I had a hard time with this book. It was slow but I laughed SO much! The humour was glorious. Witty banter? Bring – it – oooon. It was all Baba Yaga. She was downright snippy and sarcastic.

I appreciated the story! The setting! The gloriousness of Russian folklore and magic, faberge eggs, and tsars. But the writing felt really thick. It waffled off on tangents I didn’t care about. And it took a long time in setting up the story, which, actually wasn’t really unique. It had a Prince-And-the-Pauper vibe. Rich girl and peasant accidentally swap places? I have totally read this a million times. That kind of disappoints me. From such a famous author as Gregory Maguire, I expected a LOT of greatness. I got a rather tired and used story.

I’m so glad I read this amazing book, but at the same time I’m glad it’s finished. A book usually takes me 24 hours to consume. I was reading this one for 4 days before I reached the end. That definitely says something. STILL. I would recommend it in a heartbeat. Original. Fabulous. And hilarious. Seriously, in the light of humour that makes you snort, all sins can be forgiven, right?!