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.

Plague strikes the kingdom of Chernozemlya every ten years, leaving thousands of victims to sleep for a year and a day, with an unlucky few deep sleepers never waking again. Marisha’s parents are both deep sleepers, leaving her at the mercy of distant relatives who think her cursed by this misfortune. Fleeing the threat of marriage, Marisha gets herself hired as an assistant to a disabled koldunya, Olena, who lives in a magical house that walks on chicken legs. Together they might finally discover a cure for the plague. But only if they don’t strangle each other first and nothing crawls out of the Otherworld to kill them.

World-building: House of Frost and Feathers mixes the magic of Russian folklore with the grittier reality of peasant life, akin to Deathless by Catherynne Valente. Rather than going broad, this adventure digs deeper and deeper into the titular chicken-legged house and the relationships of its occupants, past and present.

Characters: I loved Marisha and Olena. These women are stubborn, driven, and angry with the hand dealt to them by society. However, unlike the recent spate of "burn it to the ground" female protagonists in historical fantasy, they're also willing to grow and heal. This leads to the found family dynamic that I adore and sweet low-key romances for both protagonists.

Also...the house is ALIVE! It's not a fleshed-out character, unfortunately, but the Howl's Moving Castle vibes still warmed my heart.

Plot: The mystery of what's causing the sleeping plague was a definite page-turner. And it was expertly entwined with an exploration of generational trauma centered on the figure of Baba Yaga — or rather Baba Zima, her predecessor Baba Serafima, and her apprentice Olena.

Highly recommend! 5 stars!

The House of Frost and Feathers initially caught my eye because I read and thoroughly enjoyed Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott (2022). The House of Frost and Feathers features the same Slavic character, a mobile house with giant chicken legs.

To say the least, I was not disappointed. The storyline exceeded my expectations, and I came to love all of the characters and their dynamics. While this was a highly character-driven story, the plot coming and going, I was completely immersed in the folkloric world that Wiesebron has fabricated so well.

I wish there had been a sort of epilogue at the end that might have gone into Marisha’s journey home and how her relation with her parents was after the plague was abolished.

I also wonder if the author knew the story behind Zima and Baba Yaga, and if that influenced the choice of Baba Zima’s name instead of using Baba Yaga, who is traditionally the owner of the chicken-footed house. I would love to know more about the inspiration for the story and how much the lore used by the author overlaps with traditional story!

Thank you Netgalley, Hodderscape, and the author for a free ARC of this book.

This story was so good - magical, with dark fantasy. Not my typical read but was perfect for cold nights by the fire - I would highly recommend as a winter read.

I enjoyed this! This fantasy takes the scenic route to build a winter-in-an-ancient-forest ambiance with Slavic folklore elements. The emphasis on building the characters made me endeared to the various main characters, but the pacing did slow to a glacial pace at times.

The writing was great, and I could envision the scenes and the fantastical elements easily. I was not familiar with the folk tales referenced, but I was still able to follow the folklore ties the author had. Almost all of the main characters were women, and none were dependent on men to further their stories, which I appreciated. There is more dialogue than I expected given the vibe, but it mostly hit the mark to build the relationships between characters. The recurring arguments sometimes felt repetitive.

You should be in the mood for a slower-paced fantasy focusing on individual characters with very minor romance elements, or you might find this book hard to get into. The book focuses mainly on one location and one set of characters, and you really get to know them as a true standalone novel. I think this is an impressive debut, and I would definitely read more books by this author.

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager, for the arc!

I enjoyed this story especially with its root in Slavic folklore.

It's interesting and complex. It did take me a minute to get used to the Slavic influences but I quickly got used to it and enjoyed it.

I think the pacing struggles because this story is really centered around the characters and their development. There is not a ton of action and so there are quite a few lulls in the story. I think the ending is the strongest part because there is a blend of action and development. I felt connected at this point and really enjoyed how the story ended.

I'd like more balance throughout but I love the dark elements and the folklore aspect.

Thanks to netgalley and Avon for the eARC of this book!

I really loved this read, it was fantasy done in a whole new way. I’ve read many Baba Yaga inspired stories, but this was my favorite by far. I really enjoyed how many character arcs we were able to follow, and I felt like I was kept on my toes all the way through in the best kind of way

I was so excited to read this book after seeing it compared to The Bear and the Nightingale, one of my favorite books. While it didn't deliver as much as I'd hoped, it was undeniably beautifully written and an excellent tribute to Russian folklore. The prose was so lyrical and magical.

For me, the pacing was a little slower than I would've liked and it was a bit hard to push through at times, but at other points it was easy to immerse myself in the mysterious and beautiful story. The Sleeping Plague, a sinister illness that sweeps through the population, caught my interest the most, which is what the base storyline revolves around -- our main character Marisha searching for a cure with Olena.

The mysterious house of Baba Zima, which Marisha goes to in search of work in desperation, was both charming and eerie but the quirky and complex characters really held the show together. Though I was often frustrated by their lack of communication which could have solved so many things. On the other hand, the romance plot felt a little random and forced but it was a somewhat minor part of the story. Overall, this was an enjoyable read with breathtaking writing, but the slow pacing made it a bit hard for me. I think many fantasy lovers will still be a fan of this book, especially those who like Naomi Novak, Ava Reid and Katherine Arden.

Thank you so much to Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC! 📚

i love slavic folklore fantasy. i find it to be so fascinating— as someone from a caribbean island, reading about these dark, frosty worlds feels almost ethereal. the house of frost and feathers follows in this tradition for me, though this one stuns with its prose. this one’s great for those readers who prefer grounded fantasy rather than a full on epic tale— slavic fantasy in general is quite good for that, and like others it would sit in shelves with, it feels like you’re reading a modern dark fairytale.

This is a slow burn tale with a sinister edge perfect for winter. We follow Marisha, in a third POV running from an unwanted marriage and finding herself in an unbelievable house. They go on a journey to find a cure for a sleeping plague, and along the way we experience a bit of mystery, found friendship, self-discovery, and a pinch of romance.

This one definitely has the vibes and whimsical nature of Howl's Moving Castle along with Russian folklore. Even though it was a bit slower paced than I would normally like, I quite enjoyed it. I really loved the Ghibli Studios vibe of the house and some of its inhabitants.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the arc! Holy shit, I found this boring and tedious to get through. It genuinely numbed my mind to the point of not being able to think much else besides the word “drag.” I’ll have to remove a star for as many brain cells as I lost while reading this. I would’ve preferred reading Men’s health

This was a strong lyrical fantasy novel, it had that element that I was hoping for and was engaged with what was happening. The characters were everything that I wanted and enjoyed the fantasy element that I wanted. Lauren Wiesebron has a strong writing style and enjoyed the overall feel of this book.

What a fantastic read this book was! As a long-time lover of Slavic folklore, I've always been frustrated by its under-representation in modern fantasy. Thankfully, this book came along and fulfilled all my desires for a fantasy novel of this kind! Complex worldbuilding meets engaging and compelling characters, all tied up in a fascinating narrative about the mysterious Sleeping Plague! Highly recommended to any lovers of fantasy and folklore! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyage for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The magical elements were very interesting and the story is well done. I appreciated the magic and world building and the folklore vibes.

Marisha is alone and looking for a place in the world that she feels she belongs. After her parents both fall prey to the sleeping plague she is left to live with her aunt who is trying to marry her off. She is looking for work and ends up finding employment in a traveling witch’s house Baba Zima. Once there she begins working with Olena to discover a cure to the plague.

This was very similar in premise to Howls moving castle, I found it slow but generally I enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC of House of Frost and Feathers. The description of this book caught my attention right from the start, along with the beautiful cover art. Admittedly, the story was a bit slow in places for me, but the world created, and the magic described, was very well-done.

Marisha is a complex character, as are many of the remaining cast of characters. Each are driven by different (not always immediately clear) motivations. As the book progresses and the crux of the conflict is reached, the motivations of many characters are revealed in a fantastical other-world situation. Not everything wraps up nicely, which works well in this setting.

The house itself is a main focal point and a very intricate character itself. I enjoyed that it was a unique persona itself.

Overall this is a good read for fans of Russian folklore, magical worlds, and nuanced characters.

This reminded me a lot of Foul Days and a little of the Winternight trilogy. I loved the walking house, the mystery of the sleeping plague, and the various other magical elements. I also very much enjoyed the two main POVs. I will say that the one romance (?) plotline felt very shoehorned in and I would have preferred the story without it completely, but at least it was fairly minor. Overall an interesting and fun read.

In this folklore fantasy Marisha becomes an assistant to a koldunya who lives in a magical house. From there she meets many interesting characters, has adventures and learns a whole lot about herself.

I enjoyed the characters of this story very much. They were charming and witty. I especially loved the relationship that grew between marisha and olena. I especially loved the animal companion. I mean who doesn’t love an animal companion? Where this book fell short for me was the pacing. While I was loving many of the interactions the characters had with each other I found the overall plot dragged. Many times I was choosing to read something else rather than pick this back up. In the end it has a lot of potential and I think some readers will really have a win on their hands with this one.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The cover art of this book that displays a reproduction of the infamous story of Baba Yaga’s house with chicken feet, is what led me to give this fantastical tale a chance. A house with chicken legs for feet, how must that even work? What are the mechanics of it? Such are the thoughts of Marisha, a young woman that routinely applies herself to a more scientific, logical way of thinking (what they call “reasonable philosophy”) versus being taken in by the works of koldunry (which are basically witches, soothsayers, workers of magic, etc). However, after her latest job prospect has gone terribly astray and to avoid going back to her aunt’s to be married off, she turns towards the last place she ever wanted to be, Baba Zima’s house of koldunry. Although the matron of the house is hesitant to bring Marisha into her home and her practices, she hires her to be the assistant to her apprentice, Olena. Marisha is to assist in Olena in any way possible to find the cure for the sleeping plague which has haunted their lands for centuries, reoccurring every decade to claim more souls. Will Marisha’s thinking on how the world works change? Will magic grip her mind and heart, taking her on a fantastical journey? You’ll have to read it to see!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for a free and honest review.

Before I begin - is there going to be a sequel??? Because I can't wait to read it!!

This book was a delight for someone who is a fan of the Baba Yaga folk story (me). The writing was paced beautifully, the character POVs added much needed context, and the romance aspects were interesting yet subtle and not overly done, nor where they the main focus of the story.

I enjoyed reading about koldunry and all the various aspects of it. I wish there could have been a bit more mention of the other world, but I was still satisfied with what I read. Our main character, Marisha, is a sensible lassie, who is continuously proven wrong about the world of the kolduns and everything which she thought was true. Olena was a very well-described character, and Baba Zima added some much needed confusion with a dash of villainry.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking out for more publications by this author!