Claimed for Makarov's Baby by Sharon Kendrick

Claimed for Makarov's Baby/Christmas at the Castello by Sharon Kendrick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wow, this is one of the rare HP books where I felt like the hero was really slimy. I am judging, but it's how I felt. I mean, this dude was pretty sleazy the way he was living his life. While playboy heroes are part and parcel of HP books, he takes it to the next level. I'm not a big fan of keeping paternity from a father without a very good reason, but in this case, I supported Erin's decision 100%. The way she sees him the last time before she walks out out of his life, when she comes to tell him about the baby, eww! It was perhaps fair that she did question whether her decision was to some extent based on her feelings of being rejected by Makarov. I felt for her that she fell in love with him. I'm not sure there was much to love about him. At the end of the book, I think he had realized that a wife and a child was the life he wanted, but his treatment of Erin through the book wasn't what I desire/expect/appreciate in a hero. He never earns my respect. It's sad, because I do love my Russian heroes, but this guy doesn't make my list by a long shot. I liked Erin. I wish she didn't become such a walking bag of hormones for him though. I did like the tidbits about Russian culture that add a lot of depth to the story. I had just found out about dachas just prior to reading this book, and it shows up here as well. Three stars is a tough rating, but hero fails my Litmus test, so there you have it.

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The Dream Stealer by Gregory Maguire

The Dream Stealer by Gregory Maguire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This short novel reads like a fable, ripe with Russian culture and built on the foundation of well-known and more obscure Russian folklore. Two children in a small village in Russia called Miersk face the knowledge that the Blood Prince, a huge, demonic wolf, is coming their way and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

Underneath all the fable elements, there is a strong theme of the alienation of childhood from adulthood. Children are rarely heeded, listened to, or taken seriously. Through a benign sort of emotional neglect, adults leave children to build their own worlds and societies among themselves to fill an emotional void. I'm speaking in generalities. There are plenty of wonderful parents who are intimately involved in their children's lives. There are also parents who mean well, but are weighted under by the cares of life. You can see that dynamic in this book. Pasha's father is in the shadow of his own father, a dominant and opinionated man who dismisses Pasha's concerns as being ridiculous. Other than when he is needed for chores, it appears as though Pasha is left to his own devices. Whereas Lisette's father has been soured by the loss of his beloved wife and therefore neglects his daughter and his infant son when he's not raging and yelling at Lisette. Pasha and Lisette form a friendship of necessity that becomes true as they muster their courage to save their village from the Blood Prince.

I admit I rushed through reading this because I had to return it back to the library that day. I feel that I had taken my time, I would have been better able to bask in the richness of Russian culture on display. Russian culture is my thing. I have an absurd attraction to it and the language. Some might argue that mistakes were made, but I felt it was well done. There are some very lovely and magical moments that would make for a striking animated film that I hope will be made some day. Baba Yaga plays a prominent role and while she's generally regarded as a villain, she's a huge help to the people of the village, perhaps for her own reasons.

I think I would have given this a higher rating if it had been a little deeper and richer. I am probably asking too much, since this is a children's book. For what there was, it was a lovely little fable.

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Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


I was excited to read Shadow and Bone because the story seemed to have some Russian elements, and I love just about anything Russian. While the story does not take place in Russia, but in a fictional world, it does have prominent Russian cultural elements, which I enjoyed. The folklore seems to be a distinctive one envisioned by the author, and not recognizable as Russian in my inexpert opinion.

At first, it took a while for this book to engage my interest. I was a bit bored initially. I had to get a feel for the vernacular and the world, and not much seemed to be happening. I wasn’t sure I felt the connection between Alina and Mal. I understood they grew up together, but I didn’t understand why Alina was so fixated on him and Mal didn’t seem to feel the same way.

While I appreciated the world-building and the concept of the Grisha, I think that it needed more texture. I felt like the narrative scratched the surface and was rather vague. It also took a while to get invested in Alina’s character. I liked the concept of her power and how suppressing it had affected her body detrimentally. I loved seeing her gain a sense of confidence and for her self-esteem to grow. I appreciated The Darkling’s character. I was always waiting for him to show up. Sadly he was more developed in some ways than Mal was. I found the resolution with him predictable. I would have liked to see it go in a different direction. Maybe he didn’t have to live up to everyone’s bad opinions of him. As for Mal, even at the end, I can’t say I grew to like him that much. I wanted to like him because Alina loves him so much. I just didn’t. I liked Alina’s character, but I wanted to feel for her more and know her on a deeper level.

At first I was going to give this four stars, because I liked the Russian elements so much and it’s an interesting idea, but I realized the execution wasn’t quite as good, and I had to adjust my rating accordingly. I feel that the writing needed to do a better job of drawing me in and conveying intensity and I think the descriptions of the places, specifically the concept of the Fold, could have been more fleshed out. With this kind of idea and subject, this story really could have had more impact than it did. In the end, it was a diverting, interesting read, but it didn’t set me on fire or get to my heart like I would have liked. If my library gets the rest of the series, I will definitely check it out, because I’d like to follow Alina’s story.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.

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