Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

I have to applaud Olesya Gilmore for choosing a setting that many historical fiction writers tend to avoid. Then to successfully create a story of generational trauma centered around an upper-class Russian family in a way that is historically believable is a rare feat! The black rot and dust lift off the page, reflecting irrecoverable loss and a bygone era. Like the Revolution, the haunting is the result of a man's foolish pride that allowed anguish and pain to fester. For Irina and Lili, show more they must cling to the memories and fight for what the House represents; not wealth or status, but family. They come to realize that sisterhood is the strongest magic there is, but is it too late?

My only issue is with the pacing at times. I was so enraptured by the unique folklore and the terrifying spirits that the ARA party, the romance, etc cut the tension like a knife. I wanted to frantically remind both Irina and Lili about their imprisoned Aunt Marie, the children, and the constant threats from all sides. Once they're settled into the plot though, progressive Will and loyal Nicky prove themselves to be supportive and genuine. I was glad the ladies at least got the peace they deserved, but the ending is far beyond what you'd ever expect! show less

As a fan of haunted house stories and a student of folklore, I was immediately drawn to Olesya Salnikova Gilmore’s latest painstakingly researched novel, set in a rambling mansion in post-revolution Moscow. It didn’t take long to realize that this book had a lot of potential. Not only was it the type of paranormal mystery that I love, full of family secrets and gruesome murders, it also served as a decent imitation of classic Russian literature, full of Pasternak’s doomed dalliances show more and Gogol’s deliciously haunted domiciles.

With all that going for it, Gilmore should have been able to easily hit it out of the park. Unfortunately, Moscow House suffers from another commonly found element of Russian literature. Too much information. It’s longer than it needs to be and tends to include story lines that distract the readers from the main story. While the inclusion of American aid workers was historically interesting, it didn’t seem to further the haunting story line and seemed extraneous along with the flirtations of the countesses Irina and Lili.

All in all though, it is an entertaining story that readers will likely enjoy if the subject matter interests them.

The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire. show less

I'm not typically big on ghost stories, but this novel blends realistic history with Russian folkfore deftly enough to intrigue me. In the years that followed the Russian Revolution, the former nobility have lost nearly everything and this novel is about one family clinging to their crumbling home, even as all the family members are struggling with a range of traumas. Unfortunately, Soviet officers and dead bodies arrive at the same time, casting even more suspicion the surviving family show more members. An unusual novel, but one with a unique setting and a satisfying ending. show less

I guess when I first heard about this book I didn't fully read the summary or something because what I read wasn't what I was expecting.

I thought this was going to be an origin story of Baba Yaga and how she became the ferocious, old hag who kidnaps and eats children. Or at least something similar to this cause eating children is wrong. Instead, the book was a reimagining of a woman who is half-mortal, half-goddess who is basically a medicine woman. While a fascinating story, again it wasn't show more what I was expecting nor a story of the real Baba Yaga.

The story itself was interesting. It starts with Anastasia begging for Yaga's help, and Yaga goes against her rule of not interacting with mortals to help save Anastasia from poison. The whole poisoning of Anastasia and Yaga being in Moscow is the first act and that really sets up everything for the rest of the story. This was probably the strongest part of the book. I really loved getting to see Yaga taking care of Anastasia and trying to solve the mystery of who's poisoning her, while also trying to stay off of Ivan's radar.

Part 2 was Yaga learning rituals from another woman and fighting against Ivan's reign. This went really in-depth history wise. There wasn't necessary filler in this part more it felt too much like a nonfiction history book then a fantasy, historical fiction novel. It became really complicated with all the side characters and the nicknames of each side character, I'd have really loved a chart at the beginning with their names and nicknames.

The last part of the book was the end game, the real fight between Yaga and Selica. I'm a bit annoyed that much of Ivan's and the other men's actions came down to Selica using her dust magic stuff to influence them. I don't like that the agency was taken away and that Ivan's actions were a bit swept under the rug. I mean there is explanation that no one really feels sorry for him, but Ivan's actions were still his own.

By the end, I was rooting more for Selica than Yaga. Selica's story was so heartbreaking and her attacking back made a lot of sense. I support women's right and wrongs!

If you're looking for a fantasy novel that is detailed in Russia's history, then I'd definitely pick this one up. show less