This book was incredibly well written and full of amazing description. I think I expected it to be more of a fantasy, but instead it was more magical realism/alternate history in turn of the century Russia. I thought the idea was fantastic, though the story ended up feeling a bit slow. For readers who like literary fantasy/historical fantasy. I don’t know that I really connected with the characters or the overall plot. In conclusion, well-written but missing something. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Oh, and I enjoyed another character named Marya. Made me think of Senlin Ascends!

This was more fantasy/horror than I expected, and I loved it. It's like if you took the cast of Murder on the Orient Express and tossed them into a world where the wild expanse of Mongolia is a dangerous landscape that might make you lose your mind. Brooks handles the multiple viewpoints very well--each had their own unique voice. It dove into weirdness at the very end, which pleased me to no end. This will be popular with fans of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

Utterly gripping and brilliant! This genre-bending work of literary fantasy meets and then defies expectation. The meticulous set-up of the three POV characters and their conflicting motives creates immediate tension, and the vivid descriptions of the train itself provide wonderful atmosphere. With its cars and compartments and hungry engines, it serves as a rich societal allegory, but the train itself is so nuanced that it at times acts as an additional character. The reader is invited to look up on it with the same wonder and horror as its occupants, the same awe at the Promethean ambitions of its creators.

With a fastidious attention to detail, the author unspools the narrative piece by tantalizing piece, always giving readers something new to ponder. The gradual build helps the reader to experience the same transformation as the traversers of the Wastelands. We get glimpses of what is happening just like passengers looking out train windows, always longing for more. Did I finish reading the book in a wild-eyed, obsessive frenzy that mirrored the zealotry of Henry Grey? Yes I did. Did I taste the sweet justice Marya tasted? Absolutely. And in the end, did I want to leave the Wastelands any more than Weiwei? No, no I did not.

I liked the premise of the book and the various characters were interesting, and I like the magical/fantasy aspects

It was heavily narrative, which isn’t my thing. I stopped after chapter 2 (4%). However, the reading is easy and the prose is full of random wit and random details that bring the story to life. If it keeps up, those who enjoy a slower story with rich prose will be pleased. Probably a solid three to four stars for the target audience, five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC.