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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was obsessed with this story. While I don’t think the original blurb truly sells the book, I was sucked into the story nonetheless.
Marisha has lost her parents to the sleeping plague and her brother hasn’t come home in years. Not wanting to have to marry, she seeks a job and comes across a strange house with chicken legs that moves from town to town. She soon finds herself working for Baba Zima, a sorceress, and her apprentice, Olena. Olena is not happy about the hiring but reluctantly agrees to the help. Olena’s largest goal is to stop the sleeping plague that destroys their country every 10 years. Marisha, along for the ride, must find hints and clues in old texts along with the conversations of all those around them.
While the book is a little on the longer side, for a fantasy with this much impact felt like the perfect length. By the end you realize why all the conversations, all the texts, and all the crazy adventures were necessary to fight the plague. The descriptions were vivid, and the characters were lovable.
This is NOT a romantasy. If that is what you hope to come out of this, look the other way. The romance is no where near the forefront of this book and honestly not necessary. The friendships, the task, that is what truly drives this book.
Marisha has lost her parents to the sleeping plague and her brother hasn’t come home in years. Not wanting to have to marry, she seeks a job and comes across a strange house with chicken legs that moves from town to town. She soon finds herself working for Baba Zima, a sorceress, and her apprentice, Olena. Olena is not happy about the hiring but reluctantly agrees to the help. Olena’s largest goal is to stop the sleeping plague that destroys their country every 10 years. Marisha, along for the ride, must find hints and clues in old texts along with the conversations of all those around them.
While the book is a little on the longer side, for a fantasy with this much impact felt like the perfect length. By the end you realize why all the conversations, all the texts, and all the crazy adventures were necessary to fight the plague. The descriptions were vivid, and the characters were lovable.
This is NOT a romantasy. If that is what you hope to come out of this, look the other way. The romance is no where near the forefront of this book and honestly not necessary. The friendships, the task, that is what truly drives this book.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager | HarperAudio for this ARC Copy! 3.5 Stars
I was really excited to read a Baba Yaga retelling with folklore elements, and I was excited for the parts that I got, but disappointed that there were not more folklore elements in this story. It was a cute story with enough stakes that it doesn't really fall into the cozy fantasy category, but it still had quite a few of the cozy story ingredients that I usually enjoy. However, I feel like something was missing, like everything that is happening is serios, but I didnt feel like the characters portrayed the weight of the situation very convincingly. At times the pacing was a little confusing, I felt like we were just there for the vibes, and then suddenly the story would pick back up again. All in all it was a cute read.
I was really excited to read a Baba Yaga retelling with folklore elements, and I was excited for the parts that I got, but disappointed that there were not more folklore elements in this story. It was a cute story with enough stakes that it doesn't really fall into the cozy fantasy category, but it still had quite a few of the cozy story ingredients that I usually enjoy. However, I feel like something was missing, like everything that is happening is serios, but I didnt feel like the characters portrayed the weight of the situation very convincingly. At times the pacing was a little confusing, I felt like we were just there for the vibes, and then suddenly the story would pick back up again. All in all it was a cute read.
The pacing of this book is way too slow. I’m 35% in and I still don’t really know what’s at stake here. And honestly I just don’t really care to find out.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
Complicated
4 Stars – A Haunting, Atmospheric Tale with a Chilling Mystery
The House of Frost and Feathers is a beautifully eerie and immersive listen, rich in folklore, dark magic, and a creeping sense of dread. I listened to the audiobook version and was completely drawn into the haunting world Lauren Wiesebron created—where dreams blur with reality, and danger lingers in every shadow.
The story follows Marisha, a desperate girl seeking refuge and purpose in a world ravaged by a mysterious sleeping plague. When she takes a position as an apprentice to the feared koldunya Baba Zima, she’s swept into a world of magic and secrets. The imagery—from endless masked balls to a sinister beaked figure stalking her dreams—is vivid and chilling, perfect for fans of gothic or folkloric fantasy.
The narrator did a great job bringing the story to life, and the slow unraveling of Marisha’s family history and the plague’s origins kept me engaged. My only minor critique is that the pacing dragged slightly in places, and I occasionally wished for a bit more urgency in the plot. Still, the atmosphere, originality, and world-building made this a memorable listen.
I received this audiobook as an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
✨BOOK REVIEW✨
House of Frost and Feathers - Lauren Wiesebron
I love a good Baba Yaga inspired story so when I saw merely the cover of this book I knew I would be requesting it. House of Frost and Feathers follows a young woman named Marisha who finds herself packing up her bags and accepting a job with the infamous traveling witch Baba Zima and her sentient chicken legged house. Marisha hopes to help Baba Zima succeed in a cure for the sleeping plague that has taken both of Marisha’s parents into a permanent deep sleep. Throughout their travels from city to city, Marisha and the other house’s residents work together to solve the mystery of this plague and the eerie sleep world they keep finding themselves slipping into.
This historical fantasy story is equal parts cozy and creepy with excellent dialogue and character development. I did find the pacing to be inconsistent, dragging at times and racing through action filled scenes at other times which caused me some confusion leading up to the ending. That being said, I really connected with the characters and found myself fully engaged in finding out more about the mysterious sleeping plague. I was given an advanced listening copy of this book and I really enjoyed listening to this story. The narrator did a wonderful job bringing life to the characters, and absolutely nailed the acerbic and wily nature of Baba Zima. I connected almost immediately to the narrator’s voice which is something I admittedly struggle with often in audiobooks.
House of Frost and Feathers is out now. Thank you to HarperAudio and Netgalley for my copy; all opinions are my own.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An adventurous story full of twists and turns and steeped in Eastern European folklore. I did find that though the book is billed as an adult fantasy novel the overall story felt more young adult in nature. It was refreshing to see a story that focused more heavily on friendship than romance, but the cattiness and infighting felt more teenager than the 20+ years that the girls were described to be.
All that being said it was an enjoyable tale in a folklore I wasn't previously familiar with which made it a pleasant departure from the fae heavy fantasy that we've been seeing dominate the market as of late. Would recommend for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale, or even those who were curious about it but wanted something similar but lighter in tone.
All that being said it was an enjoyable tale in a folklore I wasn't previously familiar with which made it a pleasant departure from the fae heavy fantasy that we've been seeing dominate the market as of late. Would recommend for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale, or even those who were curious about it but wanted something similar but lighter in tone.