Wintry fairy tale sure to shiver your timbers
—
I read this in one sitting, the suspense never letting up as our lead heroine Marisha has to contend with a brand new apprenticeship in a chicken-legged house full of magic and lies. Her immediate superior Olena has secrets of her own, and a barely disguised disdain for Marisha’s lack of magical skill. But as the next arrival of a dangerous plague circling their kingdom edges closer, will they be able to overcome their differences and find a way to work together?

Wiesebron’s lush Slavic fairy tale is strong in the force of fairy tale, and then the mysteries pile on into a satisfying conclusion with room for more. Like a grown-up Howl’s Moving Castle crossed with Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, the world is a delight, the enemies difficult to make out and the heroines hard to love but full of bravery and flawed to the hilt. Everybody is trying to protect themselves from further hurt but in doing so they hurt everyone around them, including themselves.

A whip smart and cracking debut: four and a half stars, rounded up to five.

This was a perfectly atmospheric winter fantasy steeped in Slavic folklore. Our FMC Marisha is having a hot minute, her life is a misery and she is seeking an escape to find her place in the world - I mean I couldn’t relate to her any more right now and I instantly warmed to her as a character!

She finds herself taking on a role for the notorious Baba Zima, as an assistant to her understudy, Olena. These characters blur the lines of morally grey and I really enjoyed the found family element.

Although the first third of the book is very character driven and slice-of-life-esque as they go about their days in this magical house, I quickly sensed the beginnings of something mysterious unfolding. We learn there is a sleeping plague that threatens their lands quite early on, and our FMC’s task themselves with finding a cure.

I loved the sense of adventure this book gave, had such a fun time reading it, and will definitely keep my eye out for future works by this author!

Inspired by tales of baba yaga and Eastern European folklore, get caught up in the magical world of koldunry where houses can in fact walk on chicken legs. Marisha is a practical sort and doesn't really buy into the all the koldunry stuff, but when she finds herself desperate for a job, she'll take what she gets. This story has a lot going on, but in the best way. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and mystery around it and hope we get more adventures in this world. There's a sleeping plague, haunting dreams, strange magic and a wondrously weird house (on chicken legs).

Baba Zima, the bolshina of the house, is tough but she has her reasons. Olena, her apprentice, is stubborn and doesn't need an assistant. Marisha will have to figure out how she fits into these rough personalities and if it's worth it to improve her life. To make matters even more interesting, Baba Zima's son shows up in the house much to Olena's dismay. There's also an adorable creature, Golgolin, a guinea pig-fowl, who has magical feathers.

Overall this story gave me a bit of Howl's Moving Castle vibes paired with Eastern European folklore and now I want to play the video game Reka even more. I love that there's a magical creature in the story who plays both a role in the plot but also in being a loved creature. The character's have good development over the story and I really hope there's more in store for them.

It is a slower paced story which may not be for everyone but the atmosphere and world building was simply delightful. I look forward to more from this author!

I received an eARC of this book via netgalley, reviews and thoughts are my own.
I have also ordered the GSFF edition.

Content Warnings:
Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Blood and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty
Disability representation - One of the main characters only has one hand
Pandemic/Epidemic - There is a sleeping plague that causes persons, seemingly at random, to fall into a sleep every 10 years.

A fun and interesting read! The story is character-driven and the rich folklore is brilliantly woven through. What threw me off a bit was the pacing - from fast to slow to fast again - but all in all the perfect book for Winter.

Because music, I think, is the language of the soul. It speaks, but not with words our mind can understand.’

House Of Frost And Feathers is an enchanting wintery read steeped in Slavic folklore. I enjoyed the setting of the book and connected with a few of the characters. The pacing is slow which didn't bother me and then it gradually builds up in the last half of the book. Marisha is a strong-willed character throughout her journey with Baba Zima and the other members of the chicken legged house it takes her a while to understand what is happening around her.

I think the characters still have a lot more to give and would like to see where life leads them and tie up the end of this book. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

‘Spirits of air and spirits of water, may you guide this feather to its true home whether it be over hill, over snow . . . wherever it may be. And please, bring me there safe as well. This I humbly beg.’

Thank you to Lauren Wiesebron and@hodderscape for including me on the book tour for The House of Frost and Feathers and approving me for a Netgalley copy of this stunning book! I’m really excited to be one of the first hosts kicking off The House of Frost and Feathers tour to share my review of this exquisite debut book.

The House of Frost and Feather is a stunning fantasy set in a world steeped in Slavic folklore, full of mysteries, a race against the clock, and evil lurking in the shadows of dreams. Lauren Wiesebron’s writing is a wonderland of beautiful, atmospheric description, intriguing plot twists, and slow-revealing storytelling, yielding secrets of the past like the first few dancing snowflakes that become a swirling blizzard. The worldbuilding is charming, brimming with little details that vibrantly paint daily life abroad, magical sentient home skiing through the wintry realm, and brings to life the art of the Koldunya sorcery.

I loved the rich, character-driven heart of the storytelling that brings to life the community at the heart of this enchanted house full of magical women with prominent personalities. These women (Marisha, Olena, and Baba Zima) are ambitious, strong, and willing to walk a morally grey line to accomplish their goals. They won’t let anything like an arranged marriage, disability, or rival stand in their way. They form a weird and quirky, close-knit, found family full of trials, turbulence, and tribulations that was fun to read and see them grow as the mysteries unfold.

A gorgeous wintry fantasy debut with strong female characters in a story about hope, good conquering bad, and showing even ordinary people can rise to accomplish amazing things. Perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik, and Diana Wynne Jones. If you’re a fantasy lover who likes a low-key romance subplot and focuses on the magic and quest of the story, The House of Frost and Feathers will be the perfect read for you. Don’t worry, romance lovers; you will still get some nice slow-burn romance vibes to give you warm fuzzies.

The House of Frost and Feathers is a new fantasy novel steeped in rich Slavic folklore with dark and whimsical elements.

The novel primarily follows a young girl, Marisha, whose life takes a drastic turn when she escapes her aunt’s marriage plans and takes a job with the infamous koldunya, Baba Zima, in her magical, chicken-footed house. Teaming up with the cold apprentice, Olena, to find a cure for the deadly sleeping plague, Marisha uncovers ties to her family’s past and haunting dreams of an endless masked ball - and a monstrous, beaked figure lurks in the shadows. This dark, magical journey pushes her to unravel buried secrets and face her deepest fears.

The novel is slow-paced and character-driven, with much of the story focusing on Marisha’s apprenticeship, day-to-day life in the traveling house, and Olena’s quest for a cure. While the first half builds the world and relationships with a "slice of life" feel, the latter half accelerates with action, magic, and emotional intensity. Though I occasionally struggled to stay invested in the slower beginning, the payoff in the second half was well worth it.

The character work is exceptional, particularly with Marisha and Olena, who both experience significant growth. The worldbuilding is rich and immersive, with an enchanting mix of dark and whimsical tones that naturally unfold as the story progresses. The book ties up beautifully as a standalone, though its open ending leaves room for potential future stories - I’d especially love one centered on Olena.

Overall, this is the perfect winter read for fans of Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away, blending folklore, mystery, and an enchanting atmosphere into a magical and emotional adventure.

Having known little bits about Baba Yaga, I didn’t really know what to expect when going into this story and how it would take shape, but, I was pleasantly surprised!

I really enjoyed the whimsical world that Lauren has created. And I personally really liked the focus on character building, questioning loyalties, doing what is right or wrong and the reasonings behind it. I particularly enjoyed Olena as a character, and how she built relationships with those around her beyond the judgement of her appearance which she has had forced on her from childhood.

You can perfectly picture the house with chicken legs skiing, in all of its sentient glory. I would recommend this book to any lovers of folklore, studio ghibli and whimsical fantasies.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for an eARC copy of The House of Frost and Feathers in exchange for an honest review.

The House of Frost and Feathers is a whimsical fantasy that shares similarities to Howls Moving Castle.

Marisha's life changes the day she lands a job as a apprentice in a magical house that travels on chicken legs. Her parents have long fallen under the curse of a sleeping plague and her new life sees her working as an apprentice to a koldonya who is determined to find a cure.

The book is full of magic, secrets, a sprinkle of romance and an endearing animal companion named Golgolin who is a guinea pig with duck wings..

This book makes for an enchanting read and I really hope we get to journey with Marisha again.

I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was the perfect atmospheric read for an icy winter's day.

Desperate to escape an unwanted marriage, Marisha takes an unusual job, working as a koldunya's assistant. Her new boss, Baba Zima, sends her to help apprentice koldunya, Olena, who is researching a cure for the dreaded sleepung plague. Together, Marisha and Olena must learn to combine all the resources at their disposal, and trust one another against a murky, magical world.

Marisha and Olena were both thoroughly likeable characters, and I particularly enjoyed how well the mystery of their backgrounds was threaded into the fabric of the narrative. The setting itself was also highly entertaining, and I can definitely understand why Baba Zima's house has been compared to Howl's Moving Castle!

If anything, the main characters and the magical world that surrounds them sometimes seemed a little too developed. Often I found myself more focused on the properties of koldunry than the emotions of a particular scene, and some of the minor characters perhaps needed more fleshing out.

However, if you're looking for something wintery and exciting, but with a sinister edge, this is a really good find.

Books with similar vibes - Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, The Snow Song by Sally Gardner, and Nettle & Bone by T Kingfisher.

2,5 stars rounded up to 3
As a fan of Slavic folklore, I was hoping for an engaging story that would bring back memories of home. That didn`t happen.
Most of the book resembles folklore only in its settings. It consists of a huge amount of dialogue and lots of arguments, but not much is actually going on. The characters aren't convincing either—grown women behave like teenagers. The first chapter was quite interesting, but then it all became boring. I was begging the universe to somehow speed it all up.

Lets start with the positives 👀 The writing is good and engaging, and the story idea as a whole sounds brilliant and had my initial attention. I loved Wiesebron's inclusion of the old Slavic tale of Baba Yaga's, or Baba Zima's in this case, house on a chicken leg and her use of Russian words and phrases to give the story a warming, Slavic folklore atmosphere.

By all means, I should have loved this book. Based on Slavic folklore and fairy tales I remember from my childhood, it should have been a hit for me. The synopsis sounded amazing and I was over the moon when I first started it. Sadly, in the end, for me this debut just didn't deliver.

At about 40% in, I was ready to quit. This book could have been half the length. For the most part, nothing happens and the story seems to drag needlessly. The search for the cure... it could have been done in a more exciting and entertaining way. As it was, it fell a bit flat and uninspiring. There is a little excitement towards the end of the book when a baddie enters the scene, but this whole part of the story felt a bit cartoonish, like a caricature. I haven't bonded with any of the characters which is the biggest issue for me when reading a book and ultimately, did not care what was happening to them.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The House of Frost and Feathers comes out on 16th January.

This sounded just like my sort of book being a lover of Studio Ghibli anime. It did deliver and very much had the same sort of vibes. A wonderful wintertime book, it filled many happy hours.

A gorgeous story that anyone who loves Howls moving castle will enjoy.

I did find it a little too slow paced at the start compared to what I usually like and some hints at what's to come weren't picked up again until much later.

Was a perfect winter vibe story and I loved the baby yaga vibes

I really enjoyed this book! The House of Frost and Feathers gave me Russian folklore mixed with Howl’s Moving Castle. I enjoyed the whimsical nature of the setting. The characters themselves were interesting to read about, each with their own unique quirks and experiences. Three of the important characters have disabilities of some kind, physical and mental. I liked Lauren Wiesebron’s writing style and I wonder if this book will have a follow up. If so, I’d be interested to read it and delve more into this world of koldunyas and koldunis.

The House of Frost and Feathers is a weird novel but it was an interesting and exciting story about hope. This novel has an icy atmosphere which makes for the perfect wintery fantasy read.

I really enjoyed the plot of this novel, it had a strong fantastical storyline which is very heavily focused on the character development element rather than worldbuilding, so if you enjoy character focused stories this one is definitely worth your time.

The only issue I had with this story was the pacing, a lot of the action seemed to have taken place in the last 30% of the novel, so it's very slow in the beginning and seemed rushed at the end.

Nevertheless it was still an enjoyable read.

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This is a beautiful book that feels like a wonderful mix of Howl’s Moving Castle and tales of Baba Yaga. The imagery and atmosphere this books evokes are just fantastic.

We have one of my favourite tropes in this book, found family. Our main character becomes an apprentice at the strange chicken leg house of Baba Zina, moving between different towns at pace and solving problems for townsfolk. She also assists in trying to find a cure for a sleeping plague that’s affecting the land, but the person she’s assisting is prickly and not happy to have her there.

The pace of the book is quite slow at first, with world building and history taking centre stage. However we do always have the undercurrent of the sleeping plague providing a sinister backdrop and a problem that must be solved. A mystery does gradually start to unfurl and towards the end the action ramps up and the last third of the book becomes a real page turned you can’t put down.

A beautifully written book that was very enjoyable to read.

An enchanting story of a young woman trying to escape the sleeping plague that left her parents and so many other victims in a sanatorium, who finds employment as an assistant to the witches who Iive and travel around in a house with chicken legs. This had a few pacing issues near the start but had me gripped to the end with lots of mystery, twists and betrayal, and even a slow burn romance (or two!). A wonderful fantasy story to curl up with on these long, dark winter nights.

Howl's Moving Castle meets Baba Yaga.

Marisha doesn't believe in the magic of the koldunya (women who use magic to help and heal), but she's desperate enough that she secures a position in the house of the koldunya Baba Zima to escape her current life. Not only is she fleeing the threat of an arranged marriage, she is also fearful of the approaching plague. Every ten years the sleeping plague arrives, sending people into a year-long sleep if they're lucky, if they aren't, like Marisha's parents, they remain deep sleepers.

Marisha becomes the assistant to Olena, Baba Zima's apprentice, who is determined to discover a cure for the plague. She's a prickly character, pushed and tested constantly by Zima. As they continue their research, Marisha becomes haunted by strange dreams of masked dancers and sinister bird-faced men.

The story immediately drew me in, it's not fast-paced action, instead there's a lot of daily life in the house: Marisha learning her role, growing in confidence and understanding, discovering the hidden wonders of the house (I love a sentient building - it even skis!), Olena desperately trying to prove herself. I liked the mix of these elements with the darker mystery that is threaded throughout.

My only issue was that the ending felt a lot faster-paced and dramatic than the rest of the book, although I did like the setting for it.
I don't know if there are going to be more books with these characters, but I'll certainly look forward to reading more from the author.

Marisha is a young woman struggling to find her way in the world following her parents falling to the sleeping plague and her brother, Dima, leaving her to find a way to make money for the family. Marisha finds a job as the assistant to Baba Zima and Olena, a travelling koldunya and her apprentice.

The novel weaves between Marisha and Olena's perspectives as they find a way to work together in the search for a cure for the sleeping plague. The tale was rich in folklore, and felt perfect for getting lost into on a cold, dark wintry night. The development of the characters was well placed, and I found myself rooting for each of them.

My main critique of the novel would be the pacing, which was overall good, but the ending seemed very sudden and with a lot of threads unresolved. I think these will be resolved in a sequel, however I'd have liked a bit more of the resolution within this tale.

Overall, an enjoyable read I'd give 3.75 stars and would recommend to anyone looking to curl up into an atmospheric, folklore inspired tale of a cold, wintry evening. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this novel.