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sciamachy7's review against another edition
4.0
Russian Christian priest goes from just insane to pedophilic AND insane
miki514's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
bakeddoughnut's review against another edition
5.0
Such an atmospheric book, perfect for the winter time.
kriff08's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
mbpartlow's review against another edition
3.0
The writing is lovely.
If you are a fan of Russian fairytales told in a traditional style, then this is the book for you.
This book was not to my liking, but because it does not suit my taste, not because there is anything wrong with the story or the writing.
For me, there were no surprises, nothing different, nothing outside the tropes.
But if you like a well-told fairytale, then give it a try.
If you are a fan of Russian fairytales told in a traditional style, then this is the book for you.
This book was not to my liking, but because it does not suit my taste, not because there is anything wrong with the story or the writing.
For me, there were no surprises, nothing different, nothing outside the tropes.
But if you like a well-told fairytale, then give it a try.
effaly's review against another edition
3.0
Between 2 and 3 stars
I'm having a really hard time giving this book a rating and finding the right words to tell my thoughts about it.
The Good:
It's a rather unique book when it comes to setting, plot and the way it's written. I loved exploring the scenery with the characters and how slow and cosy it started. I was intrigued by the hint I was giving at the beginning of the book and the way it seemed to take... and then it went all downhill, until the last ~80 pages, which were phenomenal and make me want to read the second book.
The Bad:
So what went wrong in between? Well, everything, or rather nothing. While I love slow books, this was just too slow. There are so many chapters in which basically nothing happens, or things are shown which the reader should know at this point.
And then there were the random Russian words. I get it, there are things that shouldn't be translated, like for buildings or people. And that is fine! But things like "vampire", "yard", "old man", "mouse" or "fire"? It felt like it was writing by someone who just discovered a new language, and put random foreign words into every sentence, just to show how good they are at this language. ( I know what I'm talking about, I did this as well.
I'm having a really hard time giving this book a rating and finding the right words to tell my thoughts about it.
The Good:
It's a rather unique book when it comes to setting, plot and the way it's written. I loved exploring the scenery with the characters and how slow and cosy it started. I was intrigued by the hint I was giving at the beginning of the book and the way it seemed to take... and then it went all downhill, until the last ~80 pages, which were phenomenal and make me want to read the second book.
The Bad:
So what went wrong in between? Well, everything, or rather nothing. While I love slow books, this was just too slow. There are so many chapters in which basically nothing happens, or things are shown which the reader should know at this point.
And then there were the random Russian words. I get it, there are things that shouldn't be translated, like for buildings or people. And that is fine! But things like "vampire", "yard", "old man", "mouse" or "fire"? It felt like it was writing by someone who just discovered a new language, and put random foreign words into every sentence, just to show how good they are at this language. ( I know what I'm talking about, I did this as well.
willowshield8's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
jonathan_piers's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
ebac622's review against another edition
5.0
This starts slower but when it picks up it’s amazing!!! Magic, old and new religion, courage and fear it’s all here! It really picks up when Vasya becomes a teen/ young woman.