A new spin on a russian folklore with magical history, revolution, mythology, romance, power... This story follows Koschei the Deathless and Marya Morevna, Koschei is an ancient figure, he hides his death and is in the middle of a war. Marya is his new wife and between them there is power play, bdsm, romance, cruelty, wickedness, love... Marya is clever, cruel, and the perfect match for someone who wants someone just as clever and cruel as they are. Marya and Koschei are equals in their marriage but that all comes down when his death is approaching and Ivan comes. This is a bit of an odd story to be honest. It’s got the folklore/mythology aspect mixed in with more magical history and actual history. It’s an odd read, it definitely left me feeling a bit odd. The writing is gorgeous, no doubt about it but the overall story line and characters were just. huh. I don’t know how I feel about the ending particularly, it’s open ended and I definitely wish there was a bit more closure. The plot seems to switch gears towards the 60% mark and the story feels different.... though I preferred the start of the story more so than the later. Overall, definitely an interesting read if you like magical history and folklore reimaginings.