A world of magic is only a whisper away…

Born in a Soviet prison camp, Lina has never seen the world outside until the night she escapes with her best friend, Bogdan. As the pair journey across a snowy wilderness, they are pursued by a vengeful sorceress and her pack of shadow wolves. The children will need every ounce of courage – and a whisper of magic – if they are to survive…

Paperback | 384

Publisher: Walker Books (7th November 2019)

Well, first off, I started reading without checking the blurb and completely forgot what children’s book I was reading! (I’m clearly an idiot.) Once I’d reacquainted myself with the blurb and understood the premise of the book, it was a quick read from the first to the tenth chapter. The story is one that combines history, fantasy, magic and adventure that makes for a very compelling read.

This was really easy to read. It took me just under 3 hours to read and I was fully transported into the story while reading.

Lina was just an interesting character to read about because of her limited world view. Everything she discovered and encountered along her journey brought awe and excitement to her face. I can’t imagine growing up inside a prison camp but to have a character full of so much hope was inspiring to read about. The flow of adventure and magic weaved expertly around the more difficult aspects of the story. Lina was already a strong character at the beginning of the book but over the course of the story, she grew in unexpected ways and blossomed into a character who had worked well with her surroundings and moved onto the new chapter of her life.

It was easy to visualise this story as it progressed. Most of the scenery was white, as the snow fell pretty hard. It was easy to pick out distinguished features in and around the characters to be able to visualise what was happening in the story.

As an adult, this was one book that I knew relatively quickly what was happening and who would turn out to be Lina’s family. However, my knowledge of this didn’t diminish my enjoyment of reading. I got this in December, but didn’t get a chance to read it then. I’d almost forgotten about it but after reading two crime books, I needed a break into something a little easier to read. This hit the nail on the head and made me think about a point in history that I hadn’t thought about much at all. I know the story is more about Lina’s adventure outside of the prison camp, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to learn more about Russia’s past.

This story captivated my attention for the required time it took to read but it also after as I recollected what had happened as I read. It’s a very gloomy day and I am off sick and this book was excellent in redirecting my thoughts and taking me away from reality for a while. I really enjoyed the story, it spoke to me in a way that I was expecting but in a way that made me stop and listen for a moment to take in what was happening. I’m glad that the ending was good for all the characters as I had worried about what turn it would eventually take.