Vasilisa by Julie Mathison is one of the most authentic Russian fairy tale/folklore retellings I've read. Vasilisa and her family have settled down in Edenfall, PA after fleeing the revolution, and her papa has gone away to the war and is presumed dead. Meanwhile a local rich Russian has is trying to win her mother's affections and strange things are happening in Edenfall and all is not as it seems. Vasilisa must be brave to save her family and those she loves from ancient legends and stories.

I never thought I'd be saying this, but this book felt like a mix of a small town cozy mystery meets fairy tale portal fantasy. I was unsure of the setting intially, but both Edenfall and Old Rus won me over. I really liked the folklore and fairy tale elements, and I thought they were pretty well done - not something I can say for every Russian retelling I've read. It felt like reading the actual fairy tales in a lot of ways, but with a new spin on the tale of Koschei the Deathless and Vasilisa the Brave. I also liked that Mathison did not pit folklore and religion against each other the way some other Russian-inspired stories have. I liked our characters - I felt that Evelyn was slightly unnecessary, but she was fun. I also really liked the ending and how things were resolved but left open for more in the future.

Things I didn't love: It's a little slower paced - which may be your cup of tea or not. I would sort of liken this to Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik perhaps. Lots of interesting things happen but the pacing felt a bit slow at times. I don't mind that, I just was wanting it to be a little more gripping when I was reading. I felt confused by the age of the characters. Our main characters are all in the 14-ish age range, so it's a little unsure if this is a middle grade or a YA. I think this would have been stronger for just committing to being YA and allowing the children to be older. I think the characters' actions and love interests would have been more believable. I think it works because in a real fairy tale you know to suspend disbelief and you know that certain characters inevitable love each other. But I think if you go in ready to suspend your disbelief just a little and embrace the fairy-tale atmosphere it won't bother you. Last thing: at least in my ARC, there was no glossary. Mathison drops a good amount of Russian and fairy tale lingo into the story. For me this made it so much more vivid, familiar, and real, but if I didn't know Russian I think it would frustrate me that there was no glossary.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I loved how Mathison really captured the Russian fairy tale feel for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and to Starr Creek Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.