This review was originally featured on my book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

"The door opened. 'Come in, Vasya,' Morozko said. It is cold." These are the final words in this entrancing tale, but they describe exactly how it feels to open this book and start reading. Told with easy prose and a beautifully imagined setting, this is the perfect story to read during a freezing winter day while sitting in front of a fire.

Inspired by Russian folklore, this is the story of a young girl who, in the vein of all true fairy tales, is just a little bit different. Set in a small village in a Russia of the distant past, this is an enchanting tale of the old beliefs. Vasya, our heroine, is at the center of a clash between traditional lore and a new religion, fighting against the relegation of the past to distant memory and the danger of decisions made in fear. She is the descendant of a line of witches and, as such, can see and interact with the many local spirits that live in and protect her village. But the spirit of fear is growing and threatening the village with famine and other evils (like upyr, or the Russian version of vampires), encouraged by the presence of a new priest in town spreading the word of "salvation" and the fear of hellfire and damnation. And the protective house/wood/animal spirits are fading in power, with no one but Vasya left to believe in and leave offerings for them. So she starts to fear that she will not be enough to save her family and her village. And then Vasya is forced deep into the woods in the middle of winter...but instead of her own death, the death she expected, she find a different kind of death instead. She meets Morozko, the frost king, the spirit of death who featured highly in all her favorite stories from childhood.

This is a magical adventure with all the elements of a classic fairy tale that one could want: the heroine, the mother that dies early, the nursemaid that takes her place, the wonderful/supportive brother(s), the stepmother that doesn't really have our heroine's best interests at heart, the helpful and friendly animals and household spirits, the great evil, the "misled" people, the grand witch/wizard, and the old magic that only the heroine can use to save the day. It'll bring you back to your own childhood, your own belief in magic and the power of the world around you, and your own dreams of being the only one that can save the day.