Atmospheric YA fantasy influenced by slavic mythology. The characters were likeable, and although I didn't always find the romance particularly believable the friendships were. I liked it but found the pace a bit erratic, as well as the vibe. It felt quite slow and cosy at times, well, until the end anyway..!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced reader copy! I have heard so much about Where the Dark Stands Still, and I must say that I absolutely loved it. It lived up to my expectations, and I still find myself thinking about it.

This had a lot of good and spooky vibes. The setting was beautiful but chilling and the writing made this come to life. I also learned alot about the culture thrown in when it comes to the folklore and the monsters that exist within it.

If you're a fan of Slavic-style myths and legends flavouring your YA fantasy fiction, then Where the Dark Stands Still by AB Poranek is a book that I'll wholeheartedly recommend. In terms of themes, it recalls quite strongly Noami Novik's Uprooted, which I adored. I've seen folks compare it to Howl's Moving Castle, so yeah, I'll agree with that, but add that I got some serious Beauty and the Beast vibes, too.

We follow the story of Liska, who for reasons, finds herself in the service of the mysterious Leszy of the forest – a magical being who lives in his somewhat sentient mansion in the heart of the forest. This is a world that is vastly different from the village where she grew up, and I love stories like this where someone who, up until this point, had a *relatively* normal existence has their entire world view upended with magic and mystery. She might not be one of those kicka** heroines that we often encounter in fantasy, but her goodness of spirit and bravery make her relatable. Added to that are the support characters, who are all wonderful. I don't want to spoil – go meet them within the pages. And yes, I must warn you there is some tragedy and heartache, but it is oh so sweet.

The story itself unspools slowly, with well-realised tension between Liska and the Leszy as they gain each other's measure. I know this might frustrate readers who prefer a much more fast-paced novel, but honestly, this was exactly what I needed at the time. Poranek effortlessly sculpts a highly detailed world, that feels tangible and engages the senses – and I really do love books that make me feel as if I'm present in the space. Authors who have this skill of description are treasures.

This is one of those books that when I do see it on a shelf at a bookstore, I point it out to friends and tell them they *need* to pick it up – so yeah, it's one of those. And I suspect it's one I'll enjoy revisiting again in the future.

This was such an interesting and enjoyable fantasy read. I loved the polish folklore incorporated into the story and the way that the environment and setting had its own personality.

This book was slow to get into but once you made it past the set up it was gripping! I wanted to know more about the woods and the characters and the spirits and all the magical history of the Lezsy.

I think this book is perfect for people who like beautifully developed lore in magical worlds with something dark lingering under the surface, so great for fans of A Dark and Drowning Tide.

This sounded really interesting but i struggled with this a lot. I just got really bored reading it and didnt care for the characters.

This story is so beautiful. I was gripped from the very beginning and got seriously invested in the outcomes for the characters.

I loved the feel of this book. So dark and magical. The descriptions of the woods, the magic, the creatures, the manor really bought the book to life. This story would make her an extremely visually stunning movie!

I learned so many interesting things about Polish culture and their folklore. Such a beautiful, colourful culture!

I loved the main characters. They are all so different but somehow fit together perfectly in their own little weird way.

The pacing of the story was perfect 👌

It is a darkly cosy and magical book.

I would definitely recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for providing me with an eArc of this book.

I absolutely agree with those I've seen saying that this book takes the vibes of Miyazaki films like Howls Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke and puts them into a story of Polish folklore. The author does a wonderful job of creating a well developed dark beautiful setting and gets you invested in the characters.

I thought there would be a predictable ending but, am still left emotional about the ending.

Definitely read it!.

I really loved Where The Dark Stands Still. It's such a good example of an author breathing new life into an old folk story. The character development was spot on, and the tension was done so well! I can't wait to read it again to see what I pick up on the second time around

This swept me away and off my feet….very fairy tale/folklore based - cottage core? I just fell in love with all of the characters- especially that heart spirit (I just did!).

This is beautiful - Liska - a young girl terrified of her powers, a scared village, a magic house and a demon. What could possibly happen?

Utterly enchanting

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK Children's for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Grief is a bit like a chronic ache, I think—it’s always there, but sometimes you notice it more and sometimes less, and sometimes it’s unbearable and sometimes you think it might be gone for good.”

Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek

💠Book Review💠

A little long overdue... Nonetheless this enchanted story with its beautiful cover was the true definition of an escape from reality. It is all things magical, dark and yet still a wholesome folk tale. We are entertained by a girl running away from the one thing that makes her unique, her magic, a demon trying to rid himself of a curse, a very eccentric house spirit and a boy who is just trying to find himself.

This book will definitely be a reread for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What to expect: Triggers/tropes
Dark Magic
Lighthearted romance
Blood/gore
Death of parent
Abandonement
Abuse

Huge thank you to @penguinbooksyasa for the gifted review copy.

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A well crafted and lovable group of characters paired with beautifl writing made this a great read. I had a fantastic time reading this and it is an absolute triumph of a debut novel. I can't wait to see what Poranek will bring out next!

Where the Dark Stands Still is a blend of tragic romance, found family, Polish folk mythology and classic fairytales, such as Beauty and the Beast or Bluebeard.

The romance is sweet rather than spicy and the storytelling is beautiful – ideal for fans of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and similar stories. The characters are limited to a small range that form a compelling little found family that I completely fell in love with and there is plenty of mystery and mythology as the tale twists and turns.

I was dragged into the world from the start of the book, and it didn’t let me go until I had finished… possibly a little after that even, as I continued to think about the characters afterwards and imagine other ways the ending could have gone.

Because this is not a Happy-Ever-After fairytale, sadly. But I loved it anyway. I guess even in books sometimes things work out the way they have to and not how you wanted them to. *Sighs in tragic romantic*.

Getting into a huge reading slump while reading this book didn't really help my enjoyment of it. It was really easy to pick it back up and start again from where I left off.

Meanwhile it was an original story, with the Polish influence, it felt familiar. The longing to fit in, finding your own "little family" where you feel like home.

The sentient house, the magic woods and the house spirit were my favourite part of the book.

Going to read it again to give it a fair chance.

Loved the folkloric elements and fairytale-like atmosphere, although the story felt somewhat slow at times and I didn't fully connect with it in the end. But an enjoyable read, and will be looking out for more from this author.

I love this book: rich storytelling, compelling characters and fascinating folklore. I couldn't put it down. I received an advanced copy from netgalley, which I am grateful for, but I loved the book so much I bought a physical copy.
It's one of my favourite books of the year

𝙾𝚏 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗, 𝚑𝚎’𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍: “𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎,” 𝚘𝚛 “𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐.” 𝙽𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙻𝚒𝚜𝚔𝚊 𝚁𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚜𝚝. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙷𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

Where the Dark Stands Still has been one of my anticipation reads for 2024, and it did not disappoint! A.B. Poranek did such an amazing job with this Beauty and the Beast retelling, but what got me even more excited was the writing style.

I loved the characters, the premise, and the setting. The gothic vibes are immaculate, but one thing that stood out to me was how well crafted the world is. With Polish folklore, the town of Stodoła came to life. A mission to find a flower, a dangerous bargain, and a storyline that will have you gripped - Where the Dark Stands Still will have you gasping at the last page. I know I did.

This is really such a great book, and I feel that it would be great to do a reread. I am definitely looking forward to seeing more people reading this book and meeting Liska Radost.

💚 Polish folklore
💚 Beauty and the Beast retelling
💚 Young Adult
💚 Magic
💚 Dangerous bargains
💚 That ending!
💚 Gothic vibes

I had be told this was one for fans of Howls Moving Castle and For the Wolf by other bookstagram accounts which made me eager to read the novel.

I don't really know anything about Polish folklore so this was a totally new branch of fairytales for me.

Im such a sucker for a magical sentient house so I absolutely loved that element of this story.

The romance side to the novel however felt a little forced and lacklustre. I wasnt buying into it at all i'm afraid and almost wish it was just left out of the book. Not all fantasies need to be romances too.

A fantastic Faustian in the woods style novel. Beautiful imagery and I love the Polish/Eastern European elements that give the book a more folkloric and fairytale feel.

I will be using this in my PhD on modern Faustian tales.

I really, really enjoyed this. It was atmospheric and romantic, just everything I could have wanted in a book. I loved the characters, the found family aspect, and the romance. I also loved the magic system and all the lore included in this book. It was so well written, and the ending had me absolutely sobbing. I highly suggest picking this up.