A man seeking redemption that he doesn’t deserve. Monsters that would be justified in taking their pound of flesh. An unlikely trio bound by pain and blood. What’s not to love?!
The Baba Jaga lured me here but I stayed for the curse, the longing and the body horror. Fear has never smelled so sweet.
This story works perfectly as a novella. I loved the story so much, though, that I want more. I loved all of the characters but I want to follow Dymitr for an entire series.
The less you know about this one going in the better. The blurb probably even gives away too much.
I devoured this in one sitting and it might have only been a couple of weeks since I read it but I am so ready to dive back in again.
“I know what haunts you.”
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this novella.
Once Upon a Blurb
We bear the sword, and we bear the pain of the sword.
Pain is Dymitr’s calling. His family is one in a long line of hunters who sacrifice their souls to slay monsters. Now he’s tasked with a deadly mission: find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To reach her, Dymitr must ally with the ones he’s sworn to kill.
Pain is Ala’s inheritance. A fear-eating zmora with little left to lose, Ala awaits death from the curse she carries. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree.
Together they must fight against time and the wrath of the Chicago underworld. But Dymitr’s secrets — and his true motives — may be the thing that actually destroys them.
Schizanthus Nerd 