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Days before young Ivan's family moved out of Russia, he stumbled upon something terrifying and magical during a walk in the forest. Frightened, he ran. Years later, while visiting his childhood home, he finds himself drawn to the same clearing, only this time, he stumbles unwillingly into the midst of an unfolding drama for events that happened--are happening--hundreds of years earlier.

Readers of fairy tales and Russian mythology will appreciate how Card carefully yet effortlessly works familiar names and creatures into the story, tying the medieval world to the present day, and imbuing both with magic.

However, the tropes common to the fairy tales we're familiar with don't exactly apply here. The fair princess awakens, not to love at first sight of her hero, but to disappointment and disdain. The hero does not charge into danger out of a sense of duty, but rather falls into another world, flailing to recover his sense of self and find his way home.

Flawed and interesting characters, echoes of familiar stories, and a strong sense of the fantastical make this a book worth picking up.