*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Usually I like stories written in lyrical prose, and love fairytale retellings. I've been fascinated by Baba Yaga ever since I read Egg and Spoon last year, but I'm not as familiar with her and the surrounding stories as I should be. I really expected to like this book, a modernized retelling of sorts. But I didn't.

Though the prose is well-written, the story didn't really grab me. There wasn't anything that made it unique or fantastic. The characters didn't really stand out to me. I'm not sure if maybe I just didn't really get it or what. It felt like a message of hate towards men and an examination of the broken bitterness of women who have experienced gender discrimination, not a story. And even then, I didn't feel like it did a very good job. It just felt like Jane Yolen twisted the fairytale witch into a mascot of sorts for the angry and embittered, rather than reaching out to help those people or make something good of the fairytales. Maybe she was always like that, and I just didn't catch it earlier? Anyway, I put this down feeling a bit disappointed.

This short novel, told in verse, is a feminist twist on the classic Baba Yaga plot. Natasha has a mean, controlling father and a lackluster mother who seems to have given up on life. When Natasha finally gathers the courage to run away she finds Baba Yaga and the chicken house. Baba Yaga approves and invites her to stay. She is told that she will share a room with Vasilisa. The two soon become friends. Natasha is excited for her first friend but, Vasilisa has different plans and wants to marry a prince. This is a great read for fans of Baba Yaga, and modern twists on fairy tales. For ages 12 and up.

A young modern woman runs away from home and stumbles into the classic Baba Yaga fairy tale. They have a few adventures, and Natasha learns to find her voice and her strength. Written in verse, this is Yolen's reimagining of Baba Yaga. It is very short, often poignant, and sometimes vague. I look forward to seeing any illustrations that may accompany the final proof.

Things I loved:
The cover
Yolen's take on the Baba Yaga
The Verse - skillfully done, the verse unfolds the story of a nameless girl, fleeing a bad home and finding one with Baba Yaga.

Dislikes
I don't really have a lot of them. But perhaps it was a bit difficult to feel emotional connection to the storyline.

Exquisite economical storytelling in a collection of free standing poems. Running away from an abusive family, a young girl finds herself in the household of Baba Yaga, and learning to take control of her own destiny. A beautiful read

Review to be posted Oct 16:

Natasha finally has enough of her overly strict, unloving home and runs away. After a week of being homeless she comes across an ugly hut in the woods. Inside she meets Baba Yaga, and though she isn’t sure it is safe, she decides to stay for a little while.

Yolen has written this story in verse, and I feel like you’d have to read it a dozen times to just start scratching the surface of all the metaphors and messages woven into the words. It feels very deep. And after just reading it once, I feel like I have probably missed some significant things. And there are some parts I’m still trying to untangle for meaning. Yolen does demonstrate her prowess with words in this tale. They do more than weave a story, they can be cunning and crafty, dangerous and diabolical, and witty as well. Yolen has taken the old Russian fairy tale about how the next Baba Yaga comes to be a Baba Yaga and brought it into modern times. There’s still plenty of magic and timelessness, though, too. What would drive someone to forsake society and live in the woods as a witch? Yolen has chosen an overly strict home. Natasha’s father is a religious zealot, obsessed with following rules, and totally missing out on the meaning of grace or mercy, and not even comprehending the concept of love. Based on her other works, I don't think this is Yolen's view of religious people overall. Yolen seems to have gone for all the extreme negative stereotypes in this book (a prince who is good looking but faithless, another girl who does everything just to spite her mother), and I’m guessing it is part of her poetic device. It seems fitting to a girl who views the world with angst. Not to say that this is an entirely angry book. It is also a story about finding home, so there is some positive resolution. Is it a happy story? Not really. Is it a devastating tale? Not really that either. It feels very…classic Russian in tone. And I guess that’s the best compliment you can give a Baba Yaga rewrite. Recommended for those who like more serious fairy tale rewrites and those who like to puzzle out meanings of poetry.

Notes on content [Based on the ARC]: About four minor swear words (possibly a couple more minor ones and one strong one in Russian too). No sexual content beyond some kissing. It is mentioned that Baba Yaga eats boys, but no details and it doesn’t happen on page.

<i>I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I received the ARC via NetGalley. Two things struck me when I saw this book available on NetGalley: 1-the author and 2-the title. I have read The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen. I liked how I was able to get sucked into the narrative in that book. I grew up reading a version of Baba Yaga, so I was interested to see how she would interpret this story.

This story is written in verse. It has a poetry like feel, but it isn’t really poetry. It is dark, darker than I thought it would be. This is in the sense of the subject; it is not necessarily a “scary” book. This is a very short read; I finished it in one sitting. Yolen definitely gave her own spin on this classic tale. However, it was not my cup a tea.

Janet Yolen has turned her sights to Slavic fairy tales with the new short verse book Finding Baba Yaga. A young girl runs away from a difficult home life to find herself working for, and learning from Baba Yaga. For those not familiar with the tale of Baba Yaga, she is a creature that looks like a fearsome old woman. She has metal teeth, a fence made of bones, flies through the air in a mortar and pestle, and has a house on chicken legs. She also enslaves young women and eats young men.

Yolen herself has said that this book is influenced in part by the popular column from the Hairpin and Taisia Kitaiskaia’s ‘Ask Baba Yaga’ column, which provides young women with advice in the tone of the famous Slavic entity. The writing of Finding Baba Yaga in verse makes for a more lyrical tale that flows quickly. I read this book in 30 minutes and loved every minute of it.

Finding Baba Yaga is available from Tor Publishing on October 30th.

This was a very different book.....

I think that it might be one of the better ones I've read all year. As someone of Slavic ancestry, I always feel inclined to favour Slav-based fairytale and folktale novels, and so I had a positive opinion when I came to this book which was correct, even without bias! It's an undeniable fact that Ms. Yolen can write, but I'd never had the chance to read any of her prose before, and it is GOOD! The way she crafted an atmosphere without having to actually be extremely descriptive was incredible, and the gentle plot-weaving you would think difficult with prose, but was actually very effortless to read! I really liked it, and I hope she does more of it! I can't say a lot without ruining the story, but I think that if you appreciate good writing, a good plot, and an emotional read, then this is the right book for you!

This is a beautiful book in verse that reflects the inner anguish of a teen who is struggling to belong and to discover who she is. This complex study of a lesser-known folktale will resonate with today's young adults.

"Stories retold are stories remade...This is a tale both old and new, borrowed, narrowed, broadened, deepened". In Russian folklore, Baba Yaga is a terrifying old witch who can be cruel and fearsome or perhaps powerful and kind. She lives in a nondescript hut deep in the forest. The hut moves around on chicken feet. When Baba Yaga calls to her house, it will rotate counterclockwise until the front door faces her. Baba's method of transportation is a human size mortar she steers with a pestle as a rudder. She has a voracious appetite and enjoys eating children, especially little boys. She has a mouth full of iron teeth, the better to gobble up her human dinner!

Teenager Natasha leads a miserable life with her parents. If she uses a bad word, her papa calls her "filth" and puts soap in her mouth to "cleanse" her. She is often locked in her room, held captive until her mama locates the key and unlocks the door. There is no peace in the house. Natasha runs away. After days of hunger, with the hard ground as her bed, she follows a path into the woods, passing by "ghostly" trees. She spots a little hut, Baba Yaga's hut. Natasha is a feisty, friendly girl. Baba Yaga's reaction: "You'll do girl, you'll do". What is in store for this 21st Century runaway? Settling in with Baba Yaga, Natasha is surprised to find she will be sharing her room with a new arrival.

Vasilisa, a petite, pretty blond arrives carrying three special secret possessions. Natasha and Vasilisa bond. Vasilisa is Natasha's first friend. She is thrilled, but only for a while. Vasilisa plans to marry a prince and therefore must escape from Baba's house. Vasilisa has an ace up her sleeve. If pursued, she will unleash some magic!

"Finding Baba Yaga: A Short Novel in Verse" by Jane Yolen will arguably capture the imagination of readers everywhere although it is marketed to Teens/YA. The protagonists Baba Yaga, Natasha, and Vasilisa are lovingly crafted by Yolen. The verse is clear and concise and the story magnificently told. The mixture of 21st Century issues with Slavic folklore create a delightful read!

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Finding Baba Yaga".

Yolen brings the reader a dreamy, rhythmic, and compelling story within a story. For fans of fairy tales, fractured fairy tales, and Jane Yolen herself. Expect no happy endings here-or perhaps be surprised.

This was a captivating, haunting read. A story in verse about different kinds of monsters. The verse is beautiful, the story is fantastic. A delightful, quick read that keeps you thinking from a master.

This is a gorgeous contemporary Baba Yaga story in verse featuring a young woman who finds her voice and strength with a fairy tale witch and a house with chicken legs. Running away from a harsh father the girl ventures into the wild, eventually coming upon the little house in the wood. The poetry is at turns moving and funny. Jane Yolen is amazing!

If I had realised this was a novel written in verse, I probably wouldn't have requested it since I'm not fond of that as a literary device for modern storytelling. However I found this interesting and at times enjoyable so I'm glad I didn't realise it was in verse until I started reading it. It tells the story, through short poems, of modern teen, Natasha, who runs away from home straight into Russian folklore.

The folklore side of things was especially well done. Yolen really captures the essence and feel of the stories. Natasha has a strong voice throughout which is not easy to capture consistently in a series of short poems. I did find the metre, rhythm and rhyme scheme to be unvarying though. The first part read like very angsty but not very interesting teen poetry while later parts had some excellent imagery and depth. A bit of a mixed bag and not one I loved but I'm glad I read it.

I've been a fan of Jane Yolen's for over twenty years, and one of the best things about her is that she never stops finding new ways to tell stories. "Finding Baba Yaga" is a fairy tale set in the modern era and told entirely through verse. Each chapter of the story contains several short poems that weave together to tell the story of Natasha, a young girl who runs away from an unstable home situation and finds a new start in the home of the witch Baba Yaga.

This book is a quick read, probably an hour or less all together. Most of the individual poems are under a page in length, but Yolen manages to use these short verses to convey a full story's worth of events and emotions. I'm honestly not the biggest fan of stories told in verse generally, and only picked this one up because of Yolen's name on the cover. I'm glad I tried this book. It was a new reading experience and a lovely interpretation of some very old fairy tales.

A modern, feminist retelling of the old story that will appeal to middle graders and adults alike. This will be on my library’s book award list this year