So for some reason I am drawn to stories that take place in this period of Russian history. I cannot say why, because most of them are heartbreaking, but I just get emotionally pulled into them. In any case, this was my second book by this author, and I really enjoyed it. Nothing overly deep or original here, but the slight mix of the mystical in with such a cold period of time was very well crafted. I enjoyed the characters as well, the relationships they formed with each other and how they "played" off each other. I will say there were a few spots that seemed too easy, like Maria's "bad memory" fixed all the love triangle issues. And I feel like the exploration of emotions around who killed who's parents was a bit underdramatic for what it should have been. However, the story was well paced and written.