I am still not sure why it took me so long to read and finish this book. Apart from its absolutely beautiful cover that indicates that indeed, there is a Baba Yaga retelling inside, the story itself is very well told and considering that not only the historical world of a 1920 Pennsylvania small industrialised town has got to be built, but also the whole world of Old Rus has to be introduced I found the author has done a really good job. I loved how she wove the magic in with elements of magical realism and made the transition from one world to the other so easy. And then there is Vasilisa. I loved her as a character and the development she went through in this book from lonely Russian immigration girl to a young woman who knows what she wants and finds ways to claim her heart's desire. I have a read a couple of Baba Yaga retellings, but only this one introduced me to the wider world of Russian myths and legends, and I found the countryside all of a sudden quite populated with more and more interesting and intriguing characters that I would love to read more about. Vasilisa is at the same time a retelling with Baba Yaga, a reflection on human relationships and a story about growing up and finding out and claiming what works for you. I loved it.