If you were a witch who possessed magic, what would your affinity be? What kinds of spells would you cast? However, Yaga soons find out that the tsarina's enemy is a formidable one, has deep knowledge of the supernatural and it's about more than Yaga's childhood friend.

Regular people are used to be afraid of anything unusual and different. But different doesn’t mean something horrifying, vicious, scary when you learn to be open minded. How do you know for sure America won the Cold War? When you have a Russian author living in Chicago depict their quintessential witch running through a blizzard with snowflakes the size of fists forgetting that, unless you're Legolas, you'll sink in real fast instead of daintily sprinting across fresh snow.An utterly enchanting, wholly immersive debut that deftly reimagines the legend of Baba Yaga. This one is unmissable” - Alexis Henderson, author of THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING The Witch and the Tsar delivers high stakes, memorable characters, and a sixteenth-century Russia you can almost reach out and touch. Yaga’s tale is a story I never knew I needed.” A delicate weaving of myth and history, The Witch and the Tsar breathes new life into stories you think you know.”–Hannah Whitten , New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf Gilmore is hard at work on her next novel, with a draft due to her editor in September. This one will be a gothic, set in the 1920s, after the revolution. Two sisters confront their past in their old ancestral house in Moscow. Pub date TBD. The Witch and the Tsar delivers high stakes, memorable characters, and a sixteenth-century Russia you can almost reach out and touch. Yaga’s tale is a story I never knew I needed” - Genevieve Gornichec, author of THE WITCH'S HEART

Hold still, Little Hen,” I said and swept on. But I kept a close eye on the wood beyond the skulls. But there’s far more to it. When reading the author’s note, you learn of what inspired the author and what she hoped to achieve. I think she did. This is one of those books that will only grow richer with rereading.

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This is a feminist retelling of Yaga, deconstructing the conventional stories around the figure and exposing the ostracised wise woman behind them.Gilmore sets out to do for Baba Yaga what Miller did for Circe, Saint for Ariadne, North for Penelope…and achieves it beautifully…[A] rich and heady blend of historical fiction and mythological retelling.”– The Fantasy Hive As she travels to Moscow, Yaga witnesses a sixteenth century Russia on the brink of chaos. Tsar Ivan—soon to become Ivan the Terrible—grows more volatile and tyrannical by the day, and Yaga believes the tsaritsa is being poisoned by an unknown enemy. But what Yaga cannot know is that Ivan is being manipulated by powers far older and more fearsome than anyone can imagine. It's a universal truth that if anyone knows all about snow besides Alaskans, Scandinavians, Inuit, Canadians, my friend from Minnesota, and polar bears, it's the Russians. It’s extra frustrating because it would have taken so little effort to separate this story from any connection with Baba Yaga. Gilmore’s Yaga just needs a different name and a different house, and this could have been the exact same novel without turning an epically monstrous and powerful witch into a milquetoast.

I’m pretty sure 16th-century Russians were not that cavalier about wolves. Because, you know. Wolves. Your portrayal of Tsar Ivan as he becomes increasingly volatile on his path to becoming Ivan the Terrible – how important was it to you to hold up a mirror to current events through a historical figure? Welcome to the Hive Olesya, and congratulations on the release of your debut novel! How does it feel to know your book is out there on shelves? Case in point: one of Yaga’s companions, Dyen, is an immortal wolf who can speak to her telepathically. When Yaga goes to Moscow, Dyen accompanies her. Yaga then wonders why people are staring at her when she’s done her best to fit in – despite the massive wolf walking next to her. A wolf which is allowed into the royal palace without protest. A wolf which, once Yaga’s audience with the king is over, runs off into the palace alone and everyone is fine with that.Ivan Bilibin, Baba Yaga, illustration in 1911 from “The tale of the three tsar’s wonders and of Ivashka, the priest’s son” (A. S. Roslavlev) This Yaga (don't call her BABA Yaga, as she finds it offensive to be called "grandmother" despite being hundreds of years old) is different though. Still youthful, she does have powers and a connection to deities and sprites, but she also still has ties to the human world. Such as tsarina Anastasia who shows up one day because she's in danger. Turns out, someone is trying to poison her. I loved the author’s creative perspective and her talent to mash up folklore, mythology with true Russian historical facts. It’s a marvelous, heartfelt, exhilarating journey you should not miss!

An utterly enchanting, wholly immersive debut that deftly reimagines the legend of Baba Yaga. This one is unmissable.”—Alexis Henderson, Author of The Year of the Witching The view of reality Gilmore presents is informed by her childhood exposure to Russian mythology. She was born in Moscow and spent her early years there. Fairy tales from childhood figure large, particularly stories set in Old Russia. (Gilmore would have included even more, but maybe in some future work.) Setting her tale in medieval times felt right, which led to focusing on Ivan as THE medieval tsar. It helped that he made an ideal villain, given his location in history, his interest in the occult, and his apparently mass murderous sociopathy. What makes a guy go there? In The Witch and the Tsar, Baba Yaga is transformed by the magic of Olesya Salnikova Gilmore’s prose from a shadowy figure into a breathing woman with a beating heart… A powerful and moving debut.” I don't think this is just a casual mistake, because there's instances in the rest of the book where the author seems to assume Westerners might be too dumb or lazy to do the legwork and understand things on our own without being force-fed everything. Examples that come to mind are when she has a character explaining what "Oprichnina" and "Oprichniki" are (Ivan the Terrible's personal kingdom and army) in a way that is basically a Russian explaining to another Russian what their own language means, about as sensical as me explaining to another English speaker that "applesauce" comes from a compound of apple and sauce and that apple is a fruit and sauce something you put on food. And whenever one of the characters says something in Russian, the author immediately "translates" it right in the next line, the result being that Russian characters that supposedly speak only their native tongue do, in fact, talk in two: theirs and "translated" English. As a polyglot myself, I hate this trope, it's so unnatural, so fake, and dumbs it down to give the impression you don't trust your readers to know or look it up. Translation should be kept to the glossary, not clutter the writing a la "dorogaya, my dear." I always feel talked down to whenever I see this. Russia’s fascinating myths and violent history swirl like ingredients in a magic potion in The Witch and the Tsar, with enchanting results. A vivid, immersive dream of a story.”A perfect blend of fantasy and historical fiction, THE WITCH AND THE TSAR magnificently paints an old Russia full of vengeful gods, court intrigue, and high adventure. In the centre of it all is the half-goddess Yaga, isolated and proud, whose compassion for humanity drives her into a war with Ivan the Terrible and the mythical beings who use him for their own ends. Immersive and beautifully written, Yaga’s story reminds us that gods - like humans - can choose their own fates” - Anika Scott, author of THE SOVIET SISTERS Expertly drawing from Russian history and mythology, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore transforms Baba Yaga into a complex heroine, whose quest to save her country sparkles with folk magic and supernatural intrigue. A powerful, original story.” The characterization was a mixed bag. Yaga didn’t seem to have the power, knowledge, and decision-making capability she should have had after living for centuries. Tsar Ivan the Terrible was well-done and brought chills to this reader. The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore is a fantasy storyline. This is set in 16 th century Russia, with the legendary Yaga (not the evil witch Baba Yaga), who is a half-goddess and half-mortal, and the main character throughout the story. We meet Yaga, as she lives in the forest, and helps heal others with spells and potions; she is immortal, having lived hundreds of years, and always remaining young and beautiful. Many years ago, she was friends with Anastasia, until she left Russia, due to how mortals perceived her as evil and cruel. Yaga is content to live in her solitude (only those in dire need of her help as a healer), with her wonderful faithful animal companions, Noch (her owl), Dyen (her wolf) and Little Hen (izbushka). This is a feminist retelling of Yaga, deconstructing the conventional stories around the figure and exposing the ostracised wise woman behind them. Gilmore sets out to do for Baba Yaga what Miller did for Circe, Saint for Ariadne, North for Penelope…and achieves it beautifully…[A] rich and heady blend of historical fiction and mythological retelling.”