“All my life,” she said, “I have been told ‘go’ and ‘come.’ I am told how I will live, and I am told how I must die. I must be a man’s servant and a mare for his pleasure, or I must hide myself behind walls and surrender my flesh to a cold, silent god. I would walk into the jaws of hell itself, if it were a path of my own choosing. I would rather die tomorrow in the forest than live a hundred years of the life appointed me.” - Katherine Arden

Alright. Review done. I think the quote above about covers it.

This book is more than just a story.

Set in a time before Christianity was the common religion, before Moscow was an empire, and the pagan beliefs where clung to by a few braves souls. When frozen gods roamed the forests and stories were still told before roaring fires. People’s beliefs of the old begin to fade and the pagan creatures hang onto last breathes. What would you do if only the clapping hands of children that believed could keep you alive? What if those stories told by wise old mothers were actually true?

That is the world that Arden has created. A fearful, fairy tale filled frozen Prussia with a girl that still sees it all. Vasya is unafraid of the domovoi in her oven. Instead, she fears the coming change of Christianity and the slipping of magical power. Is she the only one that can save them and herself?

And this is where the story is so much more. Not only are we filled with the rich texture of folklore but the issues covered are still just as relevant today. Case in point with the quote above. Vasya does not only fight for her friends, but also for her right to be a strong minded woman in a time where women are expected to keep house and have babies. I’m super impressed that the concept was carried out in both books.

Arden has a craft for well executed descriptions. You can feel the crack of skin from the cold, or the warm fire keeping out the chill. She fuses politics and fairytales in a story that is not dated. It was fresh, exciting, and felt perfect for any age.

The first book receives a solid five stars.  I couldn’t wait for the second book. I sat down and bam, disappointment.

Why?!?!?!

I think that Arden might have burned out on the first book. That or she hadn’t intended to make a second story.

Her strong prose was lost in the first half. I can see now that it was a setup for the second half, but the magic of her writing was all but gone. Vasya felt like a different creature, and not because she had grown as a person. I wasn’t lost in the whimsy of the moment. I did stick with it, glad since the second half was downright amazing again. Everything I loved about Arden’s writing was back. Was it enough to make up for the first half…. I don’t know. But it does make me very excited for the third and final book of the series which comes out later this year.

If you’re looking for a bit of whimsy, a Russian telling of fairy tales, and a well executed and well written story, then I would definitely give this series a try.

Love Kait.