Loved it!!! One of the most unique and whimsical books I've ever read. Beautifully crafted, gripping and pulling at your heart strings, definitely unforgettable. It's one of those books you never forget and find yourself thinking about it all the time as you're reading it. This one will stay with me for long and I'm planning to get my own copy. Here the dark folk tales interwoven with history, magic with realism, life with death, innocence with a darker side of human nature, coziness and warmth with harsh survival. There is also a beautiful setting for the novel :wild woods on the border of Belarus and Poland - As a Polish person, I felt linked with this book on many levels - culturally, linguistically, geographically, historically. The description of winter in Belarus is so literally chilling. You have got to read this book :)