House of Frost and Feathers is very enjoyable! If you are someone who enjoys taking the scenic route to get to places, then this one is for you. It’s got Slavic folklore, a magical house that walks on chicken legs (love Baba Yaga stories), and a bunch of messy, interesting women at the center of it all. The writing is super atmospheric and almost dreamy at times. I felt like I was wandering around in a fairy tale.

That said, it does move pretty slowly in the middle, and the ending came up way quicker than I expected. Still, the vibe and the characters totally won me over. If you’re into cozy, folklore fantasy that leans more on atmosphere than action, I think you’d enjoy this one.

The characters were interesting and the story was engaging. I will look for other books by this author.

This is the perfect cozy read for cold weather season. I really liked how much we got to see in this world through traveling in the Baba Yaga house. While this was a very cozy read, there was a lot of action and intricacies to the story that really helped hold my attention.

There are seeds of an incredible book in here, but they never quite bloomed.

What I liked:
- Russian folklore! Fairytales! The vibe was very strong.
- Olena and Baba Zima are compellingly flawed characters, and nuanced representation of physical disabilities. I think it would've been better if this was all Olena's story, but the interactions between Marisha and Olena were also interesting.
- Valdim is so sweet and fun.


What I didn't like, with minor spoilers:
- Way too long
- About halfway through, I thought Marisha and Olena were going to get together, and then they didn't. This could've been an amazing sapphic love story.
- I thought the ending was going to be bittersweet and bring meaningful ends to everyone's arcs, but there were some cop-outs at the very end
- Lack of resolution in some side plots (Fedya in particular, who we never even met on page)
- Weird instalove-y dreamy memory stuff

Not a fan. I was unable to finish the book as it just didn’t hold my interest. It was well written and gave off potential cozy fantasy vibes but just felt kind of drawn out and quite frankly random with names and events.

3.5/5 stars

This slavic inspired fantasy was interesting, with both dark and cozy elements. I loved the premise but struggled to get into the story. The first half felt too slow paced with little pay off in character development and plot. If you can get through the first half, I do think the time investment is worth it for the world building and eventual character development. I did love the conflict and relationship between Marisha and Olena throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron.
I’ve never read a book like this before, but I really enjoyed it! I have read quite a bit of fantasy/romantasy/magical realism, but this was unique even to those genres. It is about magic (and felt a little witchy), but in a more subtle way— as in, not everyone in this world knows that the magic they use is real.
It’s fun to see Marisha, a previous non-believer in their magic, join their house out of sheer necessity, and then become an integral part in using the magic to help solve problems that had previously seemed completely improbable to her.
The world that was created was interesting, the characters were well-rounded and intriguing, and I enjoyed the ending of the book.
I gave this book 4 stars because at times the book felt slightly dragging, or I would space out while reading and be confused about where we suddenly were in the book. This was probably a “me problem,” but it felt like we jumped locales really quickly, and at times I would find myself confused about where we were or what was happening.
But the premise was very intriguing and it was fun to see the characters’ evolve and to see their connections grow, and I enjoyed the book quite a bit.
Also, I listened to the audiobook on Audible, and the narrator was fantastic! She was great with the multiple voices, and I enjoyed it when I would switch from my Kindle to listening.

I so enjoyed this spooky whimsical Slavic fantasy! Marisha is alone and destitute: her parents both fell victim to the sleeping plague that haunts the land every ten years, and her brother left years ago to make money. Marisha is desperate to get away from her cruel extended family and ends up working for a koldunya (kolduni are considered witches of sorts in her world). Little does Marisha know that the koldunya’s apprentice is working on a cure for the plague, and that she’s about to get swept up in a wild and dangerous saga.

This book is so imaginative and vividly realized. The Howl's Moving Castle vibes are fun - most of the book takes place in a magical house that is essentially its own universe, and we experience it through Marisha's curiosity, delight, and fear. Marisha is a really easy character to root for, and I was so intrigued by her relationship with the prickly koldunya and her apprentice. There's a lot of world building in the beginning which people might find slow, but I enjoyed it very much, and the plot really picks up in the last quarter of the book. Some of it the narrative threads felt a tad gimmicky, but I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how all the disparate threads would come together. Nothing went where I thought it would, and I found the resolution so satisfying. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

❄️HOUSE OF FROST AND FEATHERS🪶 by Lauren Wiesebron is an enchanting modern folktale with roots in Russian and other eastern European lore. Thank you to the author, @netgalley, and the publishers, @avonbooks and @harperaudio for the e and audio ARCs.

❄️❄️❄️

Marisha is desperate for work. On the eve of the impending sleeping plague, she lands a gig as the assistant to the apprentice (Orlena) of Baba Zema. Baba Zema is a well known sorceress (called Caldunas) whose mistress dissapeared almost 27 years ago. Baba Zema informs Marisha that her post will include keeping secrets and telling lies, but with nowhere else to go, she continues to assist Orlena in her quest to find a cure for the sleeping plague. Orlena is a budding, scholarly calduna but is absolutely horrid at social skills. As the stakes grow and the web of lies starts to weave around her, she has to decide where her loyalties should lay and who she will need to lie to next.

I was smitten with the world building, the chicken leg house as mobile home extraordinare, the character development of Marisha and Orlena specifically, and the re-imagining of the plague doctor as a sinister death dealer. There were so many enchanted feathers and I loved the use of the cauldron poker as the magical power symbol of these witchy beings as opposed to a wand or broom, etc.

Here are some themes to expect:
❄️Coming of age
🪶Found family
❄️Dark magic, ambition and power
🪶Magical feathers abound!
❄️Sleeping plague
🪶Rivaling sorcerers
❄️Powerful nightmares and dreamwalkers
🪶Disability rep

If you like eastern European folklore, the darker side of magic, houses that can run a marathon, and puzzles to solve, pick this one up and give it a try!

Thank you NetGalley for the allowing this opportunity to read this book . Dark and bold is an imaginative tale of hope , fear , and found family.

This book was for sure a pleasant surprise of a book.
Seeped in lore and the sense of safeguarding the place you call home.
Narrated by the phenomenal Daphne Kouma this story takes flight.
A Haunting, unique and engaging story that follows Marisa, a young woman who is desperate to save her family from a sleeping curse while also apprenticing with the notorious koldunya, Baba Zima.
As she goes on this journey of helping finding a cure to the sleeping plague she begins to see hidden connections between the sleeping plague and her family.
This book was very my lyrical and reminds me of a telling of old tale from village of the past.
For sure a unique tale and debut novel that had me enraptured.

This was fun! I'm not as familiar with Russian myths, fairy tales, and legends as I am with other European stories, so I was very intrigued when I saw this as an option on NetGalley (plus, anything with Baba Yaga's chicken-legged house immediately piques my curiosity. There's something about that house that just has a hold on me). I ended up really enjoying it. The plot was original, the characters were all realistically flawed and so relatable, and I enjoyed being able to explore a different kind of world than normal. It's true that the writing has its rough spots and veers off into telling more than showing in areas, but it evens out and becomes more showing-focused the further into the story you get. I think Lauren Wiesebron has a lot of promise as an author, and I'm excited to see what she comes up with next!

*4 stars*

this was a fun, cozy fantasy quest story inspired by baba yaga and slavic folklore. a plague is mentioned in the first sentence so obviously i was immediately hooked. the first half was a bit slow, but i loved learning about the house and all its different secrets and enchantments throughout. this felt a bit YA, but not in a bad way - more so in how straightforward and simple it was. i loved both the narrators and how different they were to each other. the romance was maybe unnecessary and didn't add much, and it probably could have been slightly shorter. but overall really enjoyed it!

the title very nearly put me off this one but i saw the US cover and couldn't resist! definitely glad i grabbed this one. looking forward to more from this author (who also apparently has the coolest job in the world). thanks to netgalley and harper voyager for the e-ARC!

House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron is a beautiful, lyrical fantasy that explores Russian mythology and witches, while also highlighting the journey of self exploration both Marisha and Olena take on as they delve into the cure for the sleeping plague and the magical world of koldruny. The narrative weaves deftly between Marisha, skeptical at first, and Olena, cold and harsh. But as the pair engage, they learn from each other and learn about the hidden truths that Baba Zima and others have kept from them.
I love the way the story explores the personalities of both Marisha and Olena, both their strengths but also their weaknesses. The relationship between Olena and Baba Zima is intriguing as well. There is a subtle romance running through the story but the primary relationship is between Olena and Marisha as they learn to trust each other. I love how the mythology and koldruny is explored in the novel as well.
If you like novels about magic, with a touch of Baba Yaga in the telling, you will love this novel. It combines Russian mythology and self exploration to create an intriguing mystery and a lyrical fantasy that makes for an impactful and creative story. It is an exciting and magical read.

House of Frost and Feathers is exactly what I would expect if Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale had a baby with Ava Reid's Juniper and Thorn. The atmospheric vibes and the haunting writing style were so good.

I started to really get invested around 30% in - I feel like removing a lot of the filler in the beginning would make the book and plot flow a lot better. Wiesebron does do a great job matching the pacing of the the dialogue and prose to the bluntness of Marisha.

The Slavic folklore base is really intriguing and I enjoyed learning a lot (I'm not very familiar with it). Some of it reminded me a lot of The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore.

The way that Marisha, Olena, and Zima are entertwined through their pasts was done brilliantly. Watching each of them grow as we go through the story was done perfectly.

Unfortunately, this one ended up being a DNF for me,

That said, I really enjoyed one of the FMCs, Olena. I appreciated that, despite having magic, she chose not to heal her stump arm. It was a refreshing and rare choice in a genre where female characters’ “imperfections” are so often magically erased.

I felt a bit misled by the comparisons to The Bear and the Nightingale and Howl’s Moving Castle. While this had enjoyable moments, it was more of a LaCroix version of those books: similar vibes, but without the same depth or magic. The hype had me expecting something richer and more atmospheric than what I found.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

🌙House of Frost and Feathers was an atmospheric, tension-filled, magical, and at times creepy fantasy that switches between our world and the world of dreams.

🌙The setting is truly stunning, with elements you won't expect but will get your mind swirling with interesting visuals and strange characters, drawn straight from the depths of Lauren Wiesebron's imagination. The messages are strong, and the prose is lovely. Slavic folklore provides some foundation for the world, but the magic system is definitely unique!

🌙The complexities of the characters really struck me, and especially the dynamics between them. The walking house was of course its own character, but I think also its own message. The story really confronted me with how we think about disability and its place within our world, The house was both a trap and a place that kept them protected, mirroring the way disability can feel to someone who knows this as their only body.

🌙The tone of the story was this wild but satisfying emotional balance between whimsical and sorta scary that feels like life most days, just with more flair. The story ends in such a lovely way, it warmed my heart. I had to go up to 4 out of 5 stars, considering the way each character was given an end fitting their journey. I loved this and will look forward to seeing what Lauren Wiesebron comes up with next!

4 out of 5 stars!

🌙This is a gothic folklore horror that will appeal to fans of:

Six Crimson Cranes - Elizabeth Lim
The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill
Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones
Ava Reid's works
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
The Witcher
The Witch (film by A24)

A big thank you to Lauren Wiesebron, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read House of Frost and Feathers! I'll be sharing my reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble! ✨

House of Frost & Feathers is a wonderful baba yaga retelling with a hint of Howl’s Moving Castle. The depth of each character is insane and so well rounded. I really enjoyed watching the mystery unfold in twisty ways.
4/5
Thank you to Net Galley & Avon/Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is wildly out of my comfort zone zone, but I was attracted by the cover so I was willing to give it a shot and I ended up enjoying it but u don’t think that the blurb does a good job of explaining what this book is really about either.
This is a fantasy no doubt, but it is very slow, and I know that is typical in fantasy because there is so much world building but so much time is spent inside and the day to day life the house with chicken legs as they live with and learn about each other. Baba Zina fosters an air of mystery and competition amongst Olen’s and Marisha but tits not til the last 20 or so percent that anything major stars to happen and with a book this thick, Thats a long time to wait. It’s kind of left open ended so there’s a possibility of a sequel but I’m not positive that I would rush to read it. I am curious about the creeping plague though.
My favorite thing about it was probably the found family because I am a sucker for that..Where does Marisha fit in in this world which is a question we have probably all asked ourselves at one time or another.
If you’re a fan a Slavic folklore, you will probably enjoy thus story.
Thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Sometimes I really hate when a book is compared to another beloved book. I know that is a great marketing tactic and I fall prey to it often. But in the case of this book I think it was a mistake. This book was compared to The Bear and the Nightingale everywhere I saw it and that caused it to be a bit of a let down for me. It is a good book, it just couldn't match the lush setting and time that Arden's book drops the reader into. This book felt like it could have taken place anywhere or anytime and while the house itself was fascinating, it was hard to feel any strong sense of place. It is a serviceable Baba Yaga tale and there were things I liked a lot about it, but I was felt a little on the outskirts of the tale.