The House of Frost and Feathers

By: Lauren Wiesebron

Narrated by: Daphne Kouma

SPINNING SILVER meets HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE in this beautiful debut Slavic folklore fantasy.

Marisha's time is running out. She's already lost her family to the sleeping plague, and she fears she'll be next. Penniless and desperate for protection, Marisha is forced to accept a job as apprentice to the notorious koldunya, Baba Zima.

Despite Baba Zima's reputation for cruelty, Marisha finds herself drawn into the magical world of koldunry, and is thrust into looking for a cure to the plague - if Marisha finds it, she will finally be free.

As the search grows increasingly dangerous and seemingly impossible, Marisha uncovers hidden connections between the sleeping plague, her own family's history, and her haunting dreams: of a masked ball where sleepers are trapped endlessly dancing - and a monstrous beaked man who shadows her every step . . .©2025 Lauren Wiesebron (P)2025 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Story pacing odd and way too much dialogue

I saw it through to the end but there was some odd pacing to the story. Most of the time not much happens and this is not made up for by good characterisation.Twists were always revealed during long sequences of dialogue. There wasn’t enough attention given to world building or actions and the novel was dominated by too much telling and not enough showing. The narrator was good though.