This has the vibes of Gaiman's American Gods (maybe even Ocean at the End of the Lane) and Howl's Moving Castle. The writing is similar to Gaiman's and Erin Morgenstern's. Whimsical, magical book. Thistlefoot has soft-worldbuilding, akin to a Studio Ghibli movie. We get thrust into a magical world, where houses can grow legs or wings, and our main characters, Yaga siblings, have magical abilities. The magic is explained but not in a typical way that some fantasy novels are written. The mechanics of the magic system  unravel through the storytelling of Thistlefoot the house. The story is heavily inspired by Russians folklore and history. We learn about Baba Yaga's lifestory, which offers an answer to the most important question: Why did the house grow chicken legs?
Thistlefoot is a story about stories; about the importance of knowing history - bearing witness to the happenings of years old events that left scars. More importantly, it accentuates the remembrance of the lives of people around us. The lives of every single person is worth remembering and retelling. We were here, we mattered.
The slower pacing allows us to carefully follow the siblings' journey to self-acceptance. Their personal growth paralells the strenghtening of their bond. In the beginning, they had been separated for 6 years but were once again brought together by the arrival of Thistlefoot. From then on, they were faced with the challenge of adapting to each others' personalities and living in dynamic harmony.
Overall, I enjoyed my time spent with Isaac and Bellatine Yaga. With every new chapter of the book I became more invested in the story. It is a low stakes type of book but the focus should be more on the message the book is sending. I am happy that this year's reading journey started strongly.