I love Russian and Eastern European tales. I grew up with western European fairytales and American folktales, but discovered the rest of the world's great stories as an adult. Baba Yaga is one of my favorites! So many stories! I love new takes on old tales and this book was a wonderful read. I think children and adults alike will enjoy these stories and, I hope, go in search for more. It's also a pleasure to read so many different authors takes on Baba Yaga. Nice addition to a fairytale collection!

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Who doesn’t love a good Baba Yaga story? These types of stories were staples in my childhood. I loved reading about Baba Yaga then, and now is no different I really enjoyed this short collection of stories. Each one was so different and covered different aspects of the fairytale. Some were featured in the past, others in the present. I really enjoyed seeing this from so many different perspectives. From Baba Yaga herself, one of the horseman, a young girl living in the swamp, to a young boy during the present time.

A must read for fans of the fairytale! Very well done.

Having just come away from reading and savoring the final entry in Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy, Baba Yaga was on my mind. Arden’s books are loaded with Russian folk and fairy tales, many of which I remembered from my childhood but were a little blurry. I had resolved to go to the library and find a book of Russian tales to draw out my enjoyment of Winternight when Skull and Pestle crossed my NetGalley path.

I adore modern tales that take traditional stories and twist them up a bit, mashing multiple story strands together or taking the story into new and different times. Kate Wolford does a remarkable job of taking ancient tales and making them new again. In her hands, Baba Yaga transforms from the ugly, terrifying old witch in traditional tales to the old grandmother, the older grandmother, and the oldest. Wolford works the “maiden, mother, crone” archetype here with skill and tenderness. The Baba Yaga is a font of wisdom, and only the fierce and fearsome witch when it becomes necessary.

Fans of folklore and women’s stories will enjoy this collection. Recommended.