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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
4 stars
“If you would take the time to listen to them,” Baba repeats calmly, “then you would hear their stories. Their lives would add to yours, and stay with you forever.”
This such a whimsical take on Baba Yaga and Russian folklore. Its a story of loss, of courage, of the love one has for their family and of a journey of self-discovery. Each and every character in this book was so real, from Marinka to jack but the house was my favorite!
“And I love the idea that one day, completely out of the blue, someone or something could come hurtling down from the sky and change my life, forever.”
“If you would take the time to listen to them,” Baba repeats calmly, “then you would hear their stories. Their lives would add to yours, and stay with you forever.”
This such a whimsical take on Baba Yaga and Russian folklore. Its a story of loss, of courage, of the love one has for their family and of a journey of self-discovery. Each and every character in this book was so real, from Marinka to jack but the house was my favorite!
“And I love the idea that one day, completely out of the blue, someone or something could come hurtling down from the sky and change my life, forever.”
I wish I had liked this a little more than I did, but it was super cute and whimsical. It took me a while to get into the story, but there's a slight twist that happened about 30% of the way through that then hooked me through to the end. This felt a bit episodic and more of a "plot occasionally shows up" type of story rather than something structured and that didn't always work for me even in a book this short. I like the world and the lore and the characters are fun and sweet. Despite this book dealing with death and dead people and "crossing over," it is more charming and cutesy than horror or darker. Overall, I had a good time with it. It just won't stick with me as much as other middle-grade has.
I loved this sweet, sad little book. This book is loosely based on Baba Yaga and her house with chicken legs, and it is a great book about loneliness, death, family, and finding out who you truly are. I loved the relationship between the main character and her house, how the house took care of her and helped her, I loved Baba, I loved Ben, I loved her sweet little lamb and her jackdaw, this book is a great MG read and I am so glad I was able to read it.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
Complicated
I loved this story and the world so much
Heavily inspired by Slavic folklore and folk tales from Europe I recognised some of the topics and stories and it felt like a comforting hug of a book.
Do recommend!
Heavily inspired by Slavic folklore and folk tales from Europe I recognised some of the topics and stories and it felt like a comforting hug of a book.
Do recommend!
4 stars!
This was such an adorable, albeit sad, book. I really love the emotional journey our heroine makes and the friends she makes along the way. I have also read The Girl Who Speaks Bear by this author and while that one is my favourite of the two I have read so far, this one is close behind!
This was such an adorable, albeit sad, book. I really love the emotional journey our heroine makes and the friends she makes along the way. I have also read The Girl Who Speaks Bear by this author and while that one is my favourite of the two I have read so far, this one is close behind!
It took me a few times of picking this up and putting it down again, but oh how I loved it once I got in the groove. It's frustrating watching the choices that Marinka makes at times, but this is, after all, a middle grade novel, and isn't that periodic frustration true of watching all kids grow up and find their own way? The ending is so satisfying and the relationships are deep enough that it moved me to a few tears along the way.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The premise of the books made this seem a lot different. I’m glad I read it, and certainly did enjoy it, but it honestly was a let down. I picked it for the elementary book club at the library and thought it would be more focused on her journey to the afterlife. Nope.
Also, this is certainly personal preference but I started the audiobook version and the narrator made Marinka so whiny. like the tone was just so off putting it made me not interested in rooting for our selfish character at all.
Beautifully written, though also a bit bland and meandering.
Also, this is certainly personal preference but I started the audiobook version and the narrator made Marinka so whiny. like the tone was just so off putting it made me not interested in rooting for our selfish character at all.
Beautifully written, though also a bit bland and meandering.
Ugh to this book. Main character was a whiney, annoying, brat who stayed annoying until the very end. I was yelling out loud at her for her constant dumb and selfish choices.