It took me longer to read this book than I had anticipated when I started it. That is mostly because it took me a while to actually like the characters and the way the plot was going - where like might be a strange word for the latter. The first half of the book felt like I was dunked into the story a bit too far in, and the characters felt very flat, making it harder to immerse myself and return to this book. I am glad I did in the end though, because once things started to pick up I realised I did start to care for these two girls trying to live their life. 3,5 stars.

This is the reimagining of an old Eastern European fairytale. This story includes a sapphic love story. The characters are interesting. The pacing was a little off

Thank you Net galley for sending me a copy of Set in stone in exchange for a honest review!



To be completely honest this book was a suprise. I did have some issues with pacing,since it felt like (tragic) events which led to major life changes took place immediately one after the other leaving no room for the reader to see the characters have a more meaningful reaction to them.


The love story however is the very heart of this book. It was developed so well especially in the end,and it felt like we witnessed such lovely moments of courting and playful bander between the MC and her love interest

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

This story is beautiful and very captivating historical fiction. This is set in medieval Moldova. Exploring two women who fall in love despite their opposing background and the challenges they will face because of society. Elina and Mira are very well developed, I was drawn into their world and helped me understand their struggles of acceptance. I love the way you feel the power in this book from their love story. I really enjoyed this and it kept me reading late into the night as I just could not put this book down.

Set in Stone by Stela Brinzeanu is a lush and captivating historical fiction novel set in medieval Moldova, exploring the story of two women who fall in love despite their opposing backgrounds and the challenges they face in a patriarchal society. Brinzeanu skillfully portrays the dangers and limitations faced by women in medieval times, and how even their desires and passions are subject to societal norms and religious beliefs.

The characters of Elina and Mira are well-developed and their relationship is beautifully written, drawing the reader into their world and making them invested in their struggles. The author has successfully created a vivid picture of medieval Moldova, filled with historical detail and cultural nuances that add depth and authenticity to the story.

Set in Stone is an engrossing tale of love, rebellion, and the fight for freedom in a world where women's strength and power were often viewed with suspicion. It is storytelling at its best, with a feminist spirit that feels relevant and necessary even today.

I'm Romanian so I thought I would have loved this book, but... I mean this was truly interesting. I've read only an LGBTQ+ story set in my country (or Moldovian Republic). I enjoyed this and yet I wasn't really invested in that insta love story. I needed more development from the romance part and from the plot too. The self-complications of their sexuality wasn't truly presented.

I received this book for free from netgalley for an honest review.

Oh my I loved this so complex and interesting

Representation: Sapphic (trans?) MCs in Moldova, Roma side characters

Set in medieval Moldova, we have two main perspectives. Elina, who is a boyar’s daughter that had a bit unconventional upbringing. As a noble, she would have been limited to typical “women’s” activities, but her mother was unusual and encouraged her to learn how to hunt, along with other typically men things. Elina is hoping to get her legal status changed to “son” because as the sole child and a woman, she won’t be able to inherit when her father passes. The other perspective is Mira, a peasant and the daughter of the village potter. She’s wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps, but knows it’ll be difficult as a woman in a deeply patriarchal society. An accident happens, and the village healer, Rozalia, saves her life. After this, Mira isn’t able to do pottery, but starts to have interest in what Rozalia does, despite the dangers of being viewed as a witch by the church. Elina and Mira meet because of a couple circumstances, but never dreamed that it would blossom into a friendship, and something deeper.

Rating: 3.5/5 I thought this retelling of a Moldovan folktale was really enjoyable. I did feel like the pacing could’ve been worked on a bit. Some places felt very slow, and others felt like it was one thing after another and the characters had no room to breathe or react to what was happening. The romance also felt very sudden, it didn’t feel like there was much build up or much of a foundation, which is odd in a medieval story. I wish there had been more development of that relationship, because it’s pretty essential for how the story goes and ends. But I did really enjoy this book overall, I learned quite a bit about Moldovan culture! I appreciated how the author was very clear on how this was a society that still viewed women as “less than” and had very particular roles for them, and roles that were only for men. BUT it still showed that there are women who won’t stand for that kind of thinking, women who rebel against it, and those who choose to live differently. This is often labeled as sapphic, which it is for the most part. There are some things that happen later on that I won’t spoil, but it makes me wonder if sapphic is perhaps not the most appropriate label. Overall, this was enjoyable but not the best thing I’ve ever read.

Stela Brinzeanu has created an incredible picture of how dangerous medieval life was for women, especially ones who are forging a different path to society’s norms. Set in Moldova, we follow two different women trying to be themselves when female strength and power was at best viewed with suspicion and at worst could be interpreted as witchcraft. Elina and Mira are from very different backgrounds, but have an instant connection with each other. If they choose to live a life together they will be standing up against their families, their society and their religion. In this patriarchal society their rebellion could put Mira in danger and Elina is trying something unheard of - changing her legal status to ‘son’ rather than daughter, so she can inherit her father’s land and property. This is a retelling of a Moldovan folk tale and is quite dark in parts, but has humour and a real feminist spirit.
I really enjoyed the sense of place and time. The author has filled it with period detail, from clothing to herbal remedies and Moldovan culture. It felt like a landscape I’d never explored before and even though the pace was slow, I didnt want to leave this world or these women. Despite the time period, this felt completely fresh and very relevant to today.

The publisher’s tagline for this debut novel caught my attention: “In medieval Moldova, two women from opposing backgrounds fall in love.” What a unique setting! The novel’s illustrated cover, with its folkloric elements, also drew me in. It suits the story well.

The timeframe is kept vague, and external political events don’t intrude at all. In her introduction, Stela Brinzeanu (a London-based writer who was born in Moldova) writes of being haunted by a troubling folktale she heard as a child and how she wanted to give a voice to silenced women. This tale does play a role in the novel, but it contains much more than a straightforward folktale retelling. No spoilers here, though.

The protagonists are Elina, a boyar’s (noble landowner) daughter, and Mira, a young peasant woman trained as a potter by her father. The pair have spotted each other at a distance at church occasionally, though their divergent social stations mean they live very different lives. Elina’s father, Boyar Constantin, hopes to change her legal status to that of a son so she can inherit his wealth and property; he also wants her to marry her unpleasant cousin. In exchange for securing her inheritance, the voivode (local warlord) wants Elina’s father to build him a church, but previous masons hired for the job said the land was cursed.

The young women first come face to face when Mira crafts a beautifully colorful jug and delivers it to Elina at her family manor. Their troubles begin shortly after that: Mira falls through the ice on her way home and is rescued by Rozalia, an old herbalist and healer who had been the maid of Elina’s late mother. Rozalia, who is feared as a witch (you can guess where this subplot is going), becomes a significant figure in both women’s lives. One overarching theme is the importance of looking past assumptions and stereotypes, not just about Rozalia but women in general, including Elina’s mother – who had her own secrets.

All is related through the author’s smooth, fast-paced style. For a novel about two women who fight so strenuously to be together, they fall in love instantly and have little on-the-page chemistry. Their individual struggles against patriarchal control feel much more visible and urgent. The trials Elina and Mira undergo are dark and brutal, providing a wide-ranging picture of how being born female at this place and time was no picnic. Strong points, though, for the author’s presentation of their culture, encompassing societal roles, healing practices, religion, food, and music and dance. The many Romanian terms usually make sense in context, plus there’s a glossary at the end. And Set in Stone does wrap up the story in a very satisfying way.

"Set in Stone" is a story inspired by an Eastern European/Balkans medieval folktale, and that should be enough to hook you in, because how many books are published that are set in Moldova? If you need another incentive, this is sapphic!
As said, it is set in medieval times, and here two motherless young women of different socio-economic backgrounds meet and fall in love despite relentless obstacles. While the story was enjoyable and easy to read, as well as providing insights on the development of women's treatment in Moldovan society, I found this story to be lacking a bit in the character development part. So if you are someone who'd prefer more of that, this is not entirely for you.
However, the writing and the setting were beautiful and it is a page-turner.

Thank you to NetGalley and Stela Brinzeanu for this ARC!

What a touching tale of two young women falling in love with each other. In this folktale, we follow the love story of Elina and Mira and all the obstacles they have to overcome to be together. When Elina, a noblewoman, finds herself recovering from an accident, visits from Mira, a peasant girl, help boost her morale and find the will to recover. It was unheard of at the time for two women to fall in love and live together. Even less two women from different social classes. While this is a love story, the book depicts the lives of women in Medieval Moldova and all the hardships that come with it. A lot of the women were inspiring as they thrived in spite of the restrictions imposed on them.

I had a lot of issues with the pacing of this book. I feel that the pacing issues stem from the different conflicts throughout the story. At times it felt like these young women would never get some rest! there was a lack of depth in the themes explored as well as repetition. I appreciated seeing how life was vastly different at the time, especially for women. the question of the elusiveness of freedom, was a very interesting topic sprinkled throughout the story. There are quite a few heavy themes explored, I would recommend checking the TWs before reading.

I would recommend this book t lovers of historical fiction, romance, and retellings.

Stunning cover. And a stunning historical work of fiction. Gripping until the last page. Unable to put down

The premise and the cover art are wonderful, but there are a lot of trigger warnings for me in this that I can't get past at this point. Maybe I'll give it another try in the future.

This was a historical novel with an interesting concept that it failed to execute properly.

Firstly, a couple of things I did like:

This was set in medieval Moldova, a place I most admit I don't know much about including its history, and haven't previously read any fiction set there, so I appreciate that it was an attempt at exploring something different. I am also intrigued to learn more about the original myth this is based on, another thing I was not aware of prior.

I liked the two main characters individually and Brinzeanu did a good job of showcasing them as people, who they were and what they wanted, and how they differed. (Elina is gentry whilst Mira is a potter's daughter.)

Unfortunately, I also had a few issues with this book that made it hard reading at times:

I found the romance a little forced - they seemed to suddenly be in love out of nowhere - and this was a part of an overall problem with the pacing.

Elena's plot takes a quite sudden dark turn near the start when (spoiler warning and also content warning for rape and incest) she is raped by her uncle. I really wish the story had come with a content warning, as I was not expecting this twist. This was also part of a wider issue where the story felt a bit like one trauma after another. And whilst I understand that life could be hard and traumatic for women in this period, I don't think it was handled particularly well in this story.

Mira wants to study with the local wise woman, Rozakau, and to do so she agrees to become her apprentice in her pagan faith.  She seems to go from being sceptical and agreeing for practical reason to suddenly sharing Rozakau's belief. She does undertake a ceremony but it's not well described enough for it to feel like it should completely overthrow her beliefs and motives.

Overall, I would definetely advise approaching with this one with caution (especially if you are affected by the content mentioned in the warning above) but it might still be of interest for someone looking for a story based on lesser known folklore.

#SetinStone #NetGalley.
Genre: Historical Fiction/LGBTQ
Publisher: Legend Press
Pub: August 4, 2022

This book takes place in the Eastern European country of Moldova during medieval times. Readers are informed in an Author Note at the beginning of the book that a Balkan folktale inspired her story. It centers on two female heroes who fall in love. They behave and dress as man and wife. Cross-dressing and living as the opposite sex has been around throughout history. What bothers me is that other characters in the novel seemed okay with this behavior. I wish she had written more about the folktale. I want to know if she took an author’s liberty of changing the sex of one of her characters. I can’t help but wonder if gay love was tolerated in medieval Moldova. Either way, I am happy to say that the author writes of the love affair in a sweet and respectful manner.

Brinzeanu shows us medieval Balkan women lived in a patriarchal world where a woman’s role is defined by religion and class. Mira and Elina are two motherless young women from opposite backgrounds. Both are expected to wed. Their fathers are in the process of finding their future husbands. In the opening chapter, “Dowry,” we meet Mira, the village potter’s peasant daughter. When Mira meets Elina from the ruling class, neither expects a friendship to form. Rozakau, the local female healer, often thought to be a witch, is the link between them. She is helping Mira recover from a horrific accident that Elina witnessed. Rozakau is the most interesting of the three women. She stays hidden in a hovel below the ground because she fears being burnt at the stake one day. Despite this, she continues growing medicinal plants because she believes this is her calling. Rozakau is written as magical and mysterious. The reader is never sure if she is who she thinks she is or an old insane woman.

The backdrop of the conflict between church and pagan beliefs that fuelled witch burnings across medieval and early modern Europe is well written and shown through Rozakau. The author gives her novel a bit of reality by incorporating some Romanian terms. There is a glossary provided at the end of the book. How then could such a compelling a storyline be anything but entertaining? Yet the novel is not not a good read. It lacks depth and repeatedly mentions the same theme of gay love. Despite this, I appreciated that women’s issues and lives were shown to be not significantly different from today, especially in this current political climate where women’s rights are under attack. The author states that she “grew up in Soviet Moldova – a land where propaganda dominated the airwaves.” It is a shame that she did not use her political life experience in her novel. She barely writes about the politics of that time. She stuck with the love story.

This book was exactly the type of book I love. Interesting female characters and Slavic folklore make up my perfect genre. Lesbians doing magic is an added bonus. I loved the descriptions of everything in the book, I could picture everything so clearly. The shocking twists and turns, the perseverance of Elina and Mira, and the developed supporting characters were all really exciting to read. I also love the deep veins of Moldovan lore running through the text. It's fitting, as Brinzeanu is Moldovan herself. This book does seem a little unpolished and not terribly complex, but it is delightful and I look forward to reading more from Stela Brinzeanu.

Note for trigger warnings: this book contains rape and incest, though they are not graphic or romanticized.

I recommend this book, especially to fans of "The Bear and The Nightingale." I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and Stela Brinzeanu.

This book was good, but that's kind of it. It was a good story, but it was a little too slow for my taste. I also struggled to really connect with characters. I believe this book is inspired by some well known folklore from Eastern Europe although I am not sure of all the details. Very easy to read. There is also some dark subject matter in this book, specifically sexual assault, so please review the content warnings as well.

I was drawn in by the promise of medieval Eastern European folklore, and I had never read a story set in Moldova. Set in Stone does not disappoint. Brinzeanu writes a captivating picture of a region rich in history and culture and folklore. It is so easy to find yourself rooting for Elina and Mira as they tackle obstacles and challenges that are eerily relevant, and while the pacing at times was a little fast, the love story at the heart is beautiful. I cannot wait to read this one again.