The daughter of a witch who can see creatures and a blue-eyed winter demon known as Death find themselves intertwined in this beautiful story seeped in folklore and magic. Vasilia is the last daughter her mother has before dying and has grown up listening to her nurse’s fairytale in a home at the edge of the Russian wilderness. She is content to just live her life but she yearns for freedom and to explore. However all her actions are seen as being too rebellious, too unnatural, and to curb this her father thinks that she needs a new mother figure... and in doing so takes up a new wife. Vasilia’s new stepmother is fiercely devout and forbids the family from honoring the household spirits, but Vasilia knows better. As more creatures begin appearing and a strange priest comes into town stoking the fear of the people Vasilia soon finds herself faced with the option of being forced into a marriage or going into the woods where the frost demon Morozko awaits Now Vasilia knows she is the only one able to stop the demon bear that has infected her home and threatens to destroy her loved ones but that means facing the gifts she has kept hidden and opening herself up to the magic that has always called to her. This was a gorgeous story that pulled me in. I loved the world and the atmosphere it built and it definitely is a wonderful winter read! Vasilia was a great protagonist, I loved how strong she was and how despite everything she reamined true to herself.