Reviews

There was a lot about this book I loved—the New Orleans setting, the Jewish folklore retelling, the sibling dynamics between Isaac and Bellatine, the threads of magic realism. But I think overall the book could have benefitted from some major editing down. Even though it was never boring, it did start dragging in the middle. It also meandered quite a bit and lost its focus.

madefromscratch34's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

dreamscape's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kmalc10613's review against another edition

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4.0

Would rate the first 2/3 a three star, but it really made up for it in the end. Very interesting folklore and history intertwined in a modern setting

amandanerd's review against another edition

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4.0

I was totally unfamiliar with the story of Baba Yaga so I found this book to be very interesting and unusual. Somewhere between a fairy tale, a historical fiction, and a magical realism. Also I learned that tumbleweeds are actually from Russia

black_dog's review against another edition

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2.0

This had all of the right ingredients, so I don’t understand how it went so wrong.
Too many half-baked characters to remember, none of them likeable. The voice came off as too YA. Baba Yaga felt like an afterthought lost in a thousand plot lines that never got explained. At least it was a fast read.

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