This was a fantastic, magical, mystical tale that I want to read again and again. Zima stole my heart as she tried her best to help her pack. All she wanted was for them to be safe, and she would do anything to prove that. I can’t wait to read this story to my kids. It’s a great book, and has amazing lessons for young and old alike!

I am not a big reader of middle grade, but I decided to give this one a try mostly because it’s a retelling of Baba Yaga, a character from Slavic folklore. For those who don’t know me, I come from Romania, which is between a bunch of East European Slavic countries so we do share part of those myths and legends.

I haven’t grown up with stories of Baba Yaga, mostly because my Grandma had her own original stories, that she knew from her grandma and so on. But this book made me go back to those cold winters when I would sneak with my little brother in her room and she will start telling us fantastic stories half asleep after a day of hard work.

The characters are completely amazing and well written, I enjoyed, in particular, Zima’s POV in Baba Yaga’s body and that somehow it gave me exactly the feeling of a wolf experiencing the human world for the first time.

Baba Yaga personifies here one of my favorite tropes, the morally grey character, who’s done some bad, looking to fix it, and you are not sure if you should root from them or not.

I do really have trouble finding any kind of faults to this story, while I had a hard time at the beginning with Zima’s POV, and the fact that you are thrown right into it doesn’t help a bit after I got used to it the story had an amazing flow.

I honesty was caught up completely, this book has that timeless placeless feeling that fairytales usually have. It does also has a very straightforward plot common to the genre, where the good always triumphs at the end. This was not a problem for me, as I expected it, and is honestly part of the charm with fairytales.

In the end, this was a very enjoyable read, and will probably recommend this in the future to middle-grade kids and adults alike.

A Wolf for a Spell by Karah Sutton sounds like your typical fairytale retelling for middle grade readers. Promising intrigue, fun and action. But A Wolf for a Spell is much different. At first I was a little skeptical, as it’s a retelling of the story of Baba Yaga, but as I read, I realized just what a fascinating and beautiful retelling the book really is.
A Wolf for a Spell follows three characters—Zima, a wolf; Baba Yaga, the forest witch; and Nadya, a girl who doesn’t want to be separated from her childhood friend. All three characters meet when Baba Yaga switches bodies with the wolf so that she can hunt down the true heir to the throne, and when the girl comes to Baba Yaga for help, not knowing that the witch isn’t really the witch.
I could try to pick a favorite character but that would be nearly impossible. All three were very interesting, well-rounded characters, each with their own goals that ultimately tied together. I loved the fact that one of the characters was a wolf, as wolves are one of my favorite animals. It was also nice to see an old character as a protagonist, as that’s not done often enough in fiction. I also enjoyed the new twist on the plot and the forest-magic.
There were some moments in the book, however, that I feared things might go a little too far and would be more suited for older readers, but Sutton never described any of the violence or ‘scary’ moments in a way that would be too much for young readers. I can confidently say that my younger sisters, who still read Middle Grade, would be able to enjoy this book without me worrying that something was too much.
Overall, A Wolf for a Spell was a beautiful and unique twist on the tale of Baba Yaga and is perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill and the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson and can even be enjoyed by older audiences.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Wolf For a Spell is a middle-grade fantasy based on old fairytales featuring Baba Yaga, from the authors Russian heritage. I have not read many books with Baba Yaga, so this was a real treat!
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This fantasy world is so engaging, I felt pulled in right away! We see the story from different viewpoints: Baba Yaga- the witch of the forest, Zima the wolf, and Nadya the village girl. Each character is full of life, and innate bravery that comes out when they need it the most.
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It's a story of family, born with and found, a story of courage and taking responsibility. It winds these themes together so beautifully that you don't notice the morale until you've realized it yourself. The forest is a lush world of it's own, kind and helpful, yet deadly if you don't watch your step.
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This is a delightful middle-grade book, and even as an adult I was entertained and will definitely be watching this author! I also have to gush about the AMAZING illustrator, Pauliina Hannuniemi, that brought this tale to life with her drawings that were throughout the book.

Thank you Netgalley and TBRandbeyondtours for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful middle grade fantasy. I would gladly recommend this to my younger siblings and friends who love to read fairy tales.

A Wolf for a Spell was absolutely delightful. I loved all the different perspectives we had to follow within the story. Following Zima’s point of view was so incredibly unique and interesting. It was interesting to see the dynamics of her family and the complicated relationships the wolves have with each other and humans. Following Baba Yaga’s perspective was also incredibly interested. I didn’t know a lot about the mythology of Baba Yaga, so seeing a story with her as a prominent character was incredibly exciting.

I loved the pacing in this story. It was fast paced, but it was full of interesting plot and characters. Having a number of characters made it more exciting because we didn’t always know what each character was doing, adding some suspense to the story. I loved all the twists that this story took. There were a lot that I wasn’t expecting and the character growth and development was fantastic.

Overall, I thought this book was absolutely incredible. I think readers who enjoy middle grade and readers who have not read a lot of middle grade will love it. This is a story for anyone who loves fairytales and magical stories.

Rating: 4.5/5

I love Russian folklore, so naturally I was beyond excited to join the tour and read this middle grade fantasy. This version of Baba Yaga was the most positive light I have seen her in and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her this way. One of my favorite things was one of her modes of travel – a mortar and pestle that could take flight. The illustration for it was even better! I was not expecting illustrations but they are rustic and lovely. They also provide illustrative breaks for younger readers to look at and enjoy.

I loved seeing the intertwining relationships and their importance throughout the book. Once each character ceased attempting to use force and let situations guide them, it brought them all to exactly where they needed to be. Zima and Baba Yaga learned the most about themselves throughout A Wolf for a Spell, heightened by the fact that they switched bodies. Even though Baba Yaga thought she was prepared for the outcome – she wasn’t. The supporting characters were also well done, I didn’t feel like they lacked depth or reasons behind what they were doing in the story. My favorite was the snarky raven – so much sass for a bird.

A Wolf for a Spell is a beautiful tale with beautiful illustrations about finding your true path, making the right choices (and how to make up for them if you don’t), and how good found family and a place to belong can feel. I would highly recommend reading this book to those who enjoy middle grade, folklore, fairytales, and fantasy. I would like to thank TBR and Beyond Tours and Karah Sutton for the chance to read a digital ARC of A Wolf for a Spell – all opinions are my own.

What a charming little book! I love middle grade books that readers of all ages can enjoy.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Although the beginning was slow, the story was atmospheric and immersive. As much as I love stories about witches, I am surprised that this if my first experience with the character Baba Yaga! Apparently, she is a classic witch of the woods character and I have been ignorant of her existence. 🤭
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A perfect gift for young readers this holiday season!!
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Thank you NetGally and Random House for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Book release date: TODAY! December 1st, 2020!
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A Wolf for a Spell is about Zima, a wolf struggling with her pack leader/brother, and how she switches bodies with Baba Yaga in a deal to save a different brother. After finding out that the whole forest is in danger, she, along with Nadya, a (human) girl from the village, and a few other friends, set out to stop it.

I thought that this book was kind of similar to a fairy tale. Maybe that's mostly because Baba Yaga's in it, and it takes place in (something like) fairy tale Russia, but it was still fun. I liked the characters, but I did feel like Baba Yaga should have gotten more character development. Or maybe she didn't really need it. I'm not exactly sure... I also thought that, even though she wasn't really a main character, Katerina could have also done with some more character development, beyond being perfect and then making a few mistakes. And if that was being done, I feel like it could have been written a little better. I really liked Veter, though.

There were a few other things that I thought could have been better, like how there seemed to be a few things that seemed already used, (very slight spoiler) like some past tsar being a good person, but the current tsar being pretty much totally evil, and the climax towards the end of the book. But I really liked the very ending, with the bittersweet place where all of the characters were left at. In the end, I think that this was a pretty solid read. I would recommend this book for grades two through five.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the DRC (Digital Review Copy)

DNF @ 21%

I was expecting this book to be magical and atmospheric, just like fairy tales and eastern european folklore inspired stories for children tend to be. This is not it. I think telling the story from a point of view of a wolf and a child has something to do with it. My expectations for this book may have been too high. Not only I grew up on fairy tales, but I also grew up in eastern europe. I have read a lot of "russian fairy tale" inspired novels and was immediately expecting this book to be a new favorite. However, I already know it's going to be mediocre at best and not worth my time.

A Wolf for a Spell by Karah Sutton is the magical tale of a brave little girl Nadya, the witch Baba Yaga, and the wolf Zima - all of whom loved the forest very much and were willing to risk everything to protect it.

This story is very engrossing, from the beautiful descriptive writing to all the main characters - each representing and dealing with different issues. This book deals with family, the bonds and love between these characters as well as found family. It deals with perception, fear of the unknown, and the will to make a change, and fight for what's right. I loved the message.

And I found that I particularly enjoyed Zima's chapters. It was interesting to read from the perspective of a wolf, who somehow seemed the most mature and logical character in the book.

The writing style of this book was just lovely. It was so easy to imagine everything going on and thanks to the beautiful little illustrations, I'd sometimes picture it in my head like an animation movie.

I have to admit, this book wasn't quite what I was expecting. It felt more like a children's book more than a middle-grade fantasy story. The plot and conflict were a bit too simple and obvious, I didn't quite feel excited or thrilled.

Overall, I enjoyed A Wolf for a Spell. It was whimsical, lovely and I loved the sentiment. But it was a bit too young for me to completely love it. In a way, this book really reminded me of Uprooted by Naomi Novik so if you liked this one and enjoy YA fantasy, I would recommend this one. (And of Howl's Moving Castle as well!)

If A Wolf for a Spell had existed when I was a kid, it probably would have been one of my favorites. This Middle Grade novel based on Russian fairy tales has everything I could possibly want: wolves, magic, a plucky young heroine, and (did I mention?) fairy tales. It's a story that will entrance any fantasy loving child and that's equally enjoyable for adults. It also features gorgeous illustrations by Finnish artist Pauliina Hannuniemi. I am officially obsessed with her art. It's so beautiful! Look at that cover! The illustrations match the story perfectly. I'd love to see what they look like in a print edition instead of on an e-reader.

My favorite thing about the book was, of course, all the fairy tale elements. Readers familiar with even just the most basic Russian fairy tales will recognize Baba Yaga, her hut, the gray wolf, and Ivan. There's also a slight nod to "Vasilisa the Beautiful" with Katerina's magic doll. However, I wouldn't quite call this book a retelling. From what I can tell, the plot is entirely original, and Sutton puts her own take on the familiar characters. Zima is entirely different from the Gray Wolf who appears in Russian fairy tales, and Sutton opts to use Baba Yaga as a magical helper rather than as a villain. This isn't unprecedented in fairy tales; she appears as a helper in several tales, but it seems she's more well-known as a villain.

The story is told in the limited third person, and we rotate between Zima, Nadya, and Baba Yaga as the point of view characters. It was great to see three strong female characters working together due to their love for the forest. Zima was my favorite, mainly because I love wolves but also because of her dedication to protecting her family and home. I also loved that Baba Yaga is included as one of the three major protagonists. A character like her would usually be a side character, someone to give the heroine information and help her out of a few scrapes. Having her as a point of view character was fantastic.

I did feel the development of certain characters was lacking a bit. By the end, I knew Zima and Nadya and even Katerina quite well. I never quite felt the same way about Baba Yaga; I wanted to know more about her. But the lack of development was most noticeable in the villain, Tsar Aleksander. He feels flat and just evil for the sake of being evil. I never got a good idea of his motivations. This didn't bother me too much because it is in keeping with the fairy tale feel of the novel, but I would have liked to see a little more.

Overall, A Wolf for a Spell is a beautifully illustrated fairy tale that is perfect for any fantasy loving child and can be enjoyed just as much by an adult.

The tsar is hatching a plan to destroy the forest that is home to animals and the witch, Baba Yaga. To stop him, Baba Yaga must secure the help of a wolf. Zima is destined for the role, and trades bodies with Baba Yaga to keep both their homes from being burned to the ground. The plan becomes more complicated when Zima learns how to use the witch's powers and two girls from the local orphanage get involved. Each must play their part in the complicated plan to save the forest and stop the tsar.

This might be my favorite Baba Yaga story in a while. The story was fast paced, even though some of the chapters were long. The perspective changed to follow different characters at different times, which added to the drama and excitement.

This book is AMAZING. I was a little leery about reading a middle grade book (at the ripe old age of 35...), but I adore Baba Yaga and when I read the back cover blurb I knew I needed to read this book. I can't believe this is Karah Sutton's debut novel!! This intriguing, magical story of a wolf, a girl, and and a witch is written for middle grade readers, and is so well told and that it's enjoyable for audiences of all ages.

Told in the limited third-person past tense, A Wolf For A Spell alternates between the point of view of Zima (a young female wolf), Nadya (a young orphan girl), and Baba Yaga (a notorious witch, whom you may have heard of...). The threads of their stories are so intricately woven to create a beautiful tapestry of a tale that is, at heart, about finding the courage within yourself.

If this is what Karah Sutton brings to the table for her debut, I can't wait to see what she writes next! This is definitely a debut author to watch.

I just loved this Baba Yaga story with a slightly kinder witch and several strong female characters to help her save the forrest and their homes.

This version of Baba Yaga is slightly different in that she can be kind when she wants to be, and she has a strong commitment to save the forrest in which she lives. Of course part of the issue is that she is the one who put it in danger to begin with, but she was tricked into it, so we can perhaps forgive her. I did enjoy watching her figure out how to make every thing come together.

I think Zima was my favorite character. She is the wolf, and she has such a sense of loyalty and duty to her family and to the forrest that she doesn’t let much get in her way to protect it. She was also pretty funny when she switches places with Baba Yaga as she has no idea how to behave as human should. The author did a good job with this idea.

Nadya was also a character that I could get behind. She was a self reliant orphan who didn’t really like that she was expected to obey, and become someones wife or housekeeper just because she was a girl. She was a very brave character as well, and also has a great sense of loyalty to those she loves and to the forrest.

This was such a lovely modern day fairytale with lots of Russian touches and nods to the original stories. There are lots of good twists and turns to the story and enough action to keep kids turning the pages. A really nice addition to the Baba Yaga stories and one that kids will enjoy!

A very fascinating, wonderful book filled with magic! This book will be great for our library's collection. I highly recommend it.

A Wolf for a Spell is an entertaining read about clever orphans, loyal wolves, and scheming rulers. The story of Baba Yaga - or witches in the woods in general - are always captivating to the imagination. A Wolf for a Spell is no exception - from the first page the reader is immersed into the story. It's a quick attention grab and easy to read. The shift between three main characters can be a little difficult for younger readers to follow, but otherwise the three stories weaving together works well for the delivery of the conclusion: We must work together.

Overall a good and entertaining read.

Thank you to the publisher and author, Karah Sutton, for the opportunity to read A Wolf for a Spell. I found that I could not put this book down! I loved the themes of selflessness, friendship, and family that appeared throughout the whole story were fantastic. Zima, even though she is a wolf, is such a relatable character. She loves her pack (family) and will do anything to protect them! Though she is not perfect, her imperfections come from wanting to do good for all those around her. I can't stop telling everyone about this captivating story. I will be recommending that my school librarian purchase this book for our library. The students will love it!

This book intrigued me from the very beginning. I enjoyed this fairytale/folklore story and it is a great fantasy read for young readers.

This books is so magical! The writting was whimsical, characters were amazing and the story was fantastic. I wouldn't change a thing. I cannot wait to read a next book by this author!