In my current mood nothing else nominated so far really does it for me, so I'm going to nominate a recent read that I thought was both different (for me) and very good for a debut novel. And while it is written by a US author, she appears to be well qualified to have written this book set in medieval Russia using Russian mythology:
I nominate
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden.
Quote:
Beware the evil in the woods. . .
In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church.
But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods. . .
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323 Pages.
Ostensibly the first of a trilogy, this first book finishes well enough to be read on its own.
Goodreads
Kobo AU $12.99, Kobo US $11.99, Kobo CA $13.99, Kobo UK must be on special at the moment I think at only £1.99