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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
War violence in the WWII sections; violence in Koschei's realm throughout
Language
Some
Adult language in Valente's literary register
Sexual Content
A lot
Explicit sexual content between Marya and Koschei throughout
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological weight of loving something deathless in a world that kills everything around you is the novel's sustained and beautiful tragedy
What this book is about
Catherynne M. Valente's novel weaves Russian folklore and Soviet history as Marya Morevna is claimed as a wife by Koschei the Deathless and pulled into his violent, beautiful, deathless world while the Russian Revolution and World War II reshape the world she left behind. Valente's prose is lushly literary; the sexual content between Marya and the deathless man is explicit; the war sections are harrowing. One of the finest fantasy novels of the 2010s.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Explicit sexual content throughout
Harrowing WWII sections
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