Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this.

As per my usual lately, I both read and listened to parts of this story. I can definitely say I found the audiobook more engaging. The pacing of the story is a little off at times. It’s inconsistent so there are parts where a ton happens and parts that drag and the audiobook at least kept it interesting with different voices done by the narrator.

There is very little romance in this story. It’s basically just hinted at so if you enjoy little romance or fantasy where the romance is not the focus, this might be a book for you.

Also, this book kind of gave me Howl’s Moving Castle vibes with the whimsy and the folklore so if you like that story, give this one a try.

I can see more books being set in this world and I can also see this being a satisfying stand alone book. I would revisit the world but I’m not dying for a sequel or left feeling incomplete with the ending here.

I’d read more from this author as well. I enjoyed the way folklore was woven into the story as well as the quirky and entertaining characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This sounded so enchanting! Rich in Russian folklore- a sentient house, a curse plaguing the land, literal helping hands, a magical feathered friend, and a deal with a <em>koldunya</em> immediately piqued my interest!!

Unfortunately, I think this book tried to do too much. I also think it could have benefitted from a little heavier editing, as it was too light on plot to warrant over 500 pages- some of that was repetition (does sickbed yellow need to be used again and again? I fear I turned sickbed yellow hearing it just once) but at times I felt the dialog just ran in circles, and ultimately ended on an unsatisfying note. Will there be another book to tie up loose ends? I'm afraid I'm not interested enough in reading another 500 page book to find out.

Thanks to Harper Voyager for the eARC!

A sleeping plague tears through the land in this fairy tale like story of a woman trying to find her place in the world. I wanted to enjoy this more than I did, but I think it was too far out of my comfort zone to read with a deadline.

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read this!

This story was a little slow moving, but overall a good read. Some mystery here and there and lots of action and magic towards the end! Overall really good read. Thank you so much for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager | HarperAudio for this ARC Copy! 3.5 Stars

I was really excited to read a Baba Yaga retelling with folklore elements, and I was excited for the parts that I got, but disappointed that there were not more folklore elements in this story. It was a cute story with enough stakes that it doesn't really fall into the cozy fantasy category, but it still had quite a few of the cozy story ingredients that I usually enjoy. However, I feel like something was missing, like everything that is happening is serios, but I didn't feel like the characters portrayed the weight of the situation very convincingly. At times the pacing was a little confusing, I felt like we were just there for the vibes, and then suddenly the story would pick back up again. All in all it was a cute read.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. House of Frost and Feathers was a really fun read. I love a good baba yaga retelling, and this one felt like the perfect read for a winter day. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

I sadly had to DNF this. While I liked the premise and was excited for a good mythology, fairy tale kind of story, I didn't feel any connection to the plot or characters. I think if I'd started this in the late fall or winter I would've enjoyed it more, and I might go back and try again then because I really was excited for this!

I was obsessed with this story. While I don’t think the original blurb truly sells the book, I was sucked into the story nonetheless.

Marisha has lost her parents to the sleeping plague and her brother hasn’t come home in years. Not wanting to have to marry, she seeks a job and comes across a strange house with chicken legs that moves from town to town. She soon finds herself working for Baba Zima, a sorceress, and her apprentice, Olena. Olena is not happy about the hiring but reluctantly agrees to the help. Olena’s largest goal is to stop the sleeping plague that destroys their country every 10 years. Marisha, along for the ride, must find hints and clues in old texts along with the conversations of all those around them.


While the book is a little on the longer side, for a fantasy with this much impact felt like the perfect length. By the end you realize why all the conversations, all the texts, and all the crazy adventures were necessary to fight the plague. The descriptions were vivid, and the characters were lovable.


This is NOT a romantasy. If that is what you hope to come out of this, look the other way. The romance is no where near the forefront of this book and honestly not necessary. The friendships, the task, that is what truly drives this book.

This read was as swift as a chicken house on the snow. I wasn't sure at first how things would pan out with Marisha and the rest of the household but I learned so much within it about Slavic lore and beautiful world building. The story is so big for taking place inside a house(although we dont know how big that house is truly soo). It never felt too rushed or like pieces were missing. The end was realistic which i actually enjoyed seeing in a fantasy. Highly recommend for a cozy ready if youre ready for the winter vibes

I love a good Baba Yaga inspired story so when I saw merely the cover of this book I knew I would be requesting it. House of Frost and Feathers follows a young woman named Marisha who finds herself packing up her bags and accepting a job with the infamous traveling witch Baba Zima and her sentient chicken legged house. Marisha hopes to help Baba Zima succeed in a cure for the sleeping plague that has taken both of Marisha’s parents into a permanent deep sleep. Throughout their travels from city to city, Marisha and the other house’s residents work together to solve the mystery of this plague and the eerie sleep world they keep finding themselves slipping into.

This historical fantasy story is equal parts cozy and creepy with excellent dialogue and character development. I did find the pacing to be inconsistent, dragging at times and racing through action filled scenes at other times which caused me some confusion leading up to the ending. That being said, I really connected with the characters and found myself fully engaged in finding out more about the mysterious sleeping plague. I was given an advanced listening copy of this book and I really enjoyed listening to this story. The narrator did a wonderful job bringing life to the characters, and absolutely nailed the acerbic and wily nature of Baba Zima. I connected almost immediately to the narrator’s voice which is something I admittedly struggle with often in audiobooks.

House of Frost and Feathers is out now. Thank you to Harper Voyager, HarperAudio and Netgalley for my copy; all opinions are my own.

Marisha is desperately searching for a job to avoid her aunt forcing her into an unwanted marriage. On her way to a job interview, she runs into a lamp post with an advertisement for a job as an assistant to a koldunya. Marisha dismisses it at first due to her distrust of kolduni, but after her failed interview, she feels she has no choice. She goes to the house from the advertisement and is shocked to see it walk on very chicken-like legs. Marisha interviews with the koldunya, Baba Zima, and agrees to work as an assistant for Baba Zima's apprentice, Olena.

Olena is trying to find a cure for the sleeping plague that ravages Chernozemlya every ten years. Marisha's parents are both victims of the sleeping plague that became deep sleepers, meaning they never woke up again. Marisha was forced to live with her aunt after, even though her aunt wanted nothing to do with her because Marisha was surely cursed. As Marisha assists Olena in her research, Marisha begins to have nightmares that she doesn't remember, but they terrify her so much that she fears going to sleep. Little does she realize how important these nightmares are.

This book was such a whimsical fantasy. I mean, what's more whimsical than a house with chicken legs skiing through the snowy countryside between villages? There was also a lot of mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. The magic is very unique as well. I absolutely loved the found family bonds that developed between Marisha and Olena. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it if you want a whimsical fantasy with a good mystery.

Thank you to @netgalley, @harpervoyager, and @lwiesebron for the gifted eARC.

This is a great twist on Baba Yaga-style legends, featuring a dynamic cast of women. It isn't quite a cozy fantasy but it has a lot of those elements (except with some very high stakes curse breaking!) There were some parts where the pacing was a little disjointed, but overall, it's a lovable and engaging entry into the fantasy genre.

House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron is a god slow burn fantasy.
I enjoyed it.
I thought the writing was done very well.
This character driven story kept my attention from the beginning.

I am such a huge lover of the folktales about Baba Yaga so when I found #HouseofFrostandFeathers by #LaurenWiesebron I was absolutely thrilled! There are just not enough books that travel the realm of this fierce and feisty woman.

Its about the time of the decade again when the sleeping plague is about to fall upon so many innocent people. Some that fall victim to it are lucky and wake not long after but there are those that become deep sleepers and spend the rest of their lives pushed off to a private hospital where they are forgotten about. Marisha after having left her schooling finds herself in need of a job and someplace to live to avoid her aunts finding her and trying to marry her off. Both of Marisha's parents became deep sleepers and now she is looked upon as though the evil eye follows her every step.

She finds herself at the door of a Kolduni which is everything she hates. These people that say they have the cures, the tinctures and spells to protect people from the sleeping plague when really they are after the money of those foolish enough to believe in this so called magic. Once she is within this strange home on chicken legs that can turn itself around she comes to realize that the things she once believed in are maybe not so steadfast. Trying to find a way to survive within Baba's world is much harder then she thought it would be especially when Baba's apprentice Olena pulls her into her scheme to experiment on a deep sleeper. Something in the void saw Marisha and took notice and now sleep is hard to come by. Something more is out there and it has its sights set on her.

I adored this book so much!!!! Please send all the folklore books that revolve around Russian stories right to me!

Thank you so much #Netgalley for the chance to read this book in return for a fair and honest review.

I really wanted to love this one. It had all the ingredients I usually fall for—Slavic folklore, a magical plague, a prickly old sorceress in a sentient house—but the execution didn’t quite come together for me.

The writing itself is beautiful and atmospheric. But the story felt uneven. The first part builds the world, the ending rushes the plot, and the middle just sort of meanders. The tension and stakes flicker in and out, and the characters, while interesting in concept, don’t really evolve in meaningful ways. I kept waiting for something to click, but it never really did.

This could have been a tighter, more impactful book with some streamlining. The comparisons to The Bear and the Nightingale and Juniper & Thorn set a high bar, and while it shares some surface similarities, it didn’t quite measure up in terms of plot strength or emotional depth. Still, if you’re a fan of lyrical, folklore-inspired stories with a heavy dose of dreamlike atmosphere, this might be worth picking up. It just wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

I enjoyed the journey this book takes readers on. The characters are likeable and the story is easy to follow. The weaving of traditional folklore with a new story was done well. I really couldn't put this one down after getting into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC.

This was cozy and clever and interesting and unique and you're going to ADORE it.

DNF at 35%. The pace was much too slow, and the story failed to establish any real stakes to keep one invested in this time frame. I found I was simply uninterested in reading about Marisha and Olena every time I reached for this ARC. I try to give books at least a third of their page count to grip me, and this did not do that.

house of frost and feathers is a novel that will probably go over well for fans of rebecca ross’s prose and integration of folklore, as well as a.b. poranek’s debut novel where the dark stands still.

lauren wiesebron’s debut is another addition to the baba yaga retelling canon, with bits and pieces that feel straight out of howl’s moving castle or spirited away. the novel follows marisha, a woman in her early twenties who is desperate for any future besides a loveless arranged marriage. her search for a job finds her at the doorstep of baba zima’s bright orange, chicken-footed house, where she comes on as an assistant to olena, baba zima’s apprentice. the characters and the house itself give the book a whimsical energy steeped in slavic folklore, and while it’s hard to necessarily like the characters of baba zima or olena, they certainly give marisha’s experiences texture.

chernozemlya, the novel’s rendition of the russian/ukrainian chernozem “black earth” region , is stricken once per decade with a sleeping plague of unknown origin, and the women of baba zima’s house are driven by their desire to be the first to find its cure. this is the central motivating force of the novel, but it is where my more concrete issues with the book start to crop up. marisha does have a personal connection to the plague, as both of her parents are so-called “deep sleepers” (plague victims who never wake up). but marisha herself never really gets into the magic surrounding her. she resists the work that she is doing for olena, and most of the novel ends up feeling entirely situational. lots of things happen around marisha, and while she might play her part in some of these moments, she is not the character who is really shaping these events. the sustained focus on her character ends up paling in comparison to the occasional chapter we get with more of a focus on olena, who makes for a much more compelling protagonist.

marisha’s status as a blank canvas onto which wiesebron can throw exposition and plot progression only gets stronger as the novel progresses. there are at least two major revelations that come to the reader in the form of marisha hiding behind or in a tree, without the participants in these eavesdropped conversations ever knowing she was there. and her knowledge of these situations doesn’t even end up being particularly consequential—these scenes very much just exist so that key aspects of other characters can be revealed without having to drastically shift the novel’s perspective. marisha just bobs along from chapter to chapter, mostly personality-less and without any spark or motivation to speak of.

the ending was also very disappointing to me. i won’t go into specific detail, other than to say that marisha’s initial issue of having absolutely no idea what she wants out of life goes completely unresolved. the story more or less ends where it starts for marisha only, and not in a “wow life is so ambiguous and expansive, we are always changing” kind of way. rather, marisha managed to last for an entire 500-page novel without having any character development to speak of. the consistency would almost be impressive if it didn’t make for a pretty unremarkable protagonist.

would i generally recommend this? maybe—despite my complaints, i did manage to stick it out through the end without wanting to put it down and walk away from it. i think it might work really well if you love slavic folklore retellings, slow-paced light fantasy, or tend to prefer plot-based over character-based stories. wiesebron has a good eye and voice for detail and crafting very sensory scenes, but the actual events happening within this world missed the mark just a bit for me.

thank you to netgalley and harper voyager for an e-arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

If you loved Howl's Moving Castle or Rhapsodic, I think you're going to love House of Frost and Feathers. In a society where people are falling into a cursed sleep, our main character studies under the Baba Zima (like a baba yaga) and becomes part of a world of magic and intrigue. This is mostly a cozy story with medium to high stakes. I definitely recommend it, and I think it would be great on a winter TBR!