The horrors of Russian history, myth, and folklore are explored in this atmospheric, compelling, and character-driven book. I did feel there were some pacing problems - the time frames covered were jarring at times. A week's worth of events would be covered in several chapters, and then eight years would be added in one chapter. I won't argue that it failed to adequately advance the story, but it was startling.

Fantastical retelling of the Baba Yaga story. Magical!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. A stunning mix of myth and history, this enchanting story was the perfect Winter read.

The Witch and the Tsar is a lovely mash-up of Slavic folklore and history. During the 16th century Baba Yaga tries to save her friend Anastasia from getting murdered. At the same time she's also trying to save Russia from the chaos Anastasia’s husband Ivan The Terrible is causing. What she doesn’t know is that supernatural powers are at work who are connected to her own personal history.

Mythical figures as Baba Yaga, Morozko, Koshei, rusalkas, Kikimora, Mokosj… and historical figures and facts such as Ivan the Terrible and his wars and oppression are weaved together in this compelling novel that had me hooked from the beginning till the end.

Who is behind this all, is the question that drives the story forward. As I am more of a winter person, I did perceive this book as a lovely ode to winter, even though there's a lot of cruelty as well. The descriptions of storm, landscapes, mythological places are just beautiful.

I always love good retellings as they give us a new, more feminist perspective on characters we have been viewing as bad and evil for centuries. Just as Circe by Madeleine Miller, Baba Yaga becomes a human being in this story. She’s not an evil witch, but a good-hearted person with her flaws and frustrations, struggling with the sudden loss of her mother. She’s afraid of love, but is an amazing friend.

I realised during reading this story that I don’t know much about Slavic and Russian mythology. This book made me dive in a little deeper and has me longing for more.

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Collins for this lovely book!

I really loved this book. What a great combination of some Russian folklore and history and Slavic mythology with a wonderfully written story throughout.
I found it especially interesting growing up in Poland with stories of Baba Jaga and her chicken leg hut.

The stunning illustrated cover with its golden gilt reflects the majestic tale inside. This reimagined tale of Baba Yaga is a beautifully written and captivating novel. I was gripped by the extensive world building, the depth of all the characters and dramatic plot. As someone who was unaware of the folklore connected to Baba Yaga this was a refreshing read. The language and vivid descriptions brought the colourful Russian cities, the horror of war and the scheming gods to life.

This version of the immortal witch, Yaga was far removed from the hateful, child eating witch she’s famous for. Instead, she was portrayed as a caring and reluctant hero. Her strength, chemistry between those she loves, including the animals she can charm, and her desire to protect the Motherland at all costs, makes her unforgettable. In the uncertain times we live, the politics of the sixteenth century and the war it fuelled felt oddly relevant and made the story more impactful.

i adored Little Hen, her house on chicken legs despite the initial reaction being disgust. As a background character, she stole my hearts.

Olesya Salnikova Gilmore has successfully blended an inverted Yaga legend with the history surrounding Ivan the Terrible to create an immersive, dark and enlightening treat that will be well loved and is a strong contender to be one of my favourite novels of 2022.

Having first encountered Baba Yaga in a children’s book by Joan Aitken, I was intrigued to read this interesting fantasy which combined Slavic mythology with the history of Ivan the terrible’s reign over Russia and its neighbours. The collision of the two worlds is devastating in its impact but described rather brilliantly by the author. I’m not usually a fan of fantasy novels but this one was gripping.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

Yaga generally keeps to herself in her hut in the woods, avoiding mortals unless they seek her out for her help. When her old friend Anastasia, now the Tsarina, reaches out to her Yaga is keen to help. Whilst helping her friend she realises that an old friend (turned enemy) has reappeared at Russian court, and that Anastasia's mystery illness and her future fate are tightly linked to that of all of Russia.

I gave up on this one at 30%, hence the 1 star rating. My general rule for reviewing books is that anything I give up on is automatically a 1 star rating, but I have to have read at least 25% of the book in order to do that (otherwise I haven't given the book a chance).

That said I think my struggle with this one was partly due to the book and partly because it just wasn't the book I was expecting and I couldn't get past that. I was expecting this to be more like a folk tale and follow that sort of path, but found that it actually was more focused on the political aspect. I'm not a huge fan of reading about politics so this put me off.

Another thing that put me off was the incorporation of random Russian words, that are then explained in English. I am more than OK with using Russian words in the narrative, but am more than capable of inferring their meaning (or looking them up if I can't). Having them explained really interrupted the flow of the writing, and made the whole idea seem more gimicky than anything else.

For a character that has supposedly lived for centuries, and lived through many wars and dangerous situations, Yaga seemed incredibly naive. She takes herself off to court to protect her friend, showing up with an owl and a wolf, flaunting her magic left right and centre and expects not to get noticed. I'm not really sure how she thought that was ever going to work!

From what I know of Baba Yaga (and I admit that my knowledge is limited) she was a total badass - she's powerful and wise, ruthless and also a bit of a trickster. I didn't feel any of that coming through in this book.

All together there was too much that wasn't working for me and not really a lot that was so I decided to call time and move on to something else.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review

#Netgalley

I found this captivating novel hugely enjoyable. The story of Baba Yaga plays out amid the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The author provides an enchanting tale threaded with the characters of Russian folklore. I have read reviews that suggest the writing is 'chunky' but I would dispute that. I found the writing to be clear and concise. The story flowed well, the characters were relatable and likable and the plot was well thought out, holding your interest.
I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of Baba Yaga as a younger woman rather than the old hag we usually see.
I shall bookmark the author and look forward to reading more of her work.

I finished this a couple of weeks ago and cannot believe I forgot to write my review. So, forgive me for being so late.

I loved this book. Baba Yaga is one of the best characters I’ve read this year. I love her strength and resilience, not to mention her humour, heart and courage. She is nothing like the stories I have heard before.

I was hooked from the opening of this book because the writing and language are exquisite. It’s so beautiful I would have happily read the whole book even if I didn’t enjoy it (thankfully, I LOVED it).
We are thrust into a magnificent world full of magic, deceit, madness and heartbreak. A world so beautifully created, it was as if I was walking side by side with Yaga herself. I adore many of the other characters, but Little Hen is exceptional.
I know that may sound silly once you read it, but Little Hen has a personality all of their own!

I honestly don’t have the words to praise The Witch and the Tsar enough.

There are some words and names that, being Russian, were difficult to understand, read and/or pronounce, but it doesn’t detract from the pure joy and pleasure I had reading this book.

If you love fantasy, folklore and historical fiction with a kickass MC I urge you to read this and read it now.

Thank you, Harper Collins UK & NetGalley, for the amazing eArc, in return for my honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Even though I was very excited to read a retelling of the legend of Baba Yaga from a different perspective, I think the book deviates a bit too much from the original story. As someone who has grown up in Eastern Europe listening to various stories about the old hag, I thought her representation as a young, even though seemingly immortal but yet completely clueless woman which is too much out of character for my liking. The book would have been way more tolerable for me if the main character was just a random witch living in the woods and was never referred to as Yaga.

I enjoyed the feminist perspective with which the story was twisted. It offered a new take on the mindset of women in 16th-century Russia. The characters and their stories were interesting to follow. However, I thought the tension building was a bit weak so sometimes I did not feel too invested in what was to come.

I thought the basis of the story and the writing was good and I was excited to read something about Eastern Europe. But, for me, there was something missing. I will still follow the writer’s next books, I hope we see more witches’ stories!

This an interesting take on the stories of Baba Yaga, however, if you're looking for the Baba Yaga from myths and legends you are in the wrong place!

I found this to be a fresh and interesting story with likeable characters and plenty of detail. The story is rich with information and the time periods are well-researched.

Overall a good debut for the author and an interesting guide into the history of Russia and Baba Yaga. Also an enjoyable read for the most part.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore is a book inspired by a Slavic folklore tale of an old witch called Baba Yaga. Only she's not an old witch who steals children and eats their souls. She's a misunderstood healer who throughout centuries have helped people by healing them or breaking curses.

At the beginning of the book we meet this half- mortal woman who lives in a secluded forest in a house that stands on a chicken leg. She's not a scary looking witch that could trick someone, and Yaga most of the time is willing to help people in need. That is why, when Tsarista Anastasia shows up in a forest and asks for her help, Yaga is willing to risk her life by going to Moscow to find out who is poisoning Anastasia.

I have to say, I didn't enjoy reading this book. It felt long, very slow paced and boring to me. Probably, the reason of it was because I expected something entirely different. I expected to read a story of how Baba Yaga as we know came to be. I wanted the book to be fast paced, at least medium paced. There were way too many explanations of magical rituals and way too detailed writing of a process of it (if that makes sense). I didn't got connected emotionally to any characters and did not care much for any of them, which is a problem to me. Right away, it's a less enjoyable experience reading something you don't connect to.

The Witch and the Tsar didn't quite work for me and it felt like personal torture that I put myself through to finish it. Every time I had to come back to the book, I kept making up excuses in my head to not read it. I know, it's not fair for an author's book to be getting this sort of reviews, as we all should know how long and how much work it takes to write a book, but I'm trying to be as honest as possible ( honesty should help, right? ). Loving a book is like loving a movie or a song. We all have different tastes and unfortunately, this story was not for me.

I do hope that The witch and the Tsar finds it's own fans. I can see a potential of people liking it.

Being a lover of Katharine Arden's Winternight Trilogy I was intrigued to read more fantasy based on Russian mythology/folk tales. I first heard of Baba Yaga as a child so was delighted to read more about her (after Sophie Anderson's children's book The House With Chicken Legs)
This is the tale of Yaga, daughter of a goddess and her battle to save Russia from the clutches of Ivan the Terrible who is massacring the population .

She is trying to keep her promise to her friend, Anastasia (who was the wife of the tsar ) when she died to look after her 2 sons.

As a demi God should Yaga interfere? Will she be able to help and will she find peace and love herself.

I got somewhat confused at the roles and plot about the various gods (partly told through interludes) The story lost some impetus at times but it was always good to come back to Yaga's story and her narration.

A worthwhile read but Arden is a hard act to follow.

The Witch and the Tsar is an interesting Baba Yaga retelling. Set in sixteenth century Russia, the author starts the story deep in the forest and captures the time period perfectly. This took a while for me to get into but I did enjoy the story following Yaga as she travels to Moscow and is caught up in the dramas of Ivan and Anastasia, this is a great Wintery read.

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the chance to read The Witch and the Tsar.

I’d hoped to love this book, there have been a range of mythology/folklore retellings lately but this one sadly missed the mark. The characterisation seems lacking, it is hard to fully feel like you know and can empathise with any of the characters, equally the pacing seems quite slow which again makes it a struggle to engage. The plot is good, and the second half more engaging, but not something I would rush to reread.

A retelling of Baba Yagas story, using the folktales of old before her tale was adapted for a Christian society.

An intriguing and absorbing tale of Yaga as a younger, kinder character than is traditionally told. You become lost in the history of Russia, feeling the chill of the snow creeping into your bones as the description is so good.

A must read for anyone who loves history, Russia and folktales

Fans of Katharine Arden's Winternight Trilogy will all want to read this book. Set in a magical 16th century Russia, it takes the legend of Baba Yaga and looks behind it to the story of elemental beings of earth, wind and fire who battle to preserve Russia from its mad Emperor Ivan the Terrible and then the invading foreign armies who prey on its people. It's an interesting take on the old witch with the hut on chicken legs - in this story Baba Yaga is an ageless beautiful demi god who seeks to help and heal people and who battles elemental forces of evil to win her husband and daughter's safety and that of her country.

I have mixed feelings. Since I was a child I loved the story of Baba Yaga and her house on chicken legs. It was the coolest thing for me and so I was very excited when I heard about this novel. We finally get a story from her perspective, but unfortunately the characterization is really off. Most of the characters don't feel like people - they feel one-dimensional and do not grow throughout the story which is a shame. This version of Baba Yaga is not at all how I imagined her to be which is probably my fault and problem but it was disappointing to me. In the novel she does not even see herself as a witch ...
But I liked Gilmore's writing style and to learn more about the Russian gods and some historical events. All in all, a mixed bag.

Before starting reading, it seemed "The Witch and the Tsar" ticked all the boxes for the prefect book for me. The promise of fairytale folklore-inspired tale of Baba Yaga, with elements of Russian history at its most turbulent times. Unfortunately, nothing about this book delivered.

The only think I enjoyed was the correctes of it. Because the author is Russian, finally we got correct names, historical facts, and folklore. As an Eastern European myself, nothing annoys me more than ignorance about our history, and fortunately, that is the only place where the novel defends itself.

The main problem for me were essentialy all the characters. None of them had any distinct personality traits, the main love interest was the most boring man on the planet and I don't think anyone can care less about the side characters. Most importantly, when you have a book with a first-person POV, it has to be someone, whose head you want to be stuck in 24/7, and Yaga was not only annoying, but also repetitive. She dropped not-so-suble exposition every chapter, her inner struggles seemed to last endlessly, and again, she had a personality of a damp paper towel. She was not funny, she was not particularly smart, and generally she was not a person you would like to get to know in the real life.

The pacing of the book also created some issues for me. It started painfuly slow, before picking up around 40% mark, only to get painfuly slow again until the very end. Despite the dates, and sometimes time-jumps months at a time, the reader couldn't feel it at all, maybe because over the 20-year span of the book, none of the characters grew emotionally or changed in any way whatsoever.

I really wish I was one of the people loving this book, but unfortunately, it was a huge miss for me this time.