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Book: The Witch and the Tsar
Author: Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
Publication Date: 8th December 2022
My third ARC book, my first physical copy and it has left me speechless. When I say go and buy this book on the 8th December I really mean it, it is perfection.
At the start of the year I had a top 14 books, that list has been blown out of the water, I will do a post at the end of this year on how my top 14 has changed based on the books I have read this year. Easily in the top 5 will be this amazing masterpiece, so lets talk about it.
If like me you have heard the legend of Baba Yaga but didn't really know much of her you need to read this! If you don't know anything about Baba Yaga don't worry you can Google the Slavic legend and have a quick read or you can read this without it doesn't make much difference and won't alter the story for you as there are mentions of the original folklore throughout the book.
Olesya explores the legend of Baba Yaga in a totally different perspective to what the original folklore is and I love it! Yaga in this book is a strong female who isn't afraid to be different, say and do things her way or no way. Not at all like the children eating witch we all know. Straight away we are thrown into the middle of the woods in Russia, in a little log cabin with chicken legs (Strange? Slightly but it's also kind of cute). Yaga our female protagonist takes time out of her day helping those that call upon her for wise advice, potions and healing. Half human half god she has been alive for centuries and is happy in her own little world in her home country with her two companions by her side. What I love about this is that our main character is someone who knows what people think of her and the tales that are spread around Russia about how she looks, acts and how she does things on a daily basis but it doesn't bother her she just carries on.
The description and worldbuilding throughout this novel is amazing, to see vividly what an author is describing is one of my favourite things about reading books especially fantasy books. Genre wise I would put this into three genres, Historical, Fantasy and Romance as there are elements of all these genres through this novel but they are all there equally through this book. What is interesting in this novel is how much of the historical facts are true and how well they combine with the story that Olesya is creating. She outlines how Russia went from a country of almost Pagan religion to that of Christianity, all the way through Yaga sticks to her gut and stays with her many Gods instead of the one. If there is one thing I love about books it is the building of relationships and this one has it all; old relationships, new relationships, same sex relationships and relationships that never happen.
Lets talk about the ending...I loved it, it was sweet, lovely and really was an amazing ending don't get me wrong but I feel like there is something more that Olesya isn't telling us. Like there could possibly be a sequel to this book which I absolutely hope there is, I feel like this world could go on and on by delving deeper into Yaga and her story as well as the other characters who we meet as we read this gripping tale. I do have some unanswered questions and am dying to find out the answers.
Maybe there could be a sequel but who knows...I guess Olesya does.
Trigger Warnings: Strong Language, Violence, Corpses and Mass Murder, Death, Hanging, Murder, Detailed Wounds and Gore, Arrest and Imprisonment, Arson, Pregnancy and Difficulties in Labour, War, PTSD, Brief Mention of Rape, Drinking/ Intoxication, Death including Parents and Animals, Blood Sacrifice and Rituals, Illness, Poisoning, Physical and Psychological Abuse and Torture, Sexism and Deaths Including Funerals.
Happy Reading!
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