GennaRose Nethercott
In this folk story retelling you find yourself in a present-day fable that is poignant and lasting. The story of Baba Yaga gains new life with the Yaga siblings. An odd pair, with even odder talents, finds they are squarely met with their ancestral past all wrapped up in a fairly large shipping container. Will this modern fairy tale sweep me off my feet? Let’s find out.
Read if you like: retellings and reimaginings, complicated characters, modern folk tales, stories for the soul, generational tales, darkly whimsical stories.
The Yaga siblings have chosen very different paths for their lives but they are united in straying from both the family business and their particularly untraditional upbringing. It seems that might be the only remaining connection between them until they both receive notice of an unexpected inheritance.
We follow Isaac and Bellatine Yaga, along with Thistlefoot, as their lives are instantly and soon to be irrevocably changed in a dark, epic adventure that spans generations. The pair are contradictory in most things and their perspectives lend different energies to the tale in a way that keep the past and the present relevant. Thistlefoot, the chicken-legged house, provides a rather interesting perspective straight from its timeless consciousness. With it we learn the historical and mythological origins of the Yaga family while providing both scope and humor. Yes, the chicken house is the brooding, hilarious sidekick.
But before the siblings can begin to truly appreciate their unique acquisition, they realize that something has been tracking the house. Something that leaves ruin in its wake. The Longshadow Man is out to destroy the magical house. Which leaves us wondering what secrets the walls hold and what it will take to uncover them.
I loved this book more than I can say. It’s beautiful. I can say that the cover completely undersells the magnificent work you will find within the words. The story isn’t written; it’s built and you can live in it. I wish I could give it more stars. Thistlefoot deserves to shine.
It is darkly whimsical and all too real at times. No punches are being pulled as violent history becomes clear in its echoes through time and merges with magic that transforms people into manifestations of lost narratives. The undercurrent is swift and pressing. You know something is coming and it isn’t going to be sweet and savory, it will be better. Better because it is truth. And what is more magical than that?
Everyone should read this book. I don’t know if everyone will like it, but you should read it nonetheless. I would be comfortable giving this to a mature teenager with a discerning mind. Who can navigate the frivolous attitude of Isaac with firm understanding that his life while idealistic, is not in fact, ideal. There are some crass moments and language, but it crass in the way that life often is. This book seeks truth in the darkness and may we all feel that Embering as we search.
Thistlefoot is expected to be released on September 27, 2022.
Comments