3.5 stars

This is a collection of short stories about Baba Yaga. I requested this because I wanted to learn about Baba Yaga, because I know very little about her.

Like often the case with collections of stories, some I really liked and some really didn't work for me. The book started with a poem, and while it didn't particularly work for me, I liked the idea of having stories and poems in this book. It was the only poem in the book.

The stories all depict different images of Baba Yaga. There's not one Baba Yaga, but instead many different ones, with some similar qualities and some very different ones. Some stories are set in a modern time, with cell phones and cars and others are not. This is not always made explicitly clear, so you kinda have to guess from the story.

I read these stories on my lunch break, which is not something I would recommend. There's a lot of <b>cannibalism</b> in these stories. Some are more gory than others, though I don't think any of them are actually scary/horror.

There are two common types of Baba Yaga in this book. The most common is Baba Yaga, the witch in the woods who helps the abused women <s>and probably eats their husband</s>. A lot of stories have this feminist/empowering theme, with a bunch of truly terrible men. These stories are generally really well written too, but sometimes go a bit too far in the women = victim, men = bad.

Our second type is the trickster Baba Yaga. She tricks the people she meets into doing what she wants them to/ "helps" the people in a way that's ultimately self-serving and destroys the people she "helps." There are also a few stories with her being evil just because.

While these are the most common, not all stories fall into these categories. We have a retelling of Hansel and Gretel which I felt worked very well with the mythos of Baba Yaga. Then there are stories that felt mostly atmospheric, in the sense that not all that much happened, and they consisted mostly of descriptions. These were my least favourite stories. Lastly, there were stories that focused mainly on her house, and in particular it's chicken leg. They were very hit or miss for me.

Like often with story collections some stories are better written than others. The pacing, storytelling, character development varies greatly, and because all stories are very short, actual character development is often (but not always) missing. Some days the stories I read were great and I felt like they were solid 5 stars. Some days I was unlucky and they didn't work for me at all. For a long time I was pretty sure I was going to rate this book 4 stars, but as it happened, the final few stories fell really flat, so I decided to bring it down to a 3,5. Still this collection has some amazing stories in it and I definitely recommend it to people who want to learn about Baba Yaga, though be warned there's a lot of cannibalism, which isn't always easy to stomach.

First, thank you to @blackspotbooks for an ARC of this title through @netgalley. This collection of short stories caught my attention right away, as I had not previously known very much about Baba Yaga (the folklore witch that lives in the woods in her house with chicken legs). As I researched her a bit, I realized there was a ton of variety on the lore pertaining to Baba; she was both a villain and the hero for many. I found that the collection of short stories written by female-identifying horror writers captured the complex idea and interpretations of Baba Yaga. I loved that she was loving in kind in many stories, as well as dangerous and vengeful. I found myself laughing, wanting to cry, and frequently rooting for her (even when I probably shouldn’t be). The writing was strong, the stories were compelling, and the collection was education overall. I would recommend checking out this one when it releases this fall!

Creepy, haunting, and oddly empowering.

This collection of stories offers up exactly what it promises: a wide variety of tales of Baba Yaga, from different perspectives with different meanings. The beginning gives you information about Baba Yaga, which I appreciated as I had never heard of Baba Yaga before. Or if I had, I never thought of her again. This is a good way to present accurate history (as far as I am aware, at least) of Baba Yaga so readers can keep the original legends in mind when delving into these tales.

Each author did an incredible job of making you feel how they wanted you to see Baba Yaga, or how they wanted her to be presented in the story. In some, she was haunting and malicious. In others, she was honest to a fault. And in a few, she was the hero, or a variety of sisters, or whatever she was meant to be seen as. It made the collection very unique because each story did feel different, even though they were all about Baga Yaga. I've read collections where it just felt like the same story over and over, with different attitudes, but this was different, and each author was well written without overusing similar themes or symbols (unless they directly correlated to Baba Yaga). I appreciated that "sinew" was not used in every single story.

My favorite stories were "Of Moonlight and Moss" by Sara Tantlinger, "Mama Yaga" by Christina Sng, "All Bitterness Burned Away," by Jill Baguchinsky, and "Fair Trade" by Jacqueline West. They were simply ones that I was the most entertained while reading, all for different reasons. "Stork Bites" by Ev West was also so disturbing to me that I almost couldn't stomach it, which, with this being a horror story, all I have to say is good job! I was thoroughly creeped out.

I also like the queer/sapphic representation in the book. It wasn't something I was expecting since it is a horror novel. I did not think there would be any form of romance at all, but it ended up being a pleasant surprise. There was also a story that had the briefest polyamorous representation between Baba Yaga, a female character, and a male character. I enjoyed that for sure, though I'm bad at interpreting anything that is not completely direct, so I was not entirely sure if that is what was going on. But still enjoyed it and decided to consider it polyamorous representation.

Overall, I think this is a must-read for horror fans, who want to center women in horror.

TW: mention of rape and SA, death, murder, animal death, child abuse, domestic abuse, torture, abortion, cannibalism, storms, drowning, blood, starvation, pedophilia, forced marriage, postpartum depression, giving birth fully detailed, hit and run, talk of Roe v. Wade (mentioning because of current political climate with it potentially being overturned soon), loss of bodily autonomy, and ableism.

**Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!!! **

Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga is an anthology focusing on the familiar character. According to folklore, Baba Yaga (also spelled Baba Jaga) is an ogress who steals, cooks, and eats her victims, usually children. A guardian of the fountains of the water of life, she lives with two or three sisters (all known as Baba Yaga) in a forest hut that spins continually on birds’ legs.

Her fence is topped with human skulls. Baba Yaga can ride through the air—in an iron kettle or in a mortar that she drives with a pestle—creating tempests as she goes. She often accompanies Death on his travels, devouring newly released souls.

This collection is a women-in-horror anthology with a foreword by Christina Henry, with stories by women and featuring women. The tales that are spun are wild and gentle, filled with loss and grief, horror and acceptance.

I was familiar with the story so I was extremely interested in this anthology, and to see how Baba Yaga would be reinterpreted in today's age.

I would say that it mostly met my expectations, though I would have loved to see Baba Yaga cross over into genres other than fairy-tale/fantasy. What would Baba Yaga have to do to adapt to the space age?

Alas, most of the stories in this book take place in the present or past, with a big focus on Baba Yaga as a child eater or wish granter and all the tragedy that can emerge from that, or her chicken leg house.

There's a great variety, and some of the stories are true gems, there is something there for everyone. I have however noticed some short stories that either need editing badly or are just not up to the prose of the others and therefore stick out the more for it. Weirdly enough they all feature at the start of the anthology.

The Story of A House by Yi Izzy Yu has sentences like:

"Moments after the fox fled back into the forest, House stumbled out of a mass of chicks huddled against the persimmon tree trunk to which they fled when their mother screamed at them to scatter."

Which sounds clunky to me even though I'm not a native English speaker. I'd have broken that phrase up into shorter sentences, but that's maybe just a personal choice.

Of Moonlight and Moss by Sara Tantlinger is a straight up fantasy story has the weakest prose out of all the short stories, and some bizarre word choices and similes that make no sense when you think about them.

Some examples:

"Little good did it do, for a king has not possessed such negative status for eons."

"My head whips toward Ivan so fast I’m surprised my neck doesn’t break." - Yeah just no.

"With the turn of a key, the device expanded, gagging him. Father said to keep going. The executioner did so until the victim’s skull shattered. The shredding of the man’s face into fleshy ribbons haunted my dreams." - In no conceivable reality would a pear-shaped torture device that gags someone and expands to greater and greater sizes shatter someone's skull or make their flesh explode in ribbons. They'd probably break a mandible. Lol.

"In the jar sits pieces of the moon."

But fortunately, these are rare examples and most of the stories range from great to amazing. Recommended wholeheartedly to any fan of horror, folklore retellings and women's fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Phenomenal collection of unique Baba Yaga inspired tales by voices of women in horror from around the world. A collection not to miss.

Into the Forest edited by Linda Ryan is an interesting collection of authors and stories centering around the legend of Baba Yaga. For those unfamiliar with Baba Yaga " in Slavic folklore, an ogress who steals, cooks, and eats her victims, usually children. A guardian of the fountains of the water of life, she lives with two or three sisters (all known as Baba Yaga) in a forest hut that spins continually on birds’ legs. Her fence is topped with human skulls. Baba Yaga can ride through the air—in an iron kettle or in a mortar that she drives with a pestle—creating tempests as she goes. She often accompanies Death on his travels, devouring newly released souls." from Brittanica.com.
This collection explores the many different aspects and faces of Baba Yaga--personally, I found the stories that were more period pieces to work a little better but overall the stories and style were strong and I had a lot of fun reading it.
Contributors in this volume include Gwendolyn Kiste, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Monique Snyman, Donna Lynch, Lisa Quigley, and R. J. Joseph.
Thanks to #NetGalley, # BlackSpotBooks, and the editors and authors for the ARC copy of #IntotheForest.

Into the Forest is an anthology inspired by Baba Yaga. I love reading about folklore and mythology but Baba Yaga is a creepy one. Naturally, this book is full of creepy and dark stories. Sugar and Spices and the Old Witch's Price, Mama Yaga, and Stork Bites were a couple of my favorite stories. Also, anthologies were a great way to find new authors too. If you're horror fan Into the Forest is an amazing anthology and definitely worth checking.

4.75 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Black Spot Books and NetGalley for an ARC.

Despite having read (and disliked) Under Her Skin, I had to pick up this newest anthology of female horror writers because Baba Yaga has always been fascinating to me, although I knew very little of the Russian boogey(wo)man. This book changed all of that, and while body horror (Under Her Skin) is one of my least favorite genres, I was utterly captivated by this collection.

Touching on various characteristics of the multi-faceted strangeling who travels in a mortar and pestle and lives in a chicken house, the collections of poetry and short stories written by female authors is stunning and terrifying, even drawing in other fairy tales, such as Hansel and Gretel.

There is a story about how the chicken house came to be. There is a story about the cannibalistic aspect of Baba Yaga. Princesses were freed from their royal shackles. Sisters were betrayed and sisters were avenged. These are not children's harmless fairy tales, and they twist beautifully in their horror.

There's another book coming out - The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore - and I am excited about that because it is also about Baba Yaga.

This collection of lyrical, chilling, dreamy, and horrifying collection of short tales will enthrall the reader. For fans of fantasy, folklore, and library collections with a demand for fantasy anthologies.

This is a book of short stories about/ inspired by Baba Yaga. I’ve always been interested in folklore and supernatural beings, and Baba Yaga is one of my favorite ones.

Most of the stories within this book are dark and creepy. Some of them are quite gruesome as well due to the fact that most of them have children or babies being eaten by witchy characters. But they’re all quite awesome for the supernatural & horror fan.

Some of my favourite stories are:

The Space Between the Trees by Jo Kaplan-
A girl finds a man wandering in the forest by her home. She offers him a place to rest and food but is afraid of what will happen when her mother returns.

Stork Bites by EV Knight -
Jess is unexpectedly pregnant and doesn’t want the baby. Her sister in law Natalie takes her to a creepy place with weird old women, to supposedly get an abortion. Their methods are quite unconventional.

Mama Yaga by Christina Sng-
An eerie little story that is a cross over between Baba Yaga and Hansel and Gretal. It puts a new spin on an old fairy tale.

All in all I really enjoyed the stories with all their different incarnations of the myth of the witch Baba Yaga.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy for my honest opinion.

Into the Forest is a series of short stories about/featuring Baba Yaga. I was so excited to read this and it did not disappoint. I love anything and everything that has to do with Baba Yaga so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this. Each story is unique and dark and twisty in an amazing way. I will definitely be reading this again (especially in the fall). Very excited I was given the opportunity to read this.

As is often the case with short story collections, this was a mixed bag. While all the stories were delightfully gruesome and representative of a Baba Yaga interpretation, some were better than others. A handful of the stories had me enraptured, pulling me right into the mystical worlds while others were slow, underdeveloped or relying too heavily on the gross-out factor. That said, any fans of the Baba Yaga lore with enjoy these unique takes on the myth.

This collection is not for the faint of heart or for those who expect a happy ending. You won’t find any here, not in the house in the dog that chirps and sways and balances on two bird legs with claws that grip the ground with effortlessness. You’ll hear the grinding of pestle and mortar and that’s when you know it’s too late. She already has you.

The opening of this collection is upon a poem that really gives a beautiful expression of tone and expectation in this collection. Like many collections there were stronger stories than others. A few of those seemed to be written beforehand and tweaked later to be a Baba Yaga story so they seemed tried in comparison. Otherwise each story was a great showcase of Baba Yaga although at times a bit repetitive in the type of story. However, you came here for Baba Yaga and you’ll get her and more than you bargained for.

Please check content warnings before reading these stories. There are quite a few mentions of child harm, murder, dismemberment, disappearance, domestic violence, abortion, depression, postpartum depression.

I've been obsessed with the idea of Baby Yaga for a long time, and so have these authors. This collection is fantastic. Each story is so unique. Just a taste: we get Baba Yaga the wish giver, the punisher, the wise and sage crone, the vindictive hunter of hunters, the equalizer. I rate each story as I read them and I had 8 out of 22 as 5 star reads, the rest bounced between 3.5 and 4.75 stars. In other words, there are some real winners here. I also love anthologies because you find new authors to read. Or read something new from an author you already love (I'm looking at you, Jo Kaplan). Highly recommend. Will do a Baba Yaga display in November as I am sure my library will want this collection.

This is the second anthology of Baba Yaga retellings I've read in my life, and my favourite because of the number of stories, the quality output, and above all the diversity of interpretations of the tale's plot and characterisation of the eponymous witch from Slavic mythology.

The Baba Yaga you'll encounter in this collection, or rather the Baba Yagas, is both traditional and atypical, ancient and modern, Slavic and of other ethnicities, lives both in Russia and outside. Sometimes, she's young and other times she's old as dirt. Sometimes she is pretty and other times has revolting looks. Sometimes she's heroic and subversive, and other times she's villainous and oppressive. Sometimes she's on her own in the world, born of some mysterious magical miasma, and other times she has a family, sisters, and yes, a love, too.

I'm just <i>astounded</i> at the variety and colourfulness of interpretations! Of course, with 23 stories by as many authors, it was to happen. But not a guarantee, because anthologies suffer from inconsistent quality: the diamonds are right there side by side with the pebbles, and sometimes there's more pebbles overall. Not in this anthology, all authors were completely new to me and, I'm guessing, some are newcomers to writing, but whoever was in charge of editorial duties deserves a nod for their efforts. I can't think of a story I didn't like, though naturally there were some I absolutely loved above the rest.

Those stories, the best in my view, were:

<b>OF MOONLIGHT AND MOSS by Sara Tattlinger
5 stars</b>
Very atypical in its choice of heroine, because instead of Vasilisa as is the norm in the original folktales, it's her sister, Daria, who gets to tell it all. The twist at the end was unexpected, but also left the feeling that this story needed to be longer. You can imagine what will come afterwards for Daria and Baba Yaga, but you still wish to read it, especially because of how promising her future looks. Could the author expand this or post a sequel? I hope.

<b>WATER LIKE BROKEN GLASS by Carina Bissett
5 stars</b>
In the other anthology of Baba Yaga stories, there was also a retelling set in WWII just like this story by Bissett, which made me pause and check if it was the same. It isn't. And the plotline is also different, with a different standpoint, and, to me, much more original and intriguing. But also far more tragic and dark. The story isn't narrated by Baba Yaga either, but by a rusalka. And I can't say more without spoiling it big time.
The ending, though! I'm starting to sense a pattern of abrupt endings and endings that beg for a continuation, and honestly this story merits a full novel far more than any others in the collection that also have this potential.

<b>HERALD THE KNIGHT by Mercedes M. Yardley
5 stars</b>
My most favourite and the bestest of 'em all! Why? Baba Yaga falls in love in this one. Enough said. The short story is perfect as is, to me, and I'm pretty happy with it as is.

The rest of the stories also have something to offer, some are very unique, like the story told from the POV of Baba Yaga's house. Yes, the wandering house tells its side of the story. And there's also retellings that aren't "pure" Baba Yaga tales but have mixed other fairy tales, so you'll be noticing drops of "Hänsel and Gretel," for example. There's even a story where the Baba Yaga is a nice old lady that speaks with a Southern US accent. Some authors have chosen fun settings, as I had mentioned, and that's paid off nicely, but you won't be missing traditional Slavic settings because they're here as well. Some did need a few editorial corrections, like when an author doesn't use the feminine version of names in Russian ("Babushka Ivanov"? She should be Ivanova) and other little rough edges to smooth out before release.

I give 4 stars for the entire anthology, and 5 stars to the three stories I singled out. I'd recommend this to all those craving Eastern European retellings, with a heads up that a lot of the stories are in the Horror genre, in case you're not into that.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this wonderful ARC!

Firstly, I love the concept of this book, it being a collection of works by amazing fantasy-horror female writers on the all-magical folk-tale of Baba Yaga! Every story was unique and portrayed Baba Yaga in a different way and touching off various topics from life to murder, romance and family, deceipt and torture and so on. This is a brilliant fantasy-horror anthology filled with magic!

I enjoyed every story and the writing was faultless. The stories were descriptive, exciting and magical and every story had me hooked! I love how Baba Yaga is portrayed differently throughout the book. We get different insights on her character, sometimes she's a vicious murderer, or a person capable of love, sometimes she's lead by her moral compass and other times she's ruthless.

I was sucked into every story I read, and I'd gladly read this book again!

This was a fun one! I knew I wanted it as soon as I saw it was about Baba Yaga, Thistlefoot has me obsessing over her tales right now. Even though I'm not an anthology person, I'm glad I gave this one a chance

The genius part about this was the amount of different views it gave us. We got Baba Yaga as a savior, as a villain, as a woman looking out for herself only, as a woman in love. We got to see so many different takes on her legend, and it was amazing.

So, even though there were some stories I wasn't such a huge fan of, I still really enjoyed this. It was a fun read, and one if definitely recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a great book for people interested in learning more about Baba Yaga. I enjoyed the anthology style of the book with various short stories and poems contributed by different authors.

The legend of Baba Yaga has fascinated me for a long time, and so it was with great interest that I started reading Into The Forest, a collection of stories about Baba Yaga. These are all stories and poems written by women, and edited by Lindy Ryan. All are variations on the legend. As in most collections, there are stories that are excellent (for me, these were The Peddler’s Promise, Herald the Knight and Stork Bite, the latter very topical given the recent Supreme Court leak), along with some that are just so-so.

Overall, an enjoyable collection of stories.

My thanks to Black Spot Books and to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Into the Forest is a collection of stories about Baba Yaga. It contains a wide variety of stories, from prose to poetry, modern retellings to classic tales.

There were certainly a few standouts, as well as a few duds, but for the most part, the stories were just okay.

(I wonder if "Stork Bites" will still be featured in the final publication, considering current events.)