I received a free copy from Harper Voyager via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Publish date July 15th.

I requested this book since I thought the Russian fantasy setting sounded interesting. In House of Frost and Feathers, Marisha is desperate and destitute, with both her parents cursed with the sleeping plague and her brother missing. When she fails to get a job, she applies as a last resort to be a koldunya's, or witch's, assistant... but will Baba Zima's magical chicken house be more than skeptical Marisha can handle?

The vaguely late nineteenth century Slavic setting was an interesting background to the fairy tale plot of curses and spirits. In a fun touch, a majority of the plot occurs in the walking chicken house, as Marisha learns the magical (and herbaceous) skills necessary to assist a koldunya's apprentice. Curing the cyclical sleeping curse is the single-minded goal of Olena, the apprentice, and the task quickly pulls Marisha in, since she has two parents who caught the plague. However, I did feel that the sleeping plague was a bit shallowly rooted in the worldbuilding. For a curse that has struck perhaps thousands of people every decade for the last five hundred years, it seems to have had remarkably little effect on society. Five hundred years is practically older than Protestants.

Marisha herself is skeptical enough to be practical, but not so much that she spends a big chunk of the book tiresomely denying her own eyes. Olena, on the other hand, tends towards casual cruelty and stubbornly digging her heels in for no good reason. Not a particularly appealing trait in a POV character, but perhaps understandable given that the capricious and manipulative Baba Zima has had twelve years to dig her claws into Olena. Disappointingly, they are not in a sapphic romance. Instead, both girls have their own (straight) romances that felt a bit forced and notably young and inexperienced.

Recommended if you liked Genoveva Dimova's Dark Days books.

I usually always enjoy books that have a bit of magic and come across as folklore. This book checked the boxes, but it did drag and would have benefitted from having it shortened.

I liked the characterization. The three main people in the book seem to all have issues and don't always get along very well. As the book goes on, there is a good bit of growth for each of them, and I appreciated how the author enhanced that aspect of the book. There are also some bad characters in the book that adds some intrigue.

Moreover, I enjoyed the original magical details such as a chicken legged house that could ski to different places, I'd give this book 4 stars.

This book really dragged for me. It took forever to finish. The writing style wasn’t my favorite, but I think the bigger issue was the pacing. It just seemed incredibly slow and uninteresting and took way too long to get going in a way that made it worth reading.

I wanted to like it because I do love a good Baba Yaga character, but it just fell flat.

That said the setting was quite fun. It just needed some work.

This book was not for me it could not keep my attention through the book, I am not sure if it was the writing style or the characters but I could not get into the book for the life of me.

I feel like the plot sort of dragged on and was really slow moving which is hard for me when I’m reading because it makes me lose focus and get distracted when storylines move to slow.

This book was not for me but I still recommend it because I am sure there will be a lot of people that don’t mind the pacing issues I had an issue with.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Harper Voyager

Vibes? Slavic folklore meets Howl's Moving Castle. Vibe check? Absolutely passes.

House of Frost and Feathers is a very character-driven story, with the heart of the story being the growth of the characters and their relationships between one another. That's not to say there isn't a plot - the central mystery of the sleeping plague and Marisha's unsettling dreams makes for a compelling story. But if you're someone that wants an action-packed plot or a fast-paced read, this may not be for you.

I loved how the narrative didn't shy away from the uglier parts of the characters - they are flawed, complex people, with defined personalities that often clash with one another. Pretty much all of them are determined and stubborn, so some clashes are inevitable - but that's the fun of the developing relationships here!

The story was atmospheric, and the setting vivid, with the house an obvious character of its own, all of which lent itself to the fairytale feeling of much of the story.

While I'm not sure this story is going to be the most memorable, it was an overall enchanting read and that's more than enough for me.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Voyager, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

Dying to escape the hold of the ___ of ___ and ___title economy! This should have been a sign for me that I wasn't going to be a fan of this book. I went into this super excited for a story inspired by the Baba Yaga mythos, but felt the story did little to distinguish itself from the works of other contemporary romantasy authors. My biggest issue was the writing style, which felt contemporary and juvenile and ultimately pulled me away from the historical fiction tag. I'm usually someone who LOVES domestic scenes in fantasy but could this book could have had half the amount and double the charm. This book would have really benefited from a harsher editor. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the protagonists and the dark, wintery atmosphere.

3.5 stars
The sleeping plague happens every ten years. People fall asleep and some don't wake up.

Marisha's parents have both been asleep since the last plague ten years ago.
With the plague nearly upon them again, Marisha needs to find a job and get out of her Aunt's house before she marries her off to someone horrible.

The only job she finds is working for Baba Zima.
She is thrown into the world of koldunry. She doesn't really believe in magic, but she needs the job. She will be an apprentice to Olena, Baba Zima's successor.

Olena is seeking a cure for the sleeping plague, so not only will Marisha have a job, maybe she can save her parents too.

I loved the Slavic folklore in this book. It is so fascinating to me. I had a good time with this, but I got a bit bored in the middle. I would still read more from this author though.

“House of Frost and Feathers” follows Marisha who has fallen on hard times. Her two family members have fallen ill to the sleeping plague and have been asleep for up to ten years. Her only brother left home to try and get the family fortune back, but this has left Marisha penniless and needing a job. She’s applied and been told no or laughed out of almost every thing local. She inquired about the Baba Yaga house that had appeared in the neighborhood and had headed there for a job interview which she receives.

She is hired by Baby Zima to be the assistant for Olena, the koldunya that is studying to take over Baba Zima retires. Marisha doesn’t really want this job but it is her only option and Olena doesn’t want her there either. Olena’s project as a koldunya is to find a cure for the sleeping plague. She doesn’t find Marisha very helpful except that she can translate old Slavic which can be helpful to go through old notes and books surrounding the start of the sleeping plague. Marisha attempts to help Olena and tried to bond with her but it seems hopeless to develop a good relationship with Olena. Hopefully collaborating and helping with a sleeping plague cure can improve their relationship and keep her job and her place living in the strange Baba Yaga house that travels from town to town.

This book follows the travels of the Baba Yaga, Baba Zima, her mistress Olena, and the assistant Marisha. It is a rather slow paced fantasy that takes place mostly within the house (the baba Yaga). The story has depth in character development. You get the sense that something is lurking beneath the surface about 30% through the book but you aren’t quite sure what. The beginning is a bit of a slow-burn as you discover all the interrelations between each character and day to day work as a koldunya/assistant. Due to the slow progression of learning the characters relationships and purposes, I did have a bit of a lapse in interest but I have always been interested in the folklore surrounding Baba Yagas.

As the relationship between Marisha and Olena begins to foster, about 60-65% of the way through the story really picks up and becomes quite magical. Once the more magical world opens up, the relationships that the author has formed throughout the slow-burn section of the book start to make sense and make you think. Getting through to this magical part and learning more about the sleeping plague and the potential to rid it made the book a quite interesting journey and the ending was worth the read.

3.75 due to the slow burn. But after reading the end I see why the character development was so important. Always pay attention to details when reading fantasy books. 😊

I LOVE Baba Yaga tales and the slight budding romance we see in this book was awesome! I very much enjoyed the folklore in this book

Very strange. Similar to Spinning Silver with the folk talked. THis is very slow and character driving but not bad. I tend to like a faster pace in my books.

I really liked this book: the characters, the magic, the story. It all was very charming and very intriguing. The protagonist's involvement in everything was held back until later in the book than I would like, but when her destiny and dreams were connected in, it was very satisfying.

Put the chicken house on the cover of a book and I'm there

I love books that read like fairy tales. This is definitely a slower-paced, character driven tale, but the world of Slavic magic is beautifully crafted and I enjoyed every step in the journey. There are two POVs: Marisha, who signs on to be the assistant to Baba Yaga-I-mean-Zima's apprentice, and Olena, the apprentice herself whose goal is to cure the sleeping plague.

The villain was suitably frightening and the climax was exciting. And there's even a cute animal side character! This is a standalone fantasy that has a satisfying conclusion but also leaves the characters open for more adventures. My favorite kind of ending! Not so much because I expect there to be sequels, but because I can imagine more magical mysteries on my own.

For some reason I thought the romance would be between Marisha and Olena. WRONG! No lesbians here. I can't even blame Goodreads for using a misleading LGBT tag this time, just my own queer delusions. I did enjoy their developing friendship and the light romance we did get (Olena with Baba Zima's son, Marisha with gender-flipped Sleeping Beauty). Both romances were very sweet.

The prose definitely felt like the telling of a fairy tale. It took a little getting used to for me but worked well. There were a few comma splices here and there that I noticed more in the second half, but these may be picked up in editing before publication. I can't wait to get my Goldsboro special edition.

this book was good! I liked the way this story flowed, I think it was well written and I did like the characters. This would be a good book for a book club, since people could have differing opinions on this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

The world-building was excellent and magical, but the pacing felt off to me - overall enjoyable, however.

The House of Frost and Feathers had me hooked from the beginning. I was immediately intrigued by Marisha and her desire for nothing more than a job. It's a sentiment I can relate very closely to, and I think many other people can too in today's working climate.
Then, the book threw me Olena's point of view and I was even more hooked!
Marisha and Olena are such different characters with very different motivations, which is what made it so interesting to read about them trying to learn to work together. There were times I sided with Marisha, and times I sided with Olena, which only made it so much more fun to read.
The pacing of this book is immaculate. I found it very hard to put down as each chapter added another piece to the puzzle.
Each character was interesting to read about, with various flaws and strengths. The relationships between characters, and the way those relationships developed, were particularly interesting. There's a lovely found-family side to the story.
I highly recommend reading this book during the cold months with many warm cups of tea.
This book was such a joy to read! I can't wait to see what is next from Lauren Wiesebron.

Thank you to Harper Voyager, Avon, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this book

I was so excited to dig into this as I LOVE baba yagga, so say I am disappointed is an understatement. I have been trying and failing to finish this book for 2 months, I’m finally giving up as it’s just been boring from start to where I stopped at about 30%.

House of Frost and Feathers is the kind of book that seeps into your bones—lush, lyrical, and brimming with an icy sort of magic that lingers long after you turn the final page. If you love folklore-infused fantasy with a dark, wintry edge, you’re going to want to sink into this one immediately.

Marisha is a heroine you can’t help but root for—determined, vulnerable, and full of quiet strength as she navigates the treacherous world of koldunry. Baba Zima is deliciously complex, a mentor who is equal parts brilliant and terrifying.

The magic in this book is gorgeous—both enchanting and unsettling, like stepping into a frostbitten fairy tale where beauty and danger intertwine. The dream sequences are especially mesmerizing, wrapping you in a surreal, eerie atmosphere that feels like a ghost story whispered in candlelight. And the mystery at the heart of it all—the sleeping plague, the masked ball, the monstrous figure lurking at the edges—unfolds in a way that is both breathtaking and chilling.

If you’re a fan of Naomi Novik, Ava Reid, or Katherine Arden, this book will feel like home—a cold, haunted, and utterly magical home that you’ll never want to leave.

Using Slavic folklore rather than European, this book has some great worldbuilding. However, the pace is slow with more focus on characters and conversations and the chicken legged house wandering from town to tow while Baba Zina works her magic. This is all well done, but I never felt any urgency in the story and ended up sleep-reading through parts of it, which meant going back to re-read the pages I’d just passed. I struggled to stay interested in this book and kept putting it down in favor of something else, and when I came back to it I struggled to remember what had happened.

This really became an issue in the final quarter of the book where things start to happen, but I just wasn’t invested in the characters or the plot by that point. I do think the characters arcs are well done, but their personalities, to me, felt just as lethargic as the book. Their voices were all so similar, their ways of talking, and there was never a real sense of them as people separate from the plot.

This is, of course, just my opinion. Other people will have a better time than I did with this book — not to say I had a bad one! Just a sleepier, more drifty one. The writing was good, the world building was nice, but the pace made me want to take a nap. However, I’ll be looking forward to future books from this author because everything else was solid, just … slow.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me an ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

3.5 stars

While I ended up enjoying this book, it started out so slow. All the characters are basically only interested in themselves. It’s like no one cares. And I get that the place/situation isn’t meant to be easy, but jeez. It was also slow going because of the vocabulary. There was a lot of folklore and various words that my brain would slow over. Once I got about 70% in, it really started to take off. Some trust was forming, characters were developing, the plot picked up pace, etc. I really enjoyed that bit. It definitely seems like there will be a sequel. It felt like a few things were left unanswered, and I’d like to see what happens with them.

This was a fun story based on Slavic folklore with major Howl’s Moving Castle vibes. Marisha lives in Chernozemyla, a land inflicted with an ancient sleeping plague. Every ten years on the dot people fall asleep. Both of Marisha’s parents are deep sleepers (people who sleep for more than a year) and her brother left her. Marisha escapes an inevitable arranged marriage at the hands of her awful Aunt by becoming an apprentice to an apprentice for a Koldunya. This particular Koldunya, Baba Zima, controls n orange chicken-legged house that travels from city to city. Baba Zima’s apprentice, Olena, is trying to find a cure for the plague. Marisha must overcome her disbelief of magic to help pursue a cure.

This book is very character driven. If someone does not enjoy character driven books, they will not enjoy this book. I’m not a huge fan of character driven stories, but the folklore was so dang good. The plot takes a back seat to the story told through Baba Zima, Marisha, Olena, and eventually Valdim. The pacing is a little skewed. The book starts off very strong, is incredibly slow, and is non-stop through the last 20%. I really enjoyed the last 20% of the book. I wish there would have been more character development between the two couples. I feel like there was a lot of potential between both love interests to further explore those particular characters. I feel that with some consolidation (the book is over 500 pages) this story would be even more enjoyable.

I enjoyed the book and will definitely recommend it as long as the readers are okay with a slow pace and character driven story. 3.75 stars

Thank you SO much to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the early copy.