Firebird

I loved the setting and a lot of the story, but ultimately the frequent references to the the heroine and other female characters as teens were too disturbing in the context of the sex scenes with a male character whose age was never given but who was clearly an adult, ruining my enjoyment of the other elements of this book. ( )

I'd picked this up to try another fantasy writer, particularly one from Tor Publishing. There were things I liked a great deal about the book, such as the setting -- Markovy lies just beyond the Iron Wood, east of Europe. And has werewolves and other baddies. This meant that there was some grounding in our world (Sir Roye de Roye is from France, and has the knack of always choosing the losing side) and there were references to other European countries that I know and have visited in my own once-upon-a-time.

Aria and Sir Roye are on a quest to return the firebird's stolen egg.... etc, etc. I found that though there were charming scenes and moments, I was just a little weirded out by the continual reference of Aria (and other girls) as teenagers, sexually involved with adult men and women. It colored my view of the story. Lolita of the fantasy world, I guess. (Not that the scenes were out of place for the story or "time period" -- just my own discomfort thinking of Aria the age of my granddaughters, romping around with some adult.)

I did like the Russian/Ukrainian fairy tale aspects. The Bone Witch had a strong Baba Yaga vibe. ( )