Dark Woods, Deep Water Paperback – September 18, 2023

Masterful storytelling. Supreme world building and character building. The story raises so many questions, I hope we get more books to answer them by this talented author.

The central plot is to get all the characters to a cursed castle in an eerie forest. The way people were perpetually lost in the forest was creepy and I liked the way people were toyed with mentally while they were in the castle. The drawback for me was how some of the characters reached the castle and some of what they did once they arrived. I realize that some bad decisions needed to be made for plot purposes, but some of the character's choices made me cringe. It seemed like there were two kinds of people in the book, some who were survivors capable of adapting to their situation, and others who were helpless and dependent on others to rescue them. The strong characters kept me interested because they overcame a lot of turmoil and I found myself rooting for them even when they were in peril.

Easily one of my absolute favorite 5-star reads of 2023, and there weren't many. Dunato's imagination and skill put forth in this story had me fascinated from the get go. I have been looking for some tasteful and original gothic fused with fairytale elements for some time and so glad I got my hands on this! There was something so sobering and angsty about it, had me on the edge of my seat. Ancient historical fiction seems like a really tall order, but the author did such an amazing job and I look forward to reading more from her.

Honestly, I don't think the summary does the book justice. It's not as focused on the dark night in the castle as it sounds. Instead, that is the culmination of some interesting characters' journeys, and it is told from three points of view.All of the characters are interesting and will draw you in to their individual story. That is one issue I have with multiple points of view, if I don't care equally about some of the characters and want to skip those chapters. But I did care about all of the ones in this book.The only issue I had with the book was that I didn't immediately realize it went back and forth in time, so it is important to read the chapter headings regarding the year. I ignored those titles at first, so was slightly lost for a bit until I figured it out.The writer is talented and has lovely descriptions. I always could visualize the scenes and imagine the world. There some dark aspects, but not to the point where everything felt hopeless and meaningless. The story had enough horror to satisfy, but with brighter moments for the main characters.

I loved this dark fairytale told from 3 perspectives! the plot was laid out so well and the characters all were so rounded, almost breathing on the page. I got lots of chills and the gothic elements were very creepy (in a good way). a wonderful Slavic dark fairytale fantasy

NETGALLEY ARC (released September 2023)This was a quick read and a very enjoyable one. I was immediately interested in the characters although I could predict most everything that happened.I thought the ending was rushed and didn’t do justice to how the characters had been fleshed out at the beginning of the book.I will try more titles by the author.FAVORITE QUOTE: “Even the happiest of endings are unhappy for someone.”

Adventure, intrigue, the supernatural—there’s a lot to like here. The narrative weaves the stories of three likable characters that I came to care about. Eventually, their roads come together in a haunting landscape on the edge of myth and legend.

I ate this one in two bites. Swallowed the first half in one sitting, before any of the characters had made it to the castle yet, then I took a week off to deal with real life. The second half was devoured over two evenings, a little more slowly than the first, and I digested it for two more days.Multi point-of-view (POV) books contain layers that may take more time to fully understand. I enjoyed leaning into each character's voice and motivations, learning about the world's history and mythology along the way. This is not a light, fluffy tale. As in life, not all endings are happy.

I did really enjoy this book, and it is hard to find books or stories like it. I originally bought the ebook, read it, and then bought a paperback copy to put out for others to read. Would probably have give n 4 1/2 stars, which is still an A+, but the fact that the author was writing in a second language makes it a breathtaking accomplishment.