4.5 stars

Reread March 2023: This book still beautifully holds up 5 years later.

STILL HOLDS UP.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

This is a reread review because I read this originally before starting this blog!

Y’ALL. Five years later and this book still captivates me. I absolutely love the winter setting and the atmosphere of the entire novel.

And all of the characters are fascinating. Complex and intriguing. It does take a little bit to nail down who’s who, but after that, it’s smooth sailing. I love Vasya’s family and all the intricacies of her siblings, parents, and step mother. For a book mostly set in a small town far away from everything, PLENTY happens. It’s incredibly well written.

Vasya is one of my favorite FMC’s. She is resilient and strong. I love that even during the chapters when she’s little, you can feel the essence of who she is and how well Vasya embodies those pieces. And those later chapters when she’s fully grown are the best. I love when Morozko shows up too!! The relationship between them is this hesitant partnership that you can see the inklings of friendship brewing.

It’s all here. And I know the series only gets exponentially better.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy
- Language: a little
- Romance: mentions of closed door (not involving main couple)
- Violence: medium
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of parents, loss of loved ones, animal attacks, physical altercations, weapons violence, brief child abuse