I love folk tales, and Baba Yaga and her house, Thistlefoot have been around for a long time. The way GennaRose Nethercott used this background to weave a story with Jewish folklore and history, with a story of family and friends, was magical.

Isaac and Bellatine Yaga are descendants of Baba Yaga who inherit her magical house, Thistlefoot. The siblings have been estranged from their parents and each other but inheriting the house has forced Isaac and Bellatine together, at least for a time. The house is sentient, and able to move around on chicken legs, so a journey begins as they try to raise money by putting on the puppet shows the siblings grew up with.

Baba Yaga was suspected of being a witch, and both siblings have magical abilities. Isaac uses his gift to change his appearance to trick people, using his sleight of hand to steal from them. He lives his life as a vagabond, haunted by an event in his past, and doesn’t seem to be able to get past his feelings of guilt. I really liked Bellatine; she has focused on her woodworking skills, has a small circle of friends and a strong sense of responsibility. She hides her ability, afraid of what she is capable of doing. They are total opposites.

Add a mysterious stranger who seems to be tracking Thistlefoot, leaving death and destruction in his path plus a small group who is tracking the stranger and trying to put a stop to his evil. When they all meet up with Isaac the story takes on a new trajectory.

I really enjoyed the chapters written in the house’s point of view and Bellatine’s relationship with Thistlefoot. There are times when the book seemed to drag, but then things would speed up. One thing I went away with was the importance of remembering people, past events, the truth. Some things should never be forgotten.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this ARC, these are my honest opinions.

I simply can not get into this one. I tried I really did but after being 1/3 of the way through I still do not feel connected to the story or the characters. This will be a huge hit for a lot of people. it just wasn't for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Other than the original tale, I have read and enjoyed a few different takes of the Baba Yaga fairy tale before and "Thistlefoot" was definitely one of the best. It is a captivating and enchanting story which is told like a folktale and has a bittersweet ending ~ the kind of ending that I really like. The author GennaRose Nethercott is also a poet, so you can see how this poetic side transfers to the book as you read it. Definitely a must-read for fantasy, mythology, and folktale lovers.

Things I loved:
Baba Yaga. I will never turn away from something connected to such a deliciously complex, chaotic character. I really loved the historical connection here, that her myth grew from the pogroms and her survival.

Things I didn’t love:
The pacing. This was a really slow book. I had to keep putting it down and picking up something else because it felt like it wasn’t going anywhere.
The characters. There was an unfortunate lack of Baba Yaga herself, and neither of the Yaga siblings became particularly interesting until the final third/quarter of the book.

Who this book is good for:
Fans of both urban fantasy and historical fiction, folklorists, those who enjoy long, meandering journeys

I went into this book hoping for an offbeat fairytale retelling with Night Circus vibes, compelling characters, and strange magic, and this book delivered in spades. Thistlefoot takes the Baba Yaga folk tales as its jumping-off point: Isaac and Bellatine Yaga, estranged adult siblings with strange abilities, receive a cryptic note from a Ukrainian attorney that they’ve inherited a very large box kept in storage for decades. I don’t want to give too much away, but the story manages to combine a puppet show, a strange band of musicians, magic powers, a very unique house, and a mysterious, deadly stranger in a meditation on generational trauma and the importance of storytelling. If you like the work of Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus), V.E. Schwab (The Secret Life of Addie LaRue), Naomi Novik (A Deadly Education), Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House), or you’re a fan of Stranger Things, you should pick up this book!
Likes: I loved all the different characters. Two of the narrators, Bellatine and Isaac, are both deeply flawed and yet sympathetic. The third narrator, whose identity I won’t reveal, weaves in elements of folk tale that are crucial to the book’s conclusion. There’s a small cast of supporting characters including Hubcap, a small black cat with a big heart. Nethercott combines historical fiction, fantasy, folktales, and romance into an original and refreshing brew. And her prose (did I mention that she’s a poet?) is beautiful and unique. This book packs an additional punch given the current war in Ukraine.
Dislikes: really nothing.
FYI: murder, attempted murder, pogroms, massacres, suicidal ideation, accidental death, difficult parent-child and sibling relationships.

e-arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"to let too many stories in- it will undo you. you could not bear it."

this is a story in layers.

a house on chicken legs hosting a puppet show across the vast expanse of america.
a pair of estranged siblings dealing with strange gifts and their past, both shared and secret.
a russian man seeking to destroy the last of a jewish-ukrainian family's legacy.

there's probably something for everyone in this book. however, that made it very fragmented, which didn't work for me as much as i wished it had. there's a pov change every chapter, and though it offered insight into both the minds of the yaga siblings' and the strange house they chose to call home, it kept me from immersing myself into the story. it also only picked up speed around the 75% mark, at which point i did manage to sit down and read more than a chapter at a time.

i'm not sure if it was that, my bizzare reading slump, or just an unfortunate series of coincidences that made me take over a month to finish this book. however, i think that if i ever got my hands on a physical copy and took my time with it, i'd find the story of thistlefoot among my favourites. there were certainly countless passages i wished to highlight, and characters pretty much engineered to be the objects of an obsession.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.
5 out of 5 stars.

Bellatine and Isaac Yaga are descendants of Baba Yaga. As children, they assisted their parents put on a puppet show, but as adults, they have grown apart. Bellatine feels Isaac abandoned her in the craziness of her childhood when he ran away. Isaac has never stopped running. With a severe case of wanderlust, Isaac hops trains with his best friend, Benji, and learns to mimic people in a terrifying way. Bellatine hides a secret of her own in her hands, which is why she tries to hide it by burying herself in carpentry work.

When Bellatine is contacted by a lawyer stating that inheritance from a world away is on its way to the United States in a shipping crate, she reached out to Isaac but doesn't really expect him to show up. He does, and together, they open the crate, to find a sentient house with chicken legs - the house belonging to their ancestor, Baba Yaga. While Bellatine finds that he feels most safe in the house, Isaac sees the money they can make by resurrecting the puppet show they memorized as children, and taking it on the road, along with the house.

But the story begs the question: what would cause a house to grow legs and run away?

Someone, or something, is hunting the house and has followed it across the ocean. Someone with terrifying powers of their own, someone with unfinished business from years ago.

I have to say, 80% through the book, in chapter 43, I was hit with a bombshell and then I was bawling. Not just ugly crying, but bawling in the early house of the morning before my family woke up. I was thoroughly impressed with the storyline. It is not a children's book by any means, although it does lean into the fairy tale genre. An impressive debut by Nethercott, and hopefully the first in an illustriust career as a novelist.

A Tale Of Dark, Urban Mythology
NOTE: I received early access from NetGalley, for this manuscript, in exchange for writing an impartial review. Completed on 7/09/2022.

Just a quick mention-I will be focusing on my own perspective of the overall entertainment and comprehension of the actual reading material.
I've went with not offering a summary of the plot in my review, since this is more than available through the book's description provided, as well as many other existing contributions composed.

There's a considerable amount of back and forth in this book, and it took all my efforts to concentrate on what was happening as the current drama was unfolding, rather than something I had puzzled over 10 pages prior. I had to significantly focus on keeping things straightened out as I progressed through the initial plot, which required a much slower read in order to absorb what was transpiring.

Additionally, there's a substantial number of POV'S telling the chapters, so I needed to remain cognizant of this to boot, since the titles are purely labeled by numbers, and not headers or names to let you know who's now telling the story.

Very sinister and deviant in a truly graphic manner. I don't mean this in a negative way, but irrefutably something to be observant of upfront. This rather limits the target audience, as it's not going to be reflective to the average sampling of readers, but rather to a more selective patronage.

I also must say I felt lost at times, not being as well-read or knowledgeable as possibly others, on Eastern European folklore, especially Russian and Jewish. This took my passion down a notch or so, particularly since it appears a large portion of the folklore is as I mentioned above.

Neither of the previous two sections are meant in a disparaging manner, or in a castigative, malignant posture either.
They're simply my deferential assessment.

It is a rather captivating read, but I didn't find it one you would breeze through in an afternoon. With the majority of the novel, a much more focused, mental application, was required to stay with the plot.

I would recommend this for a selective audience, but not necessarily just folklore and fairy-tales. It's not even what I would consider paranormal or fantasy, but possibly Eastern European mythology, (from the simplest definition from Greek meaning: Mythos for story-of-the-people, and Logos for word or speech, as in the spoken story of a people) with a dark, urban twist.

I am blown away by the beauty and whimsy of this book. The writing was so beautiful and made me want to keep reading.

I have heard the folklore of Baba Yaga before but this was so much more. This was a story about family and where you come from and not forgetting the stories that are passed down. Listen to your elders stories as that is what your made of and from.

I absolutely loved this book and will recommend it to everyone who will listen.

I am in the vast minority here but I simply could not get into this one.. I was highly intrigued by the concept, I love the Baba Yaga mythology and the blending of contemporary and historical/mythological concepts in the Russian fairy tale genre was highly appealing to me. However for some reason I simply could NOT get into this one.

I tried. Repeatedly. I even tried skimming ahead to see if i just needed to get past a slow start. But no matter what I tried, I could not get into the characters' heads at all and as a result had a very difficult time caring about what was happening to them..

This one just wasn't a good fit for me. Everyone else seems to absolutely love it so I will try it again eventually - sometimes certain books just aren't the right fit at the right time - but for right now I could not finish this one, which means 2 stars from me...

I absolutely loved this take on Baba Yaga. The book pulled me in within the first few chapters and I couldn’t put it down. It is also about awakening power within you. It’s how our ancestors help us through trauma and to balance ourselves. Love it and recommend to those who enjoy fairy tale retelling

An excellent tale about the aftermath of horrors and how generational trauma can affect descendants. Magical realism and the Baba Yaga story and Jewish cultural references and it's just amazing.

Firstly this book was beautifully written and I loved the whole atmosphere of the Jewish folklore, fairytale, and fantasy. This book made me feel all kinds of emotions such as heartbreak, happiness, loss and love.

Overall a 5 star read!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC. This was a fantastic read I’ll definitely be purchasing this book when it’s released.

Really loved the premise of this book, a great balance of fantasy, fairy-tale and folklore and a really original story. The tragedy peppered throughout the story made the history the author was telling seem much more real. I have to say there was a lag between the incredible set up and the story line picking up pace that really frustrated me but I'm glad I stuck with it.

A moving house on chicken legs..

A woman who can animate objects..

A man who can mimic anyone…

A sinister shadow trailing behind..

Bellatine and her brother Issac have been estrange since Issac run away. Bellatine never thought she would see him again. Yet the Yaga siblings cross paths when they converge on the inheritance of their great grandmother’s living house years later. Hailing from a profession of acting and puppeteers, they set off on an adventures of memories. Not knowing that by waking the house, a Longshadow Man hunts for it.

Full of creative imagery and metaphoric haunting anecdotes, Thislefoot segue effortlessly through multiple POV while imparting a riveting story. Thistlefoot is a one of kind fairytale. Not the soft, dreamy, and warm adventure but a remembrance of a forgotten town - their dreams, hopes, sorrow, and anguish.

What happens when history loops back on itself?

The first two-thirds of this book were fantastic. The author blends folklore, popersp[ectives, and modern-day easily. I love the twist of this Slavic tale following the ancestors of Baba Yaga.
The story really gets a word in the last third though and the action is slammed into short space without time for anything to breathe. But the ending itself was a good payout.

Thistlefoot is based on Slavic folklore of a house with chicken legs and Baba Yaga. I loved the character development and the four different first-person viewpoints the reader is given. The magical realism in the plot was masterfully built so the reader does not have to suspend his or her disbelief (other than a house with legs obviously). And the resolution was both surprising and satisfying.

Isaac and Bellatine are raised in a family of professional puppeteers but things kind of break down when the kids each discover that they have special gifts. One of the kids’ gifts seems more prominent than the other and they seem to split up as a family. Years later, the siblings receive notice that they have an inheritance and discover the house with the chicken legs is now theirs to share.

However, they soon discover that there is someone after them: the Longshadow Man who has these tendrils of evil that are able to impact humans and he begins to target those around Isaac and Bellatine. For their safety and for those around them, they need to unravel the mystery of why the house has chicken legs and why the Longshadow Man is after them.

My two complaints about this book is that the cursing halted the flow of the dialogue for me; the harsh language was jarring at times and pulled me out of the story. Secondly, it contains a fairly high level of violence. There are multiple triggers warnings: infant death, suicidal thoughts, anti-Semitism, and death of loved ones. There also is a same-sex relationship.

Otherwise, this is a thought-provoking tale and one that was emotionally moving. I thought a lot about the plot and what was happening when I wasn’t reading it and wanted to get right back into the tale to finish it.

Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Anchor and NetGalley for this ARC.

This debut novel is chocked full of story maybe too full. The basic story is about a brother and sister, Isaac and Bellantine Yaga, who inherit a strange house with chicken legs from a relative in the old country of Russia. The house has quite a story and carries some supernatural abilities and some scary "baggage". Their ancestor lived in the house over a hundred years ago during the time of the Great War in Russia. As the story unfolds the reader learns the history of the family and the house and must confront the Longshadow Man who seeks to destroy them all. The point of view switches between the characters, their stories and the house which attempts to tell the reader his story. There are dangers,deaths, poisonings, things brought to life and the curses both children seem to carry. Isaac is a shapeshifter, he can become anyone he sees. Bellantine has "the embering" she can "burn" things to life with her hands.
The book is a very interesting story, but it gets a little long , a little repetitive and a lot of information drawn out over the plot. The book will be enjoyed by those who enjoy folktales even embellished and reinvented ones. Her work on this tale is exquisite

I want to thank #netgalley for letting me read an eArc of #Thistlefoot by #GennaRoseNethercott

I have always loved the tales of Baba Yaga, I still don't know why I love them so much I just do. The idea of a home that sprouts chicken legs and can travel wherever its bid to go is fascinating.
The story of Thistlefoot is told from the perspective of the house itself of Thistlefoot. Thistlefoot tells of its origins although we receive many different ones it only reveals the truth of itself at the end.
We travel back and forth through time and stories.
We learn of the Yaga siblings who are descendants of Baba Yaga. Bellatine and Isaac Yaga are not exactly what they seem. Bellatine works in carpentry with her hands something that she loves but she keeps herself rigid and distanced from people because of a curse that lives within her hands. Isaac left his twin years prior to ride the rails, he is a bit of a con man with an amazing gift to mold himself into others. The siblings receive word that they have an inheritance waiting for them at a loading dock so they both leave and head toward the unknown. What they find they are sure what to make of, its a house that's alive. It has chicken legs and grows food on its roof, the hearth is always going no matter what and the house understands. Bellatine feels an instant connection to the home she names Thistlefoot. Isaac sees a chance to get out of some debt and tells his sister if she will do a traveling puppet show with him for a year and give him all her wages the house is hers free and clear.
Bellatine has a fear of the puppets, of what her hands can make them do. She agrees only as long as she doesn't have to touch the puppets. She wants to run rigs and nothing more to which Isaac agrees.
But something has traveled from Russia where Thistlefoot came from. Something dark that has unfinished business, the Longshadow Man brings chaos wherever he goes. He feeds off it and it gives him strength. He is on the trail of Thistlefoot, searching to finish what he started to very long ago.
Moments in history leave a mark, the ghosts don't linger but the memory does and sometimes it imprints and relives itself over and over and over again. I'm sure we all have memories or places like that. How do you get rid of a memory? Cause it to no longer repeat? The ShadowMan knows and he is coming to finish what he began.

An absolutely stunning retelling of Eastern European folklore with vibrant and entrancing prose. At its heart, its about family, stories, and connections through time. Nethercott brilliantly weaves the past and present together in a beautiful cyclical adventure of Baba Yaga's house, the siblings who inherit it, and a Longshadow man who's out to destroy it all.

One thing that never really came up was people questioning the house. They start out near where Bellatine works, and not a single person has a what the...? moment. Its just accepted that, 'hey, a house with feathery chicken legs is totally normal.' That was the only thing that was hard to believe. No one freaked out or needed an explanation. Even as the house was walking to new locations.

The narration falls between the siblings and the house itself. We learn about the familial tragedy that has bled into the youngest Yaga family members. By the end, the journey is meaningful and undeniably remarkable. The prose: sumptuous. Intriguing and complex characters round out this stellar book. No doubt this'll be a top read of this year. A folklore retelling that is unique but retains that special folklore magnetism and charm.