Lily Hyde

This story was inspired by the author’s love of Russian fairytales. It’s a fantastic journey into the mind of a young girl called Masha. She has some amazing adventures involving witches, Cossacks and a house on chicken legs (Baba Yaga). She has to discover the whereabouts of a magical fern on Midsummer’s eve in order to wish for her heart’s desire. Will she get her mother back? Do they all live happily ever after? You’ll have to read the book to find out. I’m glad I did because I found it to be a marvellous, quirky tale in which reality blurs with magic and is an enchanting read. However, the blurb has 9 as the recommended reading age and I disagree with that. I feel this book covers issues that are a little too dark for a young child and would be better suited to 12 year olds and upwards. If you enjoyed Life of Pi, and love dark fairytales, then this is one for you to look out for.… (meer)

I found this to be a confusing little book. I can't say I actually enjoyed it a lot and would have quite happily put it to one side. It's definitely a fairytale in that it's a folk story about real-life problems, usually with imaginary characters and magical events but it didn't seem to gel together; it felt quite disjointed. I, along with all the other reviewers, would like to have known more about Masha's mother, as after all isn't she the real-life problem that this folk story is exploring? I'm assuming so with Amnesity International being involved, unless the real-life problem are the issues concerning Uncle Igor?

I did like Masha's imaginary world, with moving trolleybuses and roaring tigers; it was a wonderful way to deal with a world full of abuse, torture and unhappiness. However it became difficult to see what was real and what wasn't - the dancing Cossacks seemed to be in her reality as well as her imagination at times. Although if this was her coping mechanism then maybe the distress she was suffering became greater and she retreated into her own world more. I feel all of this is too heavy for a novel aimed at around 9 years old. Reading it at face value the fairy tale is lovely but the references to Masha's mother and also the suffering at the hands of Uncle Igor are going to make a child ask questions that may be difficult to answer. On the other hand, it may be a relief for a child in the same situation. A confusing read overall, one I wouldn't recommend but one that will undoubtedly provoke a lot of discussion.… (meer)