My reviewing account on instagram, romantasyreviews, primarily focuses on Ya romantasy or fantasy reads, especially new up and coming authors and their debut novels. I usually speak very highly of new authors and their debut novels, and support authors through my reviews. But when I say you need to read this book, I really, truly mean it. This book brought me to tears, which, I have to say, does not happen, EVER. I might have watery eyes, but I was fully sobbing by the end of this book. This book touched parts of me I did not know I had.

This book is rich in all the right ways, it is rich in folklore, history, Polish life, mythology, culture, and love. It highlights the historical aspect of Christianity into Polish communities, the isolation of individuals due to non-christian practices, and the faith of communities on the "pagan" ways despite christian indoctrination. This book was both historically accurate in its timeline, and highlights the intricacies of Polish folklore and traditions. it emerges you into a world of magic, demons, "witches," forbidden love, history, and adventure.

The love story in this is beautiful and pure. The interactions between the characters and the character development throughout the book made the reader both attached to the characters, and the relationships the characters established. Their love made me smile, laugh, and inevitably cry.

If you are looking for slow burn love, dark academia and cottage core, historical accuracy, and mythology, this book is for you. I cannot recommend this read enough. I have a feeling this book will become a new fan favourite in the YA fantasy world, and will remain my new favourite book for a long time yet.

This is a lovely example of mixing mythology and fairytale retelling, and overall I really enjoyed reading it.

While it’s obvious that a retelling isn’t going to be the most unique story in the world, I really loved the spin of mixing Polish mythology with a Beauty and the Beast story. The plot itself is fairly lacklustre for about half of the book, it really is just a retelling, but the atmosphere and prose kept me invested even if I knew what was going to happen for the majority of the book.

I was surprised by the bittersweet ending, and I think that is both a positive and negative thing. Branching away from a modern fairytale ending makes the book feel more standout as a whole, but it also doesn’t feel like a fully satisfying conclusion for the characters. I’m torn about how I feel about it.

Overall it’s sweet, lyrical, and delivered a great vibe which is what I was hoping for in this book. I’d give it a 3.5 stars ⭐️

Overall, I enjoyed this book, though I can't say it's my favourite retelling. Take this with a grain of salt though. Beauty and the Beast and Howl's Moving Castle are two of my all-time favourite stories, so when anything is compared to either of them, I have very high expectations.

I love lush worldbuilding, and Where the Dark Stands Still definitely delivered in this aspect. I enjoyed being immersed in its Polish and Slavic inspired world and the details in the writing painted some beautiful imagery of both the Driada (the forest) and the manor. Poranek incoporates a lot of Polish words directly into the prose without explanation and even although it means I have to search up some of the words, I like the authnticity this lends to the narrative.

Where I struggled was with the pacing of the story. I felt that the first half of the book was quite slow and a bit bogged down. Since this is a retelling, the predictability of the story didn't help with the slow progress because I felt like I was reading a story I had already read many times. I know that retellings will always be familiar due to their nature, but this was just a bit too similar for my taste. Once some more characters were introduced and the plot picked up, I was much more engaged.

I would recommend this book to fairy tale lovers and and patient readers and I look forward to A.B. Poranek's future books!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

WHERE THE DARK STANDS STILL takes readers into a whole new world full of loveable characters, romance, and Polish folklore. Perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderfully atmospheric, darkly gothic fantasy novel full of folklore and magic, reminiscent of Howl’s Moving Castle, Beauty and the Beast, and Sorcery of Thorns.

Where The Dark Stands Still follow Liska in a world that fears magic and witches. She had spent her whole life trying to suppress her magic until events transpire that push her to flee. Liska runs away into the demon-inhabited wood to steal a magical flower that will grant her a wish. Except, her plans fail when the wood’s warden, The Leszy, appears and bargains a year of servitude in exchange for the flower and wish. Liska finds herself in a manor deep in the woods with a cruel host as she navigates learning more about her magic, trying to survive the deadly woods, and uncovering the Leszy’s secrets.

There are two major standouts for me with this novel: the writing and the lore. This book is beautifully written with artful prose that paints gorgeous pictures. That alone makes me want to pick up the authors next book because it was just so lovely and magical. The folklore the author weaves into this story was so mythical and enchanting. I can’t say I know anything about Polish mythology, but I’m curious to find out more now though after reading. And then on top of that it reminded me a lot of Beauty and the Beast and Howl’s Moving Castle. I adored the ways the novel was similar to the classic and incredible tales but loved the ways the author made it their own.

While I really enjoyed it overall, it felt a little slow in the middle but it does pick up a lot in the later half and I have mixed feelings on the way it ended. I mostly enjoyed the ending but it wasn’t completely satisfying - more bittersweet.

I really enjoyed Liska’s character and found her arc to be well done. She was a smart mc who stood her ground and had a lot of empathy and kindness despite her harsh upbringing. I loved the relationships she formed with Maksio and Jaga and the romance was a perfect balance of tense chemistry and sweet moments.

Overall, this is a really great debut and I’m excited to read more from this author in the future!

I'm conflicted by this book. And a Polish person who grew up on Polish folk tales and stories, I really wanted to like this. But some choices to include Polish words without explaining them at times even threw me off. Some of the names just didn't feel like they fit the characters. And it was hard to not compare this constantly to Howl's Moving Castle. But the ending really soured by taste on this story. The pacing felt off, the choice of character death felt off, the mom's attitude was still terrible. I had high hopes for a Polish folk-inspired book, and I hope this leads to more being written, but this was not what I was hoping for.

”Remember what you did last time? her mind whispers. If you free it, you will truly become a monster.
"Fine," Liska hisses, blood leaking down her arm. "Then let me be a monster.”


Liska would do anything to get rid of her monstrous magic, she desperately flees to search for a mystical fern flower to be able to use one wish, to banish her powers.

But what happens when she stumbles upon the demon warden of the wood, who calls himself Leszy-can she truly trust him or will his secrets start to unravel before her very eyes.

<i><b>”He is a demon, and he has done monstrous things, but he makes her feel whole. Perhaps that, more than anything, is what got them here—a boy who loves too little and a girl who loves too much, two threads tangled on the loom of history.”</b></i>

An enchanting beauty and the beast retelling leads to dangerous magic, secrets, betrayal, and heartbreaking ending.
Your journey awaits you!



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m still struggling with that heart wrenching ending that I was not expecting at all. I really enjoyed the storyline it was a very slow paced novel and I usually read a lot of fast paced so the beginning was very difficult but during the last couple of chapters it started picking up and I couldn’t put it down!

I definitely felt connected to all the characters and loved Liska and Leazy’s slow burn romance it was perfect for the storyline especially the moment they finally kissed and started to feel love and desire for one another I couldn’t hold my excitement!! I can’t wait to read more novels by them!!

Thank you to NetGalley, A.B. Poranek, and Simon & Schuster Canada for the arc of “Where the Dark Stands Still” in exchange for an honest review!

In WHERE THE DARK STANDS STILL, Liska bargains with the warden of the spirit wood—one year of servitude in exchange for her deepest desire—but what endangers her more? What the demon truly wants from her, or falling in love with him before he takes it?

For fans of
🌲 beauty and the beast
🌲 found family
🌲 soulmates
🌲 wound tending
🌲 grumpy/sunshine
🌲 slow-burn
🌲 “I’ve waited centuries for you”

A.B. Potable is a gifted writer. She will keep all the annotation girlies well fed. I underlined so many gorgeous sentences!

I finished the second half in almost one sitting. The plot grabbed me by the throat once everything started coming together and I could not put it down. The kiss scene after the slow burn was so satisfying, and the ending had me crying. I was INVESTED.

WHERE THE DARK STANDS STILL wades in a familiar forest of tropes but crafts them to hit just as fresh as the first time, reminding us exactly why we love them. An amazing debut!

✨ Available February 27, 2024 ✨

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

The author's storytelling abilities are absolutely brilliant. Poranek's lyrical prose carries us effortlessly through a beautifully crafted world where darkness holds an enchanting power. The vivid descriptions and captivating imagery painted a vivid picture in my mind, allowing me to immerse myself fully in this rich and mysterious universe.

The characters in this novel are equally remarkable. Each one possesses a unique voice and depth that allowed me to form deep connections with them. Their emotions and struggles feel so genuine, making their journeys and growth throughout the story all the more impactful. I found myself rooting for them, feeling both their triumphs and heartaches as if they were my own.

I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone ready to embark on an unforgettable journey. Prepare to be enthralled from beginning to end.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5

I liked this book a lot more than I was expecting to. It is a fairy tale in the purest sense of the word, and lovely for it.

We follow Liska, a young woman who flees home to search for a magic flower in the enchanted wood by her home. She has heard that this flower will grant her a wish, and she is desperate to be free of the magic that has made her an outcast. However, instead of finding the flower and returning to her home, she is captured by the spirit of the wood, and makes a deal with him. She will serve him for one year, and in return he’ll grant her wish.

This is a familiar set up, and the story unfolds in a fairly familiar way. However, the lovable characters and true fairytale atmosphere make this book a joy to read. The descriptions in this book made me ache, and the love story broke my heart. The best way I can describe this book is quiet; quietly beautiful, quietly tragic, the perfect book for a rainy day and a warm cup of tea.

eARC provided by NETGALLEY and Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for my honest review

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada, Margaret K. McElderry Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
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Where the Dark Stands Still is adrenaline pumping from the first chapter. Truly satisfying it will take you on a mysterious and dark adventure as we watch Liska try to survive the forest. Growing up in a small village where witches are discriminated against, Liska will do anything to get rid of her powers, with that in mind she meets the demon of the woods who wants to use her powers for the forest.
Very compelling read that weaves together a beautiful world rich with polish folklore. It had elements that were different then the usual run off the mill young adult fiction. Liska is a satisfying main character and the demon she resides with has a lot of bristled edges that make him more human than he believes.
I enjoyed the pacing, that character development, and the tropes of finding your own worth, but also the uniqueness of found family and the relationship building between the two main characters.
The ending left me feeling melancholy, I felt it ended abruptly, and I wish for a second book to rectify this wrong that I feel.
There is a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the demon and another character in the book that I felt were not answered to the best of their ability, I did however enjoy the story and look forward to more. The ending and lack of answers leads me to my rating, although I’m still happy to have read it. It is not quite a four star for me.

Dark and sad Beauty and the Beast

** spoiler alert **

I read A.B. Poranek's Where the Dark Stands Still on a cold, wet Canadian December day, and that felt appropriate. To be sure, Orlica, the fantasy nation in which Where the Dark Stands Still takes place, is clearly based on Poland. But let's not overthink this: Poranek grew up in Canada but spent her summers in Poland. Canada and Poland are cold northern lands.

Liska's village Stodola is not like the cold, bright Canadian university town I live in. If there is such a thing as a University in Orlica, Liska knows nothing of it. Stodola is a small farming village where oppression wears a Christian face. Liska, a target of that oppression, runs away into the forest, where she binds herself in service to the Leszy, demon of the wood.

At the beginning the story looks much like Beauty and the Beast with a Slavic flavor. When I say, "at the beginning", I mean for the first half of the book. It varies from Beauty and the Beast, but it does hit the major beats of of the classic fairy tale. So much so that at the 69% point I thought, "This story seems to be approaching its end. How is there still a third of the book left to go?" The answer become obvious when the story suddenly took off in a new and more adventurous, not to mention violent, direction.

The publisher's summary reads, "Liska soon makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain, and all her predecessors have mysteriously vanished." Although the publishers claim that Liska makes this discovery "soon", the event referred to here occurs after about three-quarters of the book. Furthermore, it comes as a complete surprise to Liska, and, I have no doubt, was meant to come as a surprise to the reader. It would have surprised me, had not the publisher spoiled it.

It's an uneven book. The last third is undoubtedly better than the first two-thirds, more exciting and full of challenging stratagems and a few fun new characters. I found it a mostly predictable hash of familiar plot elements told on an unusually dreary background. Readers who enjoy Slavic folklore will like it, however.

I think Simon and Schuster Canada for an advance reader copy of Where the Dark Stands Still. This review expresses my honest opinions. Release date 27-Feb-2024.

Liska lives in a world where magic is horrible. She's caught by the demon warden when she tries to plucks the magical flower. She agrees to one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower and its wish. Will she survive?

I like Liska, Her growth throughout the book is nice to see. An intriguing plot with terrific characters. I like this magical world a lot. Love the details.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.