Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek
SYNOPSIS
Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous, demon infested spirit-wood to steal a mythical fern flower. If she plucks it, she can use its one wish to banish her powers. Everyone who has sought the fern flower has fallen prey to unknown horrors, so when Liska is caught by the demon warden of the wood - called the Leszy - a bargain seems better than death: one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower’s wish.
Whisked away to the Leszy’s crumbling manor, Liska soon makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain, and all her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her host’s spool of secrets and face the ghosts - figurative and literal - of his past. Because something wakes in the woods, something deadly and without mercy. Something that frightens even the Leszy. And it cannot be defeated unless Liska ebraces the monster she’s always feared becoming.
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A standalone epic folktale that’s both gentle and vicious with all the cozy comfort and high stakes you need for a heartrending adventure.
It’s not often you find a book that is the perfect blend of cozy fantasy and folk horror. And YET, this book delivered. Based on Polish folklore and set in a deep and mysterious wood, there’s a lot to love about this book. Once the dynamic characters are introduced, you won’t be able to put this book down. Liska’s character was such a great representation of growing up and overcoming your own fears and self-loathing. The perfect coming of age story. And the Leszy was such a great anti-hero with depthless layers. The sentient house, the wood spirits, and various powers and demons that come out to play in this book will have you hooked. This is the type of high stakes book I need in my “cozy” fantasy.
Liska’s adventure to rid herself of magic sets her on a journey and a future she could have never conceived. When she stumbles into the Leszy’s domain and strikes a deal with him to get rid of her magic, she turns his 700 years of solitude and power on its head. Both have a long way to grow but they begin to discover a new world order together and learn where they truly belong. This was a story about found family, personal growth, and acceptance.
Liska was the perfect relatable YA character. Her story made this a great coming of age tale. Learning who she is out from under the thumb of her family and peers, learning who she is and how to love all the parts of her, even the ones she has so far despised. Liska’s kindness was her strength and it perfectly balanced out the Leszy’s ascerbic nature. Seeing the tide turn in fantasy books where power is not corruptive, but strengthening is something I’m loving. This book follows all of our childhood dreams of finding an abandoned house in the woods and becoming a powerful forest witch (if you say you didn’t dream this, you’re a liar). One of my favourite characters, no surprise, was the sentient house. There needs to be more stories about a temperamental house interfering in everyone’s lives and secrets. The Leszy himself was terrifying and ancient as well as young and petulant in equal measures giving him a very enigmatic personality that kept me guessing throughout what he would do next. His background was the root system of this book in the same way that his magic was the soul of the forest. Providing the space and setting for Liska to grow into herself.
The religious aspect of this book wasn’t as in-your-face as some other books that use this same theme of corruption and fear in organized religious practices. Highlighting the harm that can come from religious ideals on a person, causing that person to take drastic measures to change themselves or turn their community against them was a great reflection of our current social issues in the real world. I also loved that, although some characters are looked down on by parishioners in this book due to their magic, the magic wielders themselves still found peace and comfort in their faith. Much of that faith also being rooted in the same God as the church. This author took that division in belief and brought them together showcasing the power that could come from acceptance and community and the danger of division due to faith.
It was a beautiful read and the perfect setting for a dark fairytale. If you love folklore, mystery, horror, or romance, this book is a great choice. It was a five star read for me and I’ll definitely be reading whatever this author puts out next.