A very unique book. The characters were good and had good dialogue. Nice.

I was given an ARC of this book.

4 out of 5 stars

For those of you who love fairy tales, this one is straight up out of that tradition. Anouk is a young healer with a gift for herbs who has to run away from an undesirable marriage into an adventure straight out of classical Russian fairy tales. Baba Yaga, Koschei the deathless, and the Rusalkas all play a role (if you do not recognize those names, go read some Andrew Lang and check back in after). Anouk’s kindness, determination, and knowledge of herbs are the only things that stand between her village and a brutal war with the trolls.

It is written true to form, with little to no internal dialogue and action taking up most of the text. This book pieces together lots of Russian and Eastern European fairy tale characters which I really enjoyed. The description of the forest and other landscapes was more vivid than you would usually find in fairy tales, but since this is a full-length novel the author had some room to include it without breaking the rhythm or mood of the story. Magic takes place with really no explanation needed, and randomly helping an animal in distress is always a good idea. There is little humour in this book, but lots of imagination and wonder. This is a great contemporary rewrite of the Russian fairytale tradition that really captures the spirit of the original tradition.

I am still unsure whether this is meant for older elementary or junior high students. I guesses elementary just because of the cover design and the age of the protagonist, but I think it could still be a valuable read for older kids (or adults) who love magic and fairy tales. I very much look forward to other books by this author if they are all similar in quality to this one.

A charming book with lots of folklore mixed in. I enjoyed the characters and thought it was very age appropriate reading for young adults with no objectionable content.

Brilliant, a quick easy read that will entertain readers of all ages!

A novel that engages you from the first page to the last. Anouk is orphaned and her village sends her to her uncle's home. They do not make her feel welcome. They decide the only way to stop taking responsibility for her is to get her married. Rather than marry, she escapes to find a village willing to take her in. She is welcomed and appreciated for herself. However troubles occur in the village and Anouk takes on a dangerous task on a trip that is unknown to her. Will she be able to help the village? Will her trip be successful?

The author has written a novel that is fun, interesting and inspirational. Anouk is a good role model for everyone. I must admit that I like the girl, Anouk is an inspiring role model for girls in more than one way.

Well! Wasn't that the nicest surprise with a cherry on top! I honestly didn't expect to enjoy Chasing Ravens AS much as I did, BUT I DID. And it was WONDERFUL.

I loved, loved, loved, LOVED, the entwining of Russian (or it might be Slavic?!) folklore! I almost always adore books with Baba Yaga in it, and she was written fantastically in here. Trolls, Beasties, and creepy forests were thick and plenty here, and it was really fun to read.

Can we talk about how great the characters were?! Anouk our MC has recently turned fifteen in the events of Chasing Ravens, and not once, did she come across as a brat with the mentality of a whiny three-year-old. I enjoyed the fact that she had a brain and actually USED it; thankfully not making any stupid decisions.

I really liked how simply the book was written. It wasn't BASIC, no, it just got the story down on the page and told it, with out fluffing around.

Overall, this is a GOOD book. I really enjoyed it, and will be keeping an eye out for future books by this author!

Chasing Ravens by Jessica E. Paige is one of those rare, endearing books that somehow finds its way into your hands. I truly enjoyed this, and I have to say, this is the first book I've read that has incorporated the Russian folklore aspect. And I loved that element. It certainly made the novel fresh and unique in my eyes. And the cover: stunning, it beautifully captured the essence of the novel. I would highly recommend Chasing Ravens to fans of YA adventures with a fairytale-like and folklore feel!

A bit slower than I'd hoped for, but I enjoyed Anouk. I was reading this to see if it would be a fit for our fairy-tale retellings panel, but while there are some lovely and magical moments, they weren't prominent enough (or, honestly, early enough in the book) to work for our panel. And the romance aspect felt much too tacked on to really work in the way that many retellings sell their romance. I might still recommend it to teens if we order a copy, but I think it's a better fit for readers who don't mind a very slow burn on their story and aren't looking for a compelling romance.

The russian culture was weaved in pretty nicely, which is probably my favorite thing about it. The main character is quiet, but smart and brave, and I also appreciated that.

wow.........I really enjoyed this. I LOVE folklore and the author did some pretty extensive research. The main character was good and well rounded and I loved that even the 'bad guy' was just misguided. The only thing I didnt like was that I felt it could have focused a little more on Anouk's romance. Otherwise this is a really good story full of fairytale creatures including the haunting rusalka.

This was another cover request and I very much enjoyed it. I loved the old folklore and fairytale vibe this novel gave me.

This was a whimsical, lovely, fast read though I did have some difficulty with the names of characters, creatures and locations and keeping those straight. I quite enjoyed the mix of old folklore and fairy tale characters that made an appearance and the characterization of the lead was excellent.

Anouk was a great role model for young readers; she's smart, funny, independent and compassionate. I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend this to middle-grade children who enjoy mythology, folklore and fairytales.