August 28, 2023
For this dark fairy tale, Houston (The Second Bell) spins a lush narrative that gets lost in its own fecund detail. There’s a folkloric simplicity to the premise: two women go to a tree blessed by a goddess—one a noble hoping for a child, the other a witch who has promised to help. They find twin babies hanging from a branch like fruit. Fast-forward 15 years, and wealthy Sladyana believes that her goddess-given daughter has been stolen from her by supernatural forces. Though she takes in a nonspeaking orphan, fostering the child cannot fill the void. Meanwhile Kada, the witch, raises a not-quite-human daughter of her own whom she ferociously guards, fearing exposure of the child’s uncanny nature. Threat appears in the form of a marauding blue-eyed fox, alongside a glossary’s worth of other monstrous beings that Kada overcomes or commands in succession—all while navigating the complex dynamics of family and village. This is a tapestry of a book, wonderfully woven but thin. The Slavic mythology it draws from brings the benefit of novelty, but the fairy tale elements don’t quite come together to lend emotive meaning to Houston’s decorative prose. Fans of fabulist literature hoping for depth should look elsewhere, but readers seeking pure story, lovingly told, will find plenty to savor. Agent: John Baker, Bell Lomax Moreton.
September 1, 2023
Witch Kada aids the people of her village with the power of the goddess Zemya's bone roots--her own daughter Secha came from the goddess's tree. Secha's unnatural origin, however, leaves her vulnerable to the child-stealing fox that stalks her, and Kada will do anything to keep her safe. That gets harder when noblewoman Sladyana re-enters her life. Kada helped Sladyana pluck her own daughter from Zemya's tree, but the fox stole her child. Sladyana wants Kada's help to get her daughter back, and she won't take no for an answer. Houston's novel draws inspiration from Slavic folklore to create a world rich with gods and spirits. Middle-aged women like Kada and Sladyana don't always star in fantasy, but this novel places them center-stage as complex characters who are sympathetic despite being at odds with each other. Similarly, the story prioritizes domestic stakes--familial love and community approval--that become epic through Kada and Sladyana's emotional journeys. VERDICT This Slavic-inspired fantasy from Houston (The Second Bell) will appeal to readers who enjoyed Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver but want to see older women characters experience love and magic too.--Erin Niederberger
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