Through the White Wood by Jessica Leake (review)

After an incident with uncontrolled ice magic that kills nine people, Katya is rejected by her village and sent to the notoriously cruel Prince Vladimir, who collects people with magical abilities for his army. To her surprise, the prince is much kinder than he's rumored to be, and Katya finds that they have much in common—including a strong romantic attraction—as they travel together and navigate troubles both political and magical in Kievan Rus'. This historical fantasy has a rich backdrop based on the real eleventh-century Kievan Rus', and Leake slowly builds an immersive setting sprinkled with captivating folkloric elements (bath spirits and Baba Yaga, among others). The overfocus on small details diminishes the story's potential for political intrigue, though, and the book seldom delves into original storytelling or character development; also, Katya and the prince have a friendship that implausibly leaps from strangers to I-would-die-for-you in mere days. Their relationship is nonetheless heart-pounding, though, including an epic kiss in the heat of battle that will have romance fans swooning. Additionally, the dynamic between Katya's ice magic and the prince's fire magic allows for an interesting narrative device about harmony between disparate duos in a world that otherwise employs very black-and-white morality in its political conflicts. Though action fans may be disappointed until the last section of the book, this story may be worth a read for anyone who wants to get lost in a magic-filled past. An author's note about eleventh-century Russian history is included along with a glossary of Russian words and folkloric figures. NB