This book was both original and well written, but it is far from my favorite baba yaga retelling. While I can absolutely appreciate what the author has done here, it ultimately didn't come together for me. Also, major trigger warnings for this book. For those who don't know: thistlefoot is rooted in the history of Russian Jews, which was often brutal and harsh. Nethercott makes it clear that she is writing to preserve the memory of those events, so be prepared. 3.75 stars

The prose, while beautiful, did make it difficult to follow the story at times. And while the House POV was fun and interesting, the meat of the story felt a bit lacking at times. Perhaps this one wasn't for me, though.

In this fabulous debut novel, the demonic Longshadow man represents hate, fear and anti- semitism. He wins if he can destroy all memory of a people, their culture and their history. He labors to destroy the last witnesses to the pogrom that wiped out a village of Russian Jews. Isaac and Bellatine Yaga, descendants of Baba Yaga must defeat him.
This story that takes the folktale of Baba Yaga in a new direction is set primarily in present day United States. The novel does not come across as if from a writer with an agenda. The above interpretation is solely my own and is influenced by certain current events.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book to review. Like all of my reviews it seems, I'm super late to the party on this one since this book has been out for months now.

I knew right away this book was not for me. To be honest, I I should have just put this book down and moved on. But with how promising the chapters on Thistlefoot's history and Baba Yaga herself were, I convinced myself to keep going. And unfortunately those chapters are too few and far between to carry this book for me.

I did NOT like either of the main characters. I didn't connect to them; they felt superficial and kind of annoying in the whole "look at me, I'm different" type of vibes they were exuding. Which I get it, they themselves are magical and the story is supposed to be a bit like a fairytale. However, it was just one of the many things that made this book not work for me. I felt as though their personalities made them super hard for me as a reader to care about when all they cared about was their own problems. They continued to remain closed off to each other throughout most of the story, which made it difficult for me as a reader to empathize with them, even when something tragic would happen.

I am also probably in the minority here, but I REALLY could have done without the whole Shadow Man vile thing. Super weird. Did not like.

OH and something else I didn't enjoy was how this book seemed to bounce back and forth in time, or at least in my brain it did. I didn't understand how these people were out here making money on a damn puppet show yet at other times it felt as though it's set in present day. I don't know. I just couldn't accurately place the time period of this story. It felt like it wanted to be a modern fairytale, yet some classical elements were thrown in that just didn't do much for me.

All in all, I typically love atmospheric stories, and while I grateful for the chance to read this book, it definitely was not one of my favorite Baba Yaga retellings, reimagining, or spin offs.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this wonderful book.

I didn't start out expecting this book to be so wonderful. But, the description made me think of Katherine Arden's books, so thought I'd give it a try - and I'm glad I did.

The story mixed fantasy elements - tales told by a puppet and a house, main characters with powers, a demon coming after them - with more realistic elements, a travelling puppet shows, a group of musicians who become friends. All of this blends together seamlessly, to provide a book that all seems to make sense in its context.

And the writing is lush. Beautiful sentences, great choice of words. I appreciated the writing, while also enjoying the intriguing plot. A thoroughly enjoyable book.

Wow. I was somehow not expecting this book. It’s an immersive and intricately written dark fantasy which is a very unique entry into the cannon of Baba Yaga. The storyline is intricately woven with between past and present, protagonist and antagonist. This book has substance. I recommend it to any lovers of dark fantasy who are looking for a story with depth, intrigue, and lore.

A charming and atmospheric blend of folktale and modern fairytale populated by an intriguing cast, led by the titular Thistlefoot, a magical house who is the story’s best character.

This story feels very Eastern European by tradition and tone, and reminds me a bit of Katherine Arden’s work, which should be taken as a high compliment.

I loved the writing and the tone used here, and the shifting perspectives between the house, Baba Yaga, and the modern characters. I liked Isaac and Bellatine as well as most of the secondary characters, though the Shona character was problematic and obnoxious.

The bones of the plot were excellent and the execution was mostly good, though it drags a bit when the folkband gets involved and the “lesson” at the end wasn’t an ideal way to conclude the story.

Overall, this is a fun and immersive read and will surely be enjoyable for any reader who loves fairy tale reinterpretations.

After trying many times to read this novel without success, I’m calling it. This is not a reflection of the book, for the writing was beautiful and I tried really hard to get into it. My suspicion is that without knowing much about the original source material I found myself lost a lot of the time and it took me out of the story. I want to read more about the folklore and try again in the future at which time I’ll purchase a copy to read from. I will not be leaving a review on Goodreads or other platforms at this time. Thank you so much for the chance to read an ARC of this book.

This is a really fun Baba Yaga style story. It is not a retelling. Basically, the descendants of Baba Yaga receive the house with the chicken feet as part of an inheritance and shenanigans ensue. The Yaga siblings each have magical gifts that they are struggling to accept and use in a positive way. And the antagonist really wants their house, or to destroy it.

I enjoyed this. I love when an author takes a folklore story and sort of runs wild with it. I think that the author did a great job with this.

Author interview and review here: https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/writer-gennarose-nethercott-on-how-creative-work-helps-make-sense-of-the-everyday/

A tale of the chicken leg house. It's a unique telling of the descendants of Baba Yaga. The story of her (Baba) is told from the house and that is beautiful. The book is long, Nethercott put in as much detail as they possibly could. The ending just seems rushed to say the least. It is not at all a bad book just not what I was fully expecting.

Kudos for Thistlefoot - a fun and dark fairytale that marries the adjectives weird and whimsical.

Follow along as the Yaga siblings receive a rather strange inheritance, a sentient house on chicken legs. As the siblings embark with Thistlefoot on a cross-country tour of their family's traveling theater show, the sinister figure known as the Longshadow Man follows in relentless pursuit, seeding destruction in his wake. Ultimately, time, magic, and legacy must collide - erupting in a powerful conflagration to determine who gets to remember the past and craft a new future.

The world building and characters drive this story home. Uniquely, we get to hear from the house giving us a witty look at the Yaga history.

Thistlefoot is a must-read!

A fun riff off of Baba Yaga stories, a brother/sister duo inherit The House and shenanigans ensue, naturally.

I liked the plot of this book, but the maximalist prose style distracted me too much from the story itself, and I found it slow going. Another reader who enjoys prose with lush figurative language in every line would likely love this book, but even as a poet, it was too much for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for opportunity to read the ARC.

Ever since I saw the cover photo for this book it immediately went to my TBR list. What can I say I do judge books by their covers. I loved the prose. The ending was incredible and this is one book i would recommend to everyone.

"A spectacle, a miracle, an abomination! Call it what you will, the Thistlefoot Traveling Theater is here to dazzle and dismay! You don't know it yet, but your life is changing tonight. Do you believe in magic? No? Let us prove you wrong!"

Two of Baba Yaga's descendants have inherited her amazing house with chicken legs, and all the wonders that lie within. Since this may be the original mobile home, the Yagas have decided they're getting their act together, and taking it on the road. Unfortunately they're being followed by a mysterious man who's bent on destroying the house.

This book was utterly magical. And, having the legendary witch deal with the very real horrors of World War ll lent a poignant and sobering touch to the enchanting tale.

"It is impossible to take a step without walking through a ghost. Every memory creates one. Every version of ourselves leaves a shadow self behind. Every regret and every promise and every touch of skin against skin."

"THISTLEFOOT" by GennaRose Nethercott

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.Anchor

Nethercott brings the most outstanding Russian tale, filled with Jewish folklore, to ever grace the pages.

Her book is brimming with such a fantastic tale that it is hard to describe.

This story tells of estranged siblings Isaac and Bellatine Yaga.

Isaac is the wandering sort, always running from something, looking for his next way to con someone to make money.
Isaac has now become an actor of sorts, but still, he is a con artist when it comes to making money.

Bellatine is more of a homebody; she wants to hide her gift, as she has been taught to do.
Bellatine does not want anyone to know that she can make animated objects come to life. So, she delves into carpentry, where she can keep her hands busy.

When one-day, Bellatine receives a call from a lawyer telling her that she and Isaac have come into an inheritance, and it will be at the pier in a large shipping container.

Bellatine contacts Isaac with no honest thoughts of him showing, but to her surprise, he does.

The pair opens the container and find a house with spindly, chicken-feathered legs inside the box.

Once they have inherited the house, Isaac produces the idea.

Take their professional puppeteering family business on the road.

But Bellatine is not so easy to convince because of her gift.

So finally, she tells him that she will not touch a puppet; she wants to only work on the rigging aspect of the performance, which he agrees to because all he sees are dollar signs.

So, the agreement is set.

Issac and Bellatine will take Thistlefoot (which Bellatine has named the house) on the road for one year exactly.

Bellatine is quite content within the walls of Thistlefoot, in here, she finds solitude and realizes that Thistlefoot only responds to Yiddish commands.

Hmm!

But Thistlefoot comes with a past of its own, for an ominous figure has also come from Russia.

The Longshadow man is a mysterious figure who is incredibly determined to bring down Baba Yaga's house, leaving destruction wherever it passes.

The story is given from different points of view, including the point of view of Thistlefoot.

It jumps from past to present with Baba Yaga and her children to the present with the two siblings and the journey they encounter.

Nethercott presents such an outstandingly imaginative world. Thistlefoot is so impressively descriptive; it is like you are there for the unboxing of the house.

Nethercott's word-building is stellar and astonishingly seamless.

You will absolutely fall in love with the characters introduced in the story.

Each one will capture your heart in one way or another.

The author takes you through an emotional rollercoaster filled with grief, generational pain, and antisemitism, along with Jewish folklore and Jewish/Russian History.

Overall, this is a "MUST" read!

This book is so beautifully written that you will want to reread this book over and over again.

6 stars to Nethercott and Thistlefoot!

Thought Provoking and Astonishingly Depicted

Job Perfectly Perfected!

NETHERCOTT IS ONE OF THE TOP 1O DEBUT AUTHORS FOR SURE!!!

KUDOS!!

Thank you, NetGalley/GennaRose Nethercott/Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.Anchor for this amazing eARC for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

Prior to this novel, I had only a cursory knowledge of the myth of Baba Yaga— enough to be interested in this story, but not enough to dispute a retelling. Reading Thistlefoot has kickstarted a folklore hyper-fixation that has been more difficult to shake than usual.

A twisting, take on a road novel but this time the vessel has got chicken legs, Thistlefoot makes this modern, whimsical world feel organic with prose which lends itself to that magic.

While I did not necessarily feel something for the characters, they are no means bad. Just not as interesting as the lore that follows them. At times, pacing is slow and passages can feel dense depending on how floral the language gets, but at the same time, it works. The draw of this book is the lore— I found myself sneaking passages here and there because I wanted to learn more about the world, but not exactly what our characters were up to. Pieces of the narrative, mainly backstory, remained shrouded for too long, which I feel is what did me in. It was a lot of mystery with little payoff in terms of when it comes.

In all, I am a sucker for a road story, a sucker for the trickster archetype, and absolutely into the darker side of magical realism. If you choose to read this, go at it full-force. It is not a world to be picked at lightly for you may feel disengaged if too much time lapses between reading.

It took me awhile to get into the story but it grew on me as I read.

Very interesting take on the Baba Yaga legends. Thistlefoot crosses back and forth between the present Yaga siblings who have inherited the chicken-legged house and Baba Yaga and her daughters. It crosses across a near to us but different world where houses sometimes, in times of great stress become somewhat alive. Crossing America in the present and Russia in the past.

There were elements I adored and things that I did not. Really would have liked to have found out what, exactly the un-looseable black kitten Hubcap actually was(?) besides magic. . .

The writing style and descriptions are very flowery and distinctive. About halfway thru I decided it was very like Ray Bradbury but still it’s own distinct self. Was greatly chuffed when I read the author’s afterward where she listed the late, great man as an inspiration.

I’m giving a strong 4 star rating and will be keeping an eye out for more books in future from Ms. Nethercott.

This book was a bit unexpected for me and quite an interesting read. It is set in modern times with a connection to their grandmother through an inherited house...a house that resembles a chicken that and walk around and take them wherever they would like to go. When a man arrives for Russia, looking for the house, a group bands together to save the house and stop the evil man. It was quite interesting and had a lot of depth and a lot of crazy things happened. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes stories that mingle reality and fantasy. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review #Thistlefoot.