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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
There's nothing really wrong with this and overall it's firmly fine, but I unfortunately was not that moved by this story. It's compared to the The Bear and the Nightingale I guess because it's a snowy setting and it's supposed to be Slavic but really apart from the names of the characters, this could've been set anywhere. Granted, I've only read the first book in that series but the vibes were stronger and set the scene/time period in a more definitive way for me.
I'm not really sure if this was supposed to be ~cozy but this is very much a day-to-day story where we just see Marisha do random quests for Baba Zima. And that would be fine if any of them were interesting. I was kept finding myself zoning out and nothing was gripping me about that narrative and it's like....the entire middle section of this story. The beginning is interesting and the end sort of is interesting, but overall the large chunk of the story where nothing happens killed the momentum for me.
I enjoyed the characters for the most part, but I do agree with some reviews commenting that this should've been sapphic. The romance didn't add anything regardless and this story would've been better served without one, but Marisha and Olena are with each other for the whole story because they're both apprentices which means they have a better relationship than Marisha and whoever the male character is. Unfortunately I have forgotten his name and really he was a non-factor.
I don't know how accurate this is to be a retelling of a fairy tale since I'm unfamiliar but from what I do know about Baba Yaga she's creepy and this ....wasn't.
I wish this had more active plot and less mundane activity for as long as it happened but overall this story was fine. If you read for vibes you'll probably enjoy this.
The audio narration was good though!
I'm not really sure if this was supposed to be ~cozy but this is very much a day-to-day story where we just see Marisha do random quests for Baba Zima. And that would be fine if any of them were interesting. I was kept finding myself zoning out and nothing was gripping me about that narrative and it's like....the entire middle section of this story. The beginning is interesting and the end sort of is interesting, but overall the large chunk of the story where nothing happens killed the momentum for me.
I enjoyed the characters for the most part, but I do agree with some reviews commenting that this should've been sapphic. The romance didn't add anything regardless and this story would've been better served without one, but Marisha and Olena are with each other for the whole story because they're both apprentices which means they have a better relationship than Marisha and whoever the male character is. Unfortunately I have forgotten his name and really he was a non-factor.
I don't know how accurate this is to be a retelling of a fairy tale since I'm unfamiliar but from what I do know about Baba Yaga she's creepy and this ....wasn't.
I wish this had more active plot and less mundane activity for as long as it happened but overall this story was fine. If you read for vibes you'll probably enjoy this.
The audio narration was good though!
This was a really cute store, and I love the folklore. The house was fun and the story was easy to follow.
I did find the story slow and the characters a little flat. I may have struggled to finish if this wasn't an audiobook, mostly due to the pacing.
Overall, it's a fun read with interesting magic.
I did find the story slow and the characters a little flat. I may have struggled to finish if this wasn't an audiobook, mostly due to the pacing.
Overall, it's a fun read with interesting magic.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
****Many thanks to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced eArc in exchange for my honest opinion****
3.5 but I will happily bump this up to 4 stars.
This is a book that must be read in the dead of winter, with snow drifting outside your window and a cup of something hot beside you. It is most definitely a low (ish) stakes cozy read. The plot is simple and slow moving. I happen to enjoy reading the filler; daily chores, food, places traveled, background information etc. So this was moved at the exact pace it was meant to.
Olena and Marisha are both very strong POV's. I liked how we didn't get Olena's POV until the middle part of the book, you learn about Koldunri through Marisha's skeptical eye and then it goes further with Olena's viewpoint.
COMMUNICATION is key and would have solved and avoided multiple situations LOL.
Valdim. Can we TALK about VALDIM?! This is the first character in the THOUSANDS of books I have read with a condition similar to my own, Misophonia. Sensitivity to certain sounds! The second I read it I was like "NO WAY!" I loved that was included in this book. Makes you feel like you aren't alone, I don't know if that was her intent but she described it perfectly. His gift of seeing aura colors was unique wrapped up in creativity. Making sure the right person got the right violin. ANNND the way he SAW Olena made me heart all mushy. These two are perfect.
Perfect read for those dead months in winter (November - February) when you want something light and fluffy.
3.5 but I will happily bump this up to 4 stars.
This is a book that must be read in the dead of winter, with snow drifting outside your window and a cup of something hot beside you. It is most definitely a low (ish) stakes cozy read. The plot is simple and slow moving. I happen to enjoy reading the filler; daily chores, food, places traveled, background information etc. So this was moved at the exact pace it was meant to.
Olena and Marisha are both very strong POV's. I liked how we didn't get Olena's POV until the middle part of the book, you learn about Koldunri through Marisha's skeptical eye and then it goes further with Olena's viewpoint.
COMMUNICATION is key and would have solved and avoided multiple situations LOL.
Valdim. Can we TALK about VALDIM?! This is the first character in the THOUSANDS of books I have read with a condition similar to my own, Misophonia. Sensitivity to certain sounds! The second I read it I was like "NO WAY!" I loved that was included in this book. Makes you feel like you aren't alone, I don't know if that was her intent but she described it perfectly. His gift of seeing aura colors was unique wrapped up in creativity. Making sure the right person got the right violin. ANNND the way he SAW Olena made me heart all mushy. These two are perfect.
Perfect read for those dead months in winter (November - February) when you want something light and fluffy.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Not interested in women treating each other poorly. Might get better, but I'm not hooked. The world building seemed cool though
Thank you HarperAudio for the free audiobook! I really enjoyed Daphne Kouma's narration.
If you're looking for something that is action packed and fast-paced, this is not that. If you're looking for something that is atmospheric, where the setting is a character, with cozy folkloric vibes, and found family, this is the story for you.
The plot is slow to unfold, the sleeping curse took both of Marisha's parents and now she has to either find a job or let her aunt marry her off to a creepy man. And the job market in this world is somehow worse than the one we're in now. So Marisha makes the obvious choice and joins on as the sorceress's apprentice's assistant. Only one problem, the apprentice hates her.
Marisha and Olena learning to work together and care about one another was the novel's strength. It's weakness was the various romantic plotlines, which felt like they were shoehorned in. Even then, it was such a minor part of the story that I could easily overlook them and just be swept away in the atmosphere and magic of the world.
If you're looking for something that is action packed and fast-paced, this is not that. If you're looking for something that is atmospheric, where the setting is a character, with cozy folkloric vibes, and found family, this is the story for you.
The plot is slow to unfold, the sleeping curse took both of Marisha's parents and now she has to either find a job or let her aunt marry her off to a creepy man. And the job market in this world is somehow worse than the one we're in now. So Marisha makes the obvious choice and joins on as the sorceress's apprentice's assistant. Only one problem, the apprentice hates her.
Marisha and Olena learning to work together and care about one another was the novel's strength. It's weakness was the various romantic plotlines, which felt like they were shoehorned in. Even then, it was such a minor part of the story that I could easily overlook them and just be swept away in the atmosphere and magic of the world.
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Every ten years, the sleeping plague comes around. Most sleepers sleep for a year and a day, but some others fall into a deep sleep. Both of Marisha's parents are deep sleepers, her mother first, and her father ten years later. Her brother has vanished, and her aunt treats her with disdain, believing the sleeping plague is a moral blight on the family's character. Marisha stumbles upon an old witch, Baba Zima, who offers her an apprenticeship and the chance to discover the cause of the sleeping plague. Baba Zima has a cruel reputation, but her other apprentice, Olena, is worse. Working for Olena is hard and unrewarding, but that's because Olena carries her own burdens, and Marisha and Olena will have to rely on each other's strengths to find a cure for the sleeping plague.
A house on chicken legs, a sleeping plague, researching in old Slavonic...this book has all of the elements for a story to spark my imagination. I found the pacing to be a little uneven, though listening to the audiobook helped with that. Daphne Kouma is a great choice for the narration, bringing a sense of imagination, adventure, and wonder to the story, suitable for both Marisha and Olena's perspectives. There's a touch of light romance, but it's not the driving force of the plot. Marisha is looking for a home, and she finds one... it just happens to be on chicken legs and skis around from village to village. This isn't a new favorite, but hits all the right spots for me for an enjoyable read.
Thank you to Avon Voyager for an eARC and Haper Audio for an ALC. House of Frost and Feathers is out 7/15/25.
A house on chicken legs, a sleeping plague, researching in old Slavonic...this book has all of the elements for a story to spark my imagination. I found the pacing to be a little uneven, though listening to the audiobook helped with that. Daphne Kouma is a great choice for the narration, bringing a sense of imagination, adventure, and wonder to the story, suitable for both Marisha and Olena's perspectives. There's a touch of light romance, but it's not the driving force of the plot. Marisha is looking for a home, and she finds one... it just happens to be on chicken legs and skis around from village to village. This isn't a new favorite, but hits all the right spots for me for an enjoyable read.
Thank you to Avon Voyager for an eARC and Haper Audio for an ALC. House of Frost and Feathers is out 7/15/25.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
Marisha’s parents were struck by the sleeping plague, a mysterious illness that leaves its victims sleeping for a year - or in the case of her parents, for the rest of their lives. She is desperate for a job so her cruel extended family can’t force her into an unwanted marriage. With another plague approaching, few people are interested in hiring, especially not someone whose family is so unlucky.
The only person willing to hire her is Baba Zima, a koldunya (essentially a witch). Marisha is tasked with helping Baba Zima’s ornery apprentice, Olena, as she tries to find a cure for the sleeping plague. Marisha is a skeptic, but she soon sees the power magic has, and is determined to find the cure that will save her parents.
Overall I enjoyed House of Frost and Feathers! The world and magic elements are clearly inspired by Slavic folklore, which I found really interesting. This is an atmospheric and immersive read, but it’s fairly slow paced. In some ways this pacing works - it allows a lot of time for character development, for example - but in some ways it is just a bit too slow. The middle of the book suffers at times from the slow pacing, there were times where it felt like it was dragging on. It was still an enjoyable read, but I found myself much more invested in the beginning and end of the book.
I would definitely recommend this book, but only to readers who enjoy slower paced and/or character focused books. I don’t think this would work for readers who prefer fast paced, action packed books. I also think this would be a GREAT atmospheric read in the winter!
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me an eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.