband, their triplets, a dog, a gerbil, two rats, and a hedgehog named Sonic.
Book Details
- Title: The Song of Vengeance: The Dybbuk Scrolls Book 2
- Author: Alisse Lee Goldenberg
- Genre: Fantasy
- Theme: YA, Magic, Coming og Age, Adventure, Folklore
- Publication Date: September 13, 2025
- ISBN or ASIN: B0FR2QTN4C
- Number of Pages: 271
- Minimum Audience Age: 15
Book Themes
(Note: 0=none, 1=a few, 2=considerable, 3=pronounced, 4=excessive)
- Sexual themes: 0
- Religious themes: 0
- Violence, self-harm, etc.: 1
- Crude language, expletives, swearing, etc.: 0
- Other adult themes: 1
Rating
- Content: 5 stars
- Writing Style: 5 stars
- Appeal to Target Audience: 5 stars
- Uniqueness: 5 stars
- Editing: 4 stars
- Other factors: 5 stars
- Overall: 4.83 out of 5
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