Name: The Witch and the Tsar
Rating: 3.979166666666667 (12 reviews)
ISBN: 9780008555603

Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

‘A delicate weaving of myth and history, The Witch and the Tsar breathes new life into stories you think you know’ Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

The Witch and the Tsar

In this stunning debut novel, the maligned and immortal witch of legend known as Baba Yaga will risk all to save her country and her people from Tsar Ivan the Terrible—and the dangerous gods who seek to drive the twisted hearts of men.

As a half-goddess possessing magic, Yaga is used to living on her own, her prior entanglements with mortals having led to heartbreak. She mostly keeps to her hut in the woods, where those in need of healing seek her out, even as they spread rumors about her supposed cruelty and wicked spells. But when her old friend Anastasia—now the wife of the tsar, and suffering from a mysterious illness—arrives in her forest desperate for her protection, Yaga realizes the fate of all of Russia is tied to Anastasia’s. Yaga must step out of the shadows to protect the land she loves.

As she travels to Moscow, Yaga witnesses a sixteenth century Russia on the brink of chaos. Tsar Ivan—soon to become Ivan the Terrible—grows more volatile and tyrannical by the day, and Yaga believes the tsaritsa is being poisoned by an unknown enemy. But what Yaga cannot know is that Ivan is being manipulated by powers far older and more fearsome than anyone can imagine.

Olesya Salnikova Gilmore weaves a rich tapestry of mythology and Russian history, reclaiming and reinventing the infamous Baba Yaga, and bringing to life a vibrant and tumultuous Russia, where old gods and new tyrants vie for power. This fierce and compelling novel draws from the timeless lore to create a heroine for the modern day, fighting to save her country and those she loves from oppression while also finding her true purpose as a goddess, a witch, and a woman.

wow. nothing i say can do this book justice. i went into it with no expectations, just interested in a unique spin on the mythical baba yaga. this book was that, and so much more. first of all, the writing is absolutely beautiful, and conjured up such clear images in my head while reading. the descriptions of the cold, harsh taiga, so different from the warm, lush summers that finally, finally come back for the war-torn people of russia. 

yaga's development throughout the story is so wonderful, to watch her embrace her mortal blood and find a family is so so beautiful. the plot is interesting enough to keep you reading, but not overbearing or filled with unnecessary drama to keep the story going.

i loved absolutely everything about this book. i wish i could read it again with fresh eyes. 

wow. nothing i say can do this book justice. i went into it with no expectations, just interested in a unique spin on the mythical baba yaga. this book was that, and so much more. first of all, the writing is absolutely beautiful, and conjured up such clear images in my head while reading. the descriptions of the cold, harsh taiga, so different from the warm, lush summers that finally, finally come back for the war-torn people of russia. 

yaga's development throughout the story is so wonderful, to watch her embrace her mortal blood and find a family is so so beautiful. the plot is interesting enough to keep you reading, but not overbearing or filled with unnecessary drama to keep the story going.

i loved absolutely everything about this book. i wish i could read it again with fresh eyes. 

britt

so. i have many thoughts about this book. 

i was full on expecting to be dazzled, but i was not dazzled. it wasn’t bad, it was just okay. i was interested enough in seeing where it was going, so there’s that, but nothing else. 

i did like vasily and how yaga wasn’t girlbossified. like in the way she didn’t murder people with little regard. but other than that yaga was lowkey meh. 

i also think that not enough was fleshed out in this book. if anything, this should have been a trilogy and a lot more fleshed out. maybe with multiple povs too, but def not selica’s or it should’ve left her more anonymous for a while longer. 

but it was a fine book.

Yaga lives deep in the Russian forest, tending to any that call upon her for her healing potions and vast wisdom.

She has been alone for centuries, with only her beloved animals for company. But, when Tsaritsa Anastasia, wife of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, shows up at Yaga’s cottage on the brink of death, Yaga is compelled to travel with her to Moscow to keep her safe.

However, the Russia Yaga sees as she makes her journey to the heart of the country is one on the brink of chaos. Tsar Ivan – soon to become Ivan the Terrible – grows more volatile and tyrannical by the day, and Yaga believes the tsaritsa is being poisoned by an unknown enemy. But what Yaga cannot know is that Ivan is being manipulated by powers far older and more fearsome than anyone can imagine.

Set in sixteenth-century Russia, The Witch and the Tsar upends the stories we know of Baba Yaga as the bony-legged witch of Slavic fairy tales and the stuff of nightmares. For beyond the rumours of her iron nose, fangs for teeth, and house on chicken legs, is the story of a woman so wise and strong that she has to be cloaked in lies to hide her true power.

A wonderfully imagined retelling of the Baba Yaga story, set in 16th century Russia during Ivan the Terrible’s reign. The Witch and the Tsar is a mix of myth and history, in which we get a very human, Baba Yaga as opposed to the old hag that most people know from the legends. 

Half-human, half-immortal, Yaga lives alone in the forest (which she has done since her mother’s death) in her chicken legged house Hen, with her animal companions, and only seeing the people who come to her seeking herbal remedies and healing and magic charms. 
The arrival of her old friend Anastasia, Ivan’s wife, who comes seeking help for a mystery illness, see’s Yaga return to human society, and more unsettlingly the royal court of Moscow, in a bid to keep Anastasia safe. 

Once Yaga gets to court I found the story became a little flip floppy in her decisions and choices, and the pacing became a little slow. I would also have liked to learn more about Koshey, but sadly he was pushed aside towards the end.  
That being said – and without giving more away – this tale is beautifully written and blends history and myth together seamlessly and I would recommend it to anyone who likes their historical fiction with blend of fantasy and to anyone who loves a good re-telling. 

4 stars. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eArc.



Narah Quinn

This was such an interesting story. I liked that it ties into Russian mythology, which I don’t feel is one told often. You are guided through the story from Baba Yaga, with different interludes that give you breaks and other perspectives. I thought that was different and made it into something I could see made into a movie. It was very vibrantly written. 

Jessi

I absolutely loved this book. It made me feel so close to old stories and fairytales I've heard since I was a kid! Marya Morevna, Koshei the Deathless, Marzanna(!!!!!!!!!), and of course Baba Yaga like we've never seen her before. If you want a Yaga that is a disgusting old hag that goes around eating children for getting her riddles wrong, you won't find her here (yet?). Gilmore takes the classic fairytale character and shows us the other side, the more nurturing and maternal Yaga that was lost to time. Let's not forget that Gilmore incorporated the old pagan Gods into her story brilliantly and gives hope that they will come back into the mainstream much like Greek and Norse Gods have in recent years. This will be a book to reread every winter get in the mood for Morozko to come sweeping through!

The Witch and the Tsar

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