gorgeousgirl's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this fucks actually
kmacdo23's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
daychaser's review against another edition
5.0
A stunning book. Catherynne Valente's writing is masterful. It's beautiful and alive and gets under your skin. Part fairy tale, part historical fiction, this is a book that covers many themes, from power, death, life, desire, love and marriage. It's not a particularly easy book to read, but the story is captivating. It follows the Siege of Leningrad and Marya's relationship with Koschei the Deathless of Russian folklore. It is hard to explain- electrifying is one way to put it. Brutal is another.
chricelle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
ameboleyn's review against another edition
5.0
loved the prose, loved the concept, loved the first 3/4 of the book. towards the end, I feel like all of the themes got away from the author and it just left me a little underwhelmed (which I suppose could be an artistic choice).
indiarosey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
katjavonderburg's review against another edition
4.0
Was für ein Buch... eine Mischung aus russischen Märchen, einem sehr düsteren Lovecraft-Roman und moderner Fantasy. Der Schreibstil und die zahlreichen russischen Namen lesen sich streckenweise durchaus anspruchsvoll - aber das gehört ja eigentlich zu einem "russischen" Buch auch dazu. Teile der Geschichte spielen während der Belagerung Leningrads im zweiten Weltkrieg und der daraus resultierenden Hungersnot. Dementsprechend bedrückend und traurig ist das Buch. Ganz sicher kein Mainstream, aber für jeden, der russische Literatur und Fantasy mag - unbedingt mal ausprobieren!