Vasilisa has listened to tales of Old Rus all her life, a fantastical forest realm ruled over by the witch Baba Yaga, home to the mischievous Leshy, the deadly rusalka, and Old Koschei, butcher of hearts. But never would she have dreamed it to be real — nor imagined that she would go searching for it, accompanied only by Ivan, a mysterious orphan searching for revenge.
Vasilisa: Old Rus Tales, Book 1 by Julie Mathison, narrated by Kimberly Gifford Olbrich
Published by BooksGoSocial Audio, May 19, 2025
Genres: Fantasy | Mythological | Retelling | Historical Fiction | Young Adult
Time: 8 hours 21 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: NetGalley
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T/W: violence, bugs,
Rated: YA
★★★☆☆ | 3.5 / 5
I received this audiobook courtesy of NetGalley.
Not only is this a retelling of the Russian tale, Vasilisa and Baba Yaga, but Old Rus Tales crams a lot of Russian folklore into this first novel. Witches and ogres, rusalkas and a host of creepy crawlies (even a dragon!). There is no shortage to Slavic mythology when listening to this novel.
Having read a few different renditions of Vasilisa, this one is notably gearing towards the YA crowd as the main protagonist, Vasilisa, is 13 to 14 years old. Folklore is often gruesome or has twisted narratives, told to scare children in the times they were created. This one is no exception, drawing from various mythological creatures present in Russian tales.
The prose is poetic, but often I feel that we, the reader and listener, are told a lot of things more than shown. There are a few scenes that I wish had more depth. One notable instance is the ending of the novel.
The narrator, Kimberly Gifford Olbrich, was the perfect choice as she effortlessly switches between characters and accents. Russian dialects were spot on, as were the American ones. Her voice pulled me into the story more than I would have if I were reading this physically. I appreciated it a lot!
★★★☆☆ | 3.5 / 5
