3.5 I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. The landscape was beautiful and the story had a mystical and earthy feel. I just didn't feel a very deep connection to the characters. It was a very slow build and I think the last 3 chapters were the best of the entire book. Somehow I had to finish it anyway. ( )

I picked this one up as it came recommended by fellow Grishaverse fans - as a result, I had high expectations that simply were not met. I found the novel rather slow paced - by the time it picked up, the book was basically over, and while it was an okay read, I was not thrilled enough to continue the series. ( )

​I had been highly anticipating this book because I love love love all things Russian and it didn’t disappoint. It’s very familiar and evocative of classic fairytale storytelling, but is fresh via the Russian folklore elements and Arden’s strong characterization and lyrical writing. Arden’s passion for Russian culture, literature, and folklore is evident on every page and I feel that she really did it justice in making it come alive anew.

I was pleasantly surprised by the themes at play in this book. The protagonist, Vasya, struggles to balance her faith in the spirits with a new priest’s strict teachings, as well as the community’s discomfort with her “masculine” or unconventional traits (horseback riding, wandering in the forest, dressing like a boy, etc.). I would love to reread this and delve more into the gender and religious issues at hand here, especially because the strictest figures in the book both acknowledge the beauty and freedom in her wildness:

“She is a handsome girl,” said Pyotr. “Though a savage. She needs a husband; it would steady her.” But as he spoke, an image came to him of his wild girl wedded and bedded, sweating over an oven. The image filled him with a strange regret, and he shook it away.

He saw all at once, as Pyotr had seen, the wild thing brought indoors, busy and breathless, a woman like other women. Like Pyotr, he felt a strange sorrow and shook it away. . . . He thought again of years, of childbearing and exhaustion. The wildness gone, the hawk’s grace chained up . . . He swallowed. It is for the best. The wildness was sinful.

It’s reminiscent of [b:Uprooted|22544764|Uprooted|Naomi Novik|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550135418l/22544764._SX50_.jpg|41876730] by Naomi Novik in terms of its atmosphere, and also reminds me of [b:The Star-Touched Queen|25203675|The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1)|Roshani Chokshi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446058438l/25203675._SY75_.jpg|44916095] by Roshani Chokshi in terms of writing style. Sometimes, like Chokshi’s writing, it gets a little too adjective-heavy, but that didn’t detract from my love of Arden’s style overall.

100% recommend this to fantasy and historical fiction fans, even fans of magical realism. It’s the kind of book that will be immediately apparent if it’s for you or not, so you may want to check out the first chapter, which is available on Arden’s website. ( )

Ik heb genoten. De russische sprookjessfeer is goed getroffen, de karakters zijn heerlijk en de plot doordacht. De schrijfstijl spreekt me ook erg aan en hoewel het even duurt voor het verhaal echt op gang komt, is het vanaf de eerste bladzijde fascinerend.

Het gevecht tussen het christendom en het oude geloof, het gevecht tussen angst en moed, tussen oude en nieuwe gebruiken is meeslepend en geloofwaardig beschreven. Ik wil meer en ga dus meteen verder in deel 2. Van mij krijgt dit boek een 9. Het is namelijk erg lang geleden dat ik een busstop gemist heb doordat ik zo in het verhaal zat en bij dit boek is me dat 2 keer overkomen. ( )

I'd give a 4.5, but since Goodreads only allows full stars, I'm rounding up.

“You are mad, Vasya.”
...
“Entirely,” she said. “But I will have my freedom”…

I finished this wonderful fairy tale this week, and sat back to think about what I’d just read. On the surface, it was a sweet story about a young girl’s coming of age and coming into who she was. That alone is powerful enough, but the layers that came through are what makes this a must read.

Certainly, there were times as I read that other fairy tales came to mind. Naturally, Disney’s Frozen, because of the winter-based theme. Don’t get me wrong. Frozen is a magical work of art. But the fact that I had the passing association caused me a bit of irritation with myself, having fallen into the pop culture prejudice. Winter, in theme, is so powerful. It represents a time before rebirth and renewal. It can be harsh but beautiful. It is something to endure, to survive, to fear, but also something that gives us time as humans to connect and prepare for the coming of the spring. There are so many reasons that Winter features in literature, and it’s unfortunate to me that the tendency is to use Frozen as the immediate measuring stick.

What made me happier with myself was the ability to overcome that predisposition, to look beyond the similarities, and to see the merits this work has on its own. If I had to compare it to one tale, I do not think I could choose. There have the evil (or at least misguided) stepmother. Should we say it resembles Cinderella? There is an element of Vasya needing to find herself. Should we say it resembles Merida in Brave? I think not. It stands on its own. In fact, I’d love to see it brought to the big screen, and to me, a Tim Burton rendition would be my first choice.

Anyway, on to the finer points…

Something so powerful about this novel is the ties between family. This was revealed in Vasya’s mother’s sense of who Vasya would be even before her daughter was born.

“I wanted her.” … “I want her still.”

And the connection between Marina and her own mother:

… “I want a daughter like my mother was.”

Pyotr’s endless patience with his daughter, despite his new wife’s obvious displeasure and insistence that she be sent away. Dunya’s having become family just by how she had cared for them for so long. So many other examples, but it was an apparent and heartwarming theme.

The demons, a world riddled with them… My favorite: the rusalka, and the use of the rusalka’s character to turn up the tension and foreshadow the unfolding of the story.

“You must heed me, Vasya, for I will not come again. Not as myself. He will call me, and I will answer; he will have my allegiance and I will turn against you.”

Morozko – sigh. So much I would say about this character if it would not spoil the read. This line, ripped my heart out:

“I?” said Morozko. “I am only a story, Vasya.”

Characters aside, we also see a comparison, contrast, and straight up collision of the old ways and Christianity. The message that both may coexist is one that carried a wonderful strength for me. In the end, peace and the very safety of the people mean coexistence, harmony, and toleration of things one faces in ignorance.

Well worth the read, Ms. Arden! ( )