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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
3.5 I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. The landscape was beautiful and the story had a mystical and earthy feel. I just didn't feel a very deep connection to the characters. It was a very slow build and I think the last 3 chapters were the best of the entire book. Somehow I had to finish it anyway.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
(3.5 stars) i enjoyed this story so much, the experience of reading it felt akin to being told a folktale by a wise old grandmother while cozied up by a fireplace… oh, and the magical talking horses only made it all the more wonderful
I wanted to like this. However, much like American Gods, this suffers from trying too hard to sell foreign tales with an American twist.
Frankly speaking the ending felt most.. Abrupt.
Additionally there were plot pacing issues; save for the overall save the world plot there were essentially a bunch of things going on. Unfortunately they were all.. Not very well executed.
The worst part of the book was the weak stereotyped characters which totally leached out any possibility of suspense. This includes the ultimate heresy in a period piece, a modern character. The heroine is basically out of character for a period piece. Modern feminism has nothing to do in a period piece.. No matter how well it sells.
The heroine was clearly earmarked from the start, as was the dim gullible sexually repressed priest and the overly evil bad guy.
Several gaping plot holes were also present. The antihero was also very predictable.
Frankly speaking the ending felt most.. Abrupt.
Additionally there were plot pacing issues; save for the overall save the world plot there were essentially a bunch of things going on. Unfortunately they were all.. Not very well executed.
The worst part of the book was the weak stereotyped characters which totally leached out any possibility of suspense. This includes the ultimate heresy in a period piece, a modern character. The heroine is basically out of character for a period piece. Modern feminism has nothing to do in a period piece.. No matter how well it sells.
The heroine was clearly earmarked from the start, as was the dim gullible sexually repressed priest and the overly evil bad guy.
Several gaping plot holes were also present. The antihero was also very predictable.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Boringggg
Content Warnings
Creepy dynamic with older man in power lusting for young girl
Reread January 2025: I love this book and this series it is also comfort for me :) It was fun reading it along with some of the comments from the author's Instagram saved stories and getting a little more context. It's not a perfect book, the pacing is weird and I do feel a little weird about how some of the gender-based violence is handled (especially with Vasya being so young), but it also approached that topic with a lot of nuance, and the historical notes were helpful for contextualizing it and I am glad it didn't sway too far into modern morals. Such a good magical, chilly January read. Also it's awoken the tween horse girl in me a little again wow. Katherine Arden is powerful.
this book was SO GOOD it was gorgeously written, atmospheric, well plotted, and gripping. The prose was beautiful and the author did a brilliant job of balancing world building, atmosphere (this is a perfect December or January read) and Russian folklore elements with developing multifaceted and rich characters with complex motivations. Even the villains were extremely human and I found myself feeling for them and understanding why they did what they did. The main character Vasya also could easily have fallen into the YA heroine trap of rejecting traditional female paths and roles to be not like other girls but her rejection of those things felt authentic rather than some sort of shallow play at feminism. Really the exploration of misogyny in the novel was more nuanced and well done than I expected, and I'm really curious to see that continue especially in the second novel when we will see more of Vasya's older sister who did follow traditional feminine paths. The thread of Christianity taking over from pagan/folklore beliefs was also wonderfully done and I especially appreciated how the author did not demonize religion but instead focused on the God-fearing aspect of the Christianity that was being spread and how making people fear a higher power was causing harm.
My only complaints is the beginning was a little slow and the ending felt like it wrapped up a bit too quickly but I am very very excited for the next book and would highly recommend this one.
this book was SO GOOD it was gorgeously written, atmospheric, well plotted, and gripping. The prose was beautiful and the author did a brilliant job of balancing world building, atmosphere (this is a perfect December or January read) and Russian folklore elements with developing multifaceted and rich characters with complex motivations. Even the villains were extremely human and I found myself feeling for them and understanding why they did what they did. The main character Vasya also could easily have fallen into the YA heroine trap of rejecting traditional female paths and roles to be not like other girls but her rejection of those things felt authentic rather than some sort of shallow play at feminism. Really the exploration of misogyny in the novel was more nuanced and well done than I expected, and I'm really curious to see that continue especially in the second novel when we will see more of Vasya's older sister who did follow traditional feminine paths. The thread of Christianity taking over from pagan/folklore beliefs was also wonderfully done and I especially appreciated how the author did not demonize religion but instead focused on the God-fearing aspect of the Christianity that was being spread and how making people fear a higher power was causing harm.
My only complaints is the beginning was a little slow and the ending felt like it wrapped up a bit too quickly but I am very very excited for the next book and would highly recommend this one.
This book was tough to get into but I loved the ending!
adventurous