Series buddy read with ✨Skye✨ & some others! ❤

3.5 stars.

I can see why this book is so popular, with its lush setting and all the magical elements. It's well-written, engaging, descriptive, drawing on old stories that may or may not be familiar to readers; but it didn't blow me away, perhaps simply because I've been reading a lot of fantasy and retellings lately.

That said, I'm a little concerned about deliberate inconsistencies with regards to transliteration (e.g., certain spellings "to retain a bit of [certain words'] exotic flavor") and historical accuracy (such as the incorporation of the sarafan "slightly before its time because of how strongly this manner of dress evokes fairy-tale Russia to the Western reader"). Artistic license is one thing, but the very purposeful decision to misrepresent a culture for the purpose of portraying a story a certain way leaves me uncomfortable.