Such a wonderful winter fairytale with just the right balance of darkness and hope. It’s a Snow Queen retelling that starts off really close to the source material, though it does dig deeper into certain plot points and implications behind them, as well as generally fleshes out the characters. Then, gradually, more and more light twists are added to the narrative, turning it into its own fairytale-inspired story. Still a retelling, of course, but with its own unique flavor.

I really liked the interpretation of Gerta here, with her combination of naiveté and determination and the quiet strength she hones throughout her journey. Her relationship with Janna, the robber girl, was engrossing enough, though I think I expected just a bit more sharpness and bite from Janna. The titular animals were my absolute favorites, Mousebones the raven especially, and this version of Kai is someone I really, vindictively liked hating.

There’s a lot of northern folklore here lovingly woven around the fairy tale tropes, Finnish/Sámi for the most part, and it made the story especially enjoyable to me. I also, as usual, had great fun with Kingfisher’s dialogue and her charming wit. Every book of hers I read reminds me why she’s among my favorite authors.