Review by Booklist Review
Olia is no princess, but she lives in Castle Mila with her baby sister, grandmother, and parents, who are the castle's caretakers. After a fierce storm breaks part of the castle's main dome, Olia embarks on a magical journey with the house's guardian spirit into another realm to try and save the structure. The realm is full of spirits and creatures beyond her imagination, and, to her dismay, she learns that it, too, is in danger of destruction. Anderson describes the fantasy world beautifully, with engaging prose that guides readers through. She blends Slavic folktales and cultures beautifully as Olia explores her castle's secrets, meets new denizens, and acquires magical objects on her quest to save everyone. Bighearted Olia is easy to cheer on and always tries to find ways to resolve all the problems and conflicts she encounters. Unfamiliar names for foods, spirits, and creatures will likely lead readers to search for more stories that inspired this fantastical world within Castle Mila. A story encouraging readers to believe in magic all around us.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Even though a revolution a century earlier ended with a "fallen throne," 13-year-old Olia's formerly royal family, which reads as white, has continued to dwell in Castle Mila leading up to its 500th birthday. While her carpenter parents maintain the ancient structure, which is built entirely of wood and boasts 13 domes, narrator Olia, an artist, delights in discovering its secrets and seeking her way into the domes, which her Babusya insists "are filled with magic that has been locked away from the world." When a terrible storm threatens the building, Olia and her new companion, a foxlike domovoi named Feliks, must travel to the Land of Forbidden Magic--a realm locked away following a rivalry between a wizard and one of Olia's ancestors. But as the magic seeks to break through castle and realm, both are in danger of being destroyed forever. To save her home and prevent a catastrophe, Olia must join with several nature spirits to fight the wizard. Again drawing on Slavic myth, Anderson (The Girl Who Speaks Bear) writes an intimately cadenced adventure, rendering the magically charged setting a character of its own while emphasizing themes of perspective, family legacy, and following one's gut. Ages 8--12. Agent: Gemma Cooper, Bent Agency. (Mar.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A girl journeys to save her family and her home. Thirteen-year-old Olia loves her family's ramble-shamble wooden castle. She loves that they have called Castle Mila home for the past 500 years, from her royal ancestors to the present day in which her parents are carpenters. And she loves that she and her family--Papa, Mama, baby sister, and Babusya--care for it now. When an unexpected storm threatens Castle Mila, Babusya reveals that magic is attempting to break free from the castle's domes and that only Olia can prevent further damage. Aided by the castle's domovoi, a foxlike spirit named Feliks, Olia has less than one day to journey through the Land of Forbidden Magic, cut off the beard of an evil wizard, and restore the balance of magic. Along the way she meets myriad magical creatures from Slavic lore and learns that nothing--from her own abilities to the Land of Forgotten Magic to her family's legacy--is what it seemed. Although in keeping with the narrative's fairy-tale influences, largely unanswered worldbuilding questions--for example, why is Olia the only one who can save Castle Mila?--may leave readers feeling that key aspects of the plot are underdeveloped and contrived. The dialogue sometimes feels self-conscious, but Olia's first-person narration is earnest, and readers will root for her. The human cast reads as default White. A Slavic-inspired fantasy that may appeal to fans of fairy tales. (glossary) (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
