Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

This book was a breath of fresh air. I loved Dymitr so much. The imagery, the emotion, the  all amazingly executed.

Being Ukrainian (4th generation), the folklore at the heart of this book spoke to me in a deep and personal way. My family is from an area that was under Austro-Hungarian rule, and my great great grandpa would have lived with ethnic Poles and Ukrainians alike.

I felt Ala’s pain when she described not knowing the Polish language or anything about her family (our traditions and language were stifled by my great grandfather ). This book tugged at my heartstrings in many ways, and I was left wanting more when I turned the last page.

I cannot wait until the second book in this series comes out in September of this year (2025)!