The Bear and the Nightingale

Beautiful, atmospheric, and somewhat nostalgic. There's just something magical about this story, with its spirits in the woods and old gods that protect people's homes. It may feel rather slow in comparison to most YA books these days, but that's exactly what makes it good. You can take your time getting familiar with the countryside of medieval Russia and the protagonist, Vasya, who is fierce and rebellious but is never rude. Even when she wants to make her own decisions, something that is uncommon for a woman at the time, it is easy to understand why she feels that way instead of having it shoved in our faces in a nonsensical way.

It was amazing. It even has a little bit of schadenfreude towards the end. I love it.

Oh, and for those who are curious. The romance is thin. Like I'm sure it will develop further in the next books, but in this one, it's barely there.