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vigil's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
lisa_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed the discussion of religion and missionary work, but what really sold me was all the russian folklore! I love mythology and I want to read more retellings / mythology inspired books about different parts of the world.
I have to say that someone told me that this book is an enemies to lovers story and that is just not true? There is no romance, or at least it's not a main focus at all! I actually really liked that about this book. Also I am a big fan of the 'wild girl' trope :)
The ending was bittersweet but I really liked it. I didn't cry though, which made me realise, that I wasn't truly connecting with the characters. That is normally a big dealbreaker but this time I didn't actually mind that much. I guess the book is a 'vibes before plot' kind of book and it's very slow paced as well (but it's also quite short).
I am so excited for the other two books in the trilogy though I'm surprised it is a trilogy at all. This book could have been a standalone as well. I am interested to return to this world though and there are a lot of things I still want to hear more about.
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism
readwithria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I’m not gonna lie, I considered DNFing this book for most of Part 1 and about 2/3 of Part 2. I didn’t because of all of the amazing reviews that I’d seen, and I did enjoy the last 60-100 pages a lot more than the first 200, but they didn’t make up for the slow beginning.
One of the people I was buddy reading this with said this book felt like a prequel, and I could t agree more. There doesn’t seem to be much of a plot until Part 3 of the book, and that’s also when we get a better understanding of the magic system and truly meet one of the most important characters in the book. The pacing was slow, and while it felt deliberate I didn’t enjoy it.
I also, controversially, didn’t like how much this book was tied to a real-world religion. If I’d know that one of the main antoginistic characters was a literal Christian Orthodox priest I probably wouldn’t have picked this book up. I really hate having real, contemporary religions in my books of any genre, it’s one of my biggest icks. That’s definitely not a fault of the book, but if I had know I never would have read it in the first place. Give me all the ancient religions, fake religions with real world analogues, or mythology retellings!
Anyway, I think that’s also part of why o kept reading. I knew that aspect of the book was a me issue, so I was hoping something else would make up for it. Unfortunately, while I really enjoyed the ending it wasn’t enough for me to continue the trilogy. 3 stars.
Graphic: Death and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood and Death of parent
jelliestars's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Medical content, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
emfass's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Kathleen Gati does a beautiful job as narrator, capturing the characters, the dialects, the world of medieval Rus.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
reddeddy's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Vomit, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
sarahaf712's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit
peachani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Self harm, Grief, and Pregnancy
katreadswaytoomuch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
At first glance, I assumed this was a cross between Cinderella and Beauty & the Beast. It’s so much more than that though. There’s definitely elements of both, but it doesn’t follow a predictable plot.
I listened to this on audio. First, great choice in narrator. Kathleen Gati really puts the reader in the story. Second, it felt like an oral tradition — a story being told on a cold winter night in front of the fire just waiting for spring to come. Just beautiful
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
beccam22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The family is so full of love and a great story for younger girls finding their place in life. It is a story most of us know, either Greek names or European names, Russian or Spanish, there is a version of it in most languages. But the writing is so beautiful and if its not winter where you are you will feel the cold while reading it.
Below my original review:
It took me two tries to get into this book, yes it is a slow start but I would have been more willing to push through the first time if I knew it was so similar to Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. Any fans of her writing and that story will LOVE this one.
Graphic: Misogyny, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Blood, and Sexual harassment