Hey Booksters!

Are you ready for a fairy tale fantasy retelling? I sure hope so, because today I’m reviewing The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson. 

I wanted to do a fairy tale retelling, but one that wasn’t as common of a tale. This book seemed to fit the bill, so I dove right in. Let’s see how it went!

Blurb

All 12-year-old Marinka wants is a friend. A real friend. Not like her house with chicken legs. Sure, the house can play games like tag and hide-and-seek, but Marinka longs for a human companion. Someone she can talk to and share secrets with.

But that’s tough when your grandmother is a Yaga, a guardian who guides the dead into the afterlife. It’s even harder when you live in a house that wanders all over the world . . . carrying you with it. Even worse, Marinka is being trained to be a Yaga. That means no school, no parties–and no playmates that stick around for more than a day.

So when Marinka stumbles across the chance to make a real friend, she breaks all the rules . . . with devastating consequences. Her beloved grandmother mysteriously disappears, and it’s up to Marinka to find her–even if it means making a dangerous journey to the afterlife.

With a mix of whimsy, humor, and adventure, this debut novel will wrap itself around your heart and never let go.

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

I absolutely loved this fairy tale retelling of Baba Yaga!

In this novel we follow young Marinka. For all of her life she’s been cooped up inside a magical house with her grandma Baba, training to become the next guardian to guide the dead into the afterlife. But Marinka wants her own life and experiences. As she defects from all that she knows, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and the amazing world of the living around her.

I wasn’t very familiar with the tale of Baba Yaga, but this was a great spin on the old story. Though Baba is sometimes viewed as an antagonist by Marinka, the reader knows that Baba truly cares about Marinka and wants the best for her. I also loved the depiction of the magical house. It’s got these giant legs that help it move around from location to location and a bizarre bone fence that wards away the living. The magic system of guiding the dead worked really well. Everything was well thought out and there’s a lot to love here.

Marinka was a relatable main character. On the cusp of teenagehood, she has her own wants and needs, and they have been ignored for the sake of helping Baba. She’s curious, kind, and uneducated about the world of the living, so her interactions in the outside world were especially interesting.

There are a lot of great themes here for younger readers: stages of grief, friendship, found family, and more. If you are looking for a kid-friendly version of the tale of Baba Yaga or just need a well-written fantasy novel, you can’t go wrong with this one!

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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