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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Was quite busy for a while. By the time I found the drive to read again, I was looking for a different kind of adventure.
Prologue- Marinka lives in a living house with her Baba and Jack.
C1 Guiding The Dead- Baba hosts the dead to give them one last celebration before they cross over.
C2 Benjamin- Marinka is mending the bone fence when she meets Benjamin.
C3 A Too-Heavy Blanket- Benjamin takes Marinka on her first outing past the bone fence.
C4 Beyond The Fence- The House gallops away.
C5 The Desert- After dinner, Marinka finds one dead who hasn't crossed over.
C6 Nina- Marinka is desperate to keep Nina from crossing over.
C7 Learning To Swim- Marinka refuses to learn the death journey words.
C8 Serina- Marinka almost crosses over The Gate.
C9 Just A Few More Minutes- Nina is fading.
C10 The Beach- Marinka snubs Baba for a beach day with Nina.
C11 Truth And Lies- Marinka is dead. Baba and Nina have passed through The Gate.
C12 The Next Guardian- Marinka guides an elderly couple through The Gate, and follows them.
C13 A Painful Splitting Sound- The House is cracking. They go to the market.
C14 The Old Yaga- Marinka finds the Old Yaga who tells her the story of the baby who would not stay.
C15 Salma- One of the girls apologizes and brings Marinka over to her family's stall.
C16 Topsy-Turvy- Marinka binds the House's chicken feet with wire.
C17 The Riad- Marinka spends the day at Salma's pool (Lamya included).
C18 The Expanding Universe- Marinka is planning a Ceremony of Bonding with the Old Yaga.
C19 Sharp Words- Marinka tells Salma and Lamya to stay away from her.
C20 Sparks of Light- Marinka and the Old Yaga build fireworks for the ceremony.
C21 The Ceremony Of Bonding- Marinka goes on a bone rollercoaster, has a feast, and jumps through The Gate.
C22 Darkness- The House is upset at Marinka for being tricked.
C23 Fire- Salma and Lamya set the House on fire.
C24 The Arctic- Marinka tells the House her true feelings.
C25-The Lake District- The House is opening The Gate for Marinka.
C26 Through The Gate- Marinka doesn't find Baba.
C27 Planting Seeds- Marinka is alive.
C28 Growing- The House and Old Yaga's house are connected now.
Epilogue Yaga And More Than Yaga- Happily ever after.
I am disappointed in the ending. I felt Marinka never grew as a character but was slowly given everything she wanted, except Baba. Marinka didn't help any dead pass through The Gate but The House was able to make her alive, run to Benjamin, and merge with the Old Yaga's house- AFTER being set on fire and is falling apart.
C1 Guiding The Dead- Baba hosts the dead to give them one last celebration before they cross over.
C2 Benjamin- Marinka is mending the bone fence when she meets Benjamin.
C3 A Too-Heavy Blanket- Benjamin takes Marinka on her first outing past the bone fence.
C4 Beyond The Fence- The House gallops away.
C5 The Desert- After dinner, Marinka finds one dead who hasn't crossed over.
C6 Nina- Marinka is desperate to keep Nina from crossing over.
C7 Learning To Swim- Marinka refuses to learn the death journey words.
C8 Serina- Marinka almost crosses over The Gate.
C9 Just A Few More Minutes- Nina is fading.
C10 The Beach- Marinka snubs Baba for a beach day with Nina.
C11 Truth And Lies- Marinka is dead. Baba and Nina have passed through The Gate.
C12 The Next Guardian- Marinka guides an elderly couple through The Gate, and follows them.
C13 A Painful Splitting Sound- The House is cracking. They go to the market.
C14 The Old Yaga- Marinka finds the Old Yaga who tells her the story of the baby who would not stay.
C15 Salma- One of the girls apologizes and brings Marinka over to her family's stall.
C16 Topsy-Turvy- Marinka binds the House's chicken feet with wire.
C17 The Riad- Marinka spends the day at Salma's pool (Lamya included).
C18 The Expanding Universe- Marinka is planning a Ceremony of Bonding with the Old Yaga.
C19 Sharp Words- Marinka tells Salma and Lamya to stay away from her.
C20 Sparks of Light- Marinka and the Old Yaga build fireworks for the ceremony.
C21 The Ceremony Of Bonding- Marinka goes on a bone rollercoaster, has a feast, and jumps through The Gate.
C22 Darkness- The House is upset at Marinka for being tricked.
C23 Fire- Salma and Lamya set the House on fire.
C24 The Arctic- Marinka tells the House her true feelings.
C25-The Lake District- The House is opening The Gate for Marinka.
C26 Through The Gate- Marinka doesn't find Baba.
C27 Planting Seeds- Marinka is alive.
C28 Growing- The House and Old Yaga's house are connected now.
Epilogue Yaga And More Than Yaga- Happily ever after.
I am disappointed in the ending. I felt Marinka never grew as a character but was slowly given everything she wanted, except Baba. Marinka didn't help any dead pass through The Gate but The House was able to make her alive, run to Benjamin, and merge with the Old Yaga's house- AFTER being set on fire and is falling apart.
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
adventurous
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
marinka lives in a house on chicken legs with her grandmother, and is training to be a yaga, a guardian of the Gate that the dead pass through to reach the afterlife. but she doesn't want to be a yaga -- she wants to go down to the world of the living, to stay in one place for more than a couple of weeks, and most importantly, to make friends. but then she does make a friend, and she breaks all of baba's rules, and baba disappears, and it's up to marinka to save her.
this was very fun :) i liked the yagas and i really liked that benjamin is kind of a red herring because you read the dust jacket and think he's the friend it's talking about but actually marinka's friendship with him is completely fine. i wish we'd gotten more baba yaga time and i wish she'd been a bit more menacing but oh well. ALSO i love the cover it reminds me of stop motion animation for some reason.
this was very fun :) i liked the yagas and i really liked that benjamin is kind of a red herring because you read the dust jacket and think he's the friend it's talking about but actually marinka's friendship with him is completely fine. i wish we'd gotten more baba yaga time and i wish she'd been a bit more menacing but oh well. ALSO i love the cover it reminds me of stop motion animation for some reason.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent
This was cute. It delivered more than I expected from a younger read which was a very nice surprise, in that they didn't go for an easy ending.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad