Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read Where the Dark Stands Still, in exchange for an honest review. I loved it, it is a dark, spine tingling, heart beating through your chest fantasy. Liska, is badass, fearless, affected by all she goes through. This is a great read, I’d give it ten stars if I could.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
I definitely haven't expect that! I've read this book in less the 12 hours. It hooked me from the very first page. I'm from Poland, so I'm was so happy when I've read that the book is inspired by Slavic culture and mythology.
The story of Leszy and Liska is dark, mysterious and captivating. The writing is really good. I' m not sure I will be able to stop thinking about this book.
Ans the ending? It suprised and destroyed me at the same time.
WHAT A BOOK!

I adored this book! It has strong roots in the story of The Beauty & the Beast and reminded me more than once of Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones but these are excellent stories to be akin to- it's a powerful archetypal base to grow a story from. Where The Dark Stands Still uses rich world building drawn from Polish folktales. The evil spirits haunting the forest were all new to me and I loved discovering them. <Spoiler> having both of the main characters as murderers in one way or another was an unexpected twist in what was otherwise a comfortingly predictable romance- I liked this a lot! The story was exciting, the descriptions were rich and vibrant and the world building unique. Fabulous!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I haven’t cried from a book in a very long time but let me tell you, I was sobbing.

This book is full of magic and whimsy, it was dark and menacing as well as romantic and heartbreaking.
Following Liska along her journey of hating her magic and making a bargain with a being in a demonic wood had me excited to be reading this from the get-go. This book is fast-paced, gets straight into the action and hooks you in. I read this book in 2 sittings, finding it extremely hard to put down.

I loved the found family and everything else about this book. It was so enchanting learning about Polish mythology and the way it was woven into the story felt so natural!

This book broke me, it ripped my heart out and I SOBBED, and books that make me feel that way always get 5 stars. I’ll be sitting here, sobbing, waiting for the sequel to come out

I couldn’t put this book down, I read it in less than 24 hours and was immediately hooked from the first page. The dark cottagecore atmosphere was perfect and the writing was beautiful. It perfectly balanced elements of horror with cosy baking, gardening, wholesome found family moments and a sweet romance. The ending was stunning but heartbreaking and the epilogue has left me emotionally destroyed. I know I’m going to be thinking about this book a lot over the next few weeks.

This is such an immersive and addictive fantasy read, with lots of sinister monsters in the dark woods and dangerous demons to defeat. The writing truly transports you to the woods and the Leszy’s manor house and I was intrigued as more secrets were discovered by the curious and brave Liska. She isn’t put off by the cold and prickly demon trying to protect the secrets of his past and she won’t stop until she unravels the mystery of the Leszy. This a fantastic book and I loved the dark fantasy vibe and the quirky cast of characters that Liska encounters along the way. Throw in a doomed romance and it’s got everything you need to keep you hooked. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this.

I loved this book! Such a wonderful use of mythology. We follow Liska who in desperation makes a deal with an ancient being to remove her magical powers. She goes to work for him for a year but soon starts to uncover secrets in the magical house in which they live.

This was giving me Howl’s Moving Castle vibes but beautifully blended with Eastern European Mythology. It’s absolutely wonderful. I loved Liska and the Leszy. I loved the additional companions they find. The incredible woodland setting with monsters and threats, the big bad evil that they have to battle, the magic! It’s all just brilliant. I enjoyed this so much.

The atmosphere was dark and frightening but with moments of sweetness and whimsy too. The characters were charming and there was genuine malice from the threats they face. The pacing was excellent and we uncover the secrets and threats in a fulfilling and intriguing way.

I would definitely recommend this book and I’ll be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you for a chance of reading an advance copy of this e-book.

- [x] Enemy to lovers

As a Pole I was extremely excited to read this book, there are not many books that talk about Polish culture, mythology and believes. Few that are out there are relatively old and it’s nice to see a fresh eyes looking upon the stories of our ancestors.
The story is very well thought through, but with in first few chapters, it become obvious that the author is not Polish, but rather learned about Poland and its believes through stories. Some of the Polish phrases and words used in the book did not have to be spelled in Polish, it did not add to the magic feel of the story and in my opinion made the story more clunky.
It also felt as if the author had too many stories she wanted to fit in very short amount of time.
Some of the spelling of the words were not used correctly and made the sentences rather awkward to read. By the half way point of reading the book, every single time there was new Polish word introduced I could not help but roll my eyes … it was unnecessary and felt forced. Some of them felt as if the author just opened Polish dictionary on a random page and picked the word that sounded the most „exotic”…
Even though the book had few issues, it was still highly enjoyable read. I am extremely glad that more people are looking in to Slavic mythology. I also liked the fact that when Polish words were used, the correct spelling (including the special letters) was used, this is very refreshing.
I did not like the main character, she was too dull and acted in a way that made her look rather silly …
The demon on the other hand was okay. I quite liked his backstory and his personality.

What stood out to me:
The characters, the plot, and the concept.

My thoughts:
I loved this book! I don’t even know how to describe it other than it was brilliant! The world building and the plot were really well written. The story carried me through in a way that made it seem like rather than reading this story I was a bystander watching this all unfold. The writing was really really good!

Summary:
In a village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost learns to fear magic and its wielders. Her unleashed powers bring her to the demon warden, Leszy. She agrees to a year of servitude for a wish. At his manor, she finds she's not the first. To survive, she must unveil his secrets and confront the wood's mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC

Oooo the vibes! It was dark, creeping, suspense filled and the feeling of lurking dark never really leaves you. It was a slow creeper of a story that’s perfect for reading on darker days so reading this at Halloween really added to its effect!

It had a beauty and the beast feel about it. With a Belle (lizka) signing away a year of servitude in return for a promise to make the magic within her disappear. There’s a beast of sorts (a demon of myth who may not all be what he seems) and do we detect a creeping romance?

As I continued to read on, it drew me in more and more. It had a softly enchanting feel to it that has me eager to keep reading. The fox and the demon. A match made in heaven or hell! I loved it and I fell more in love as the relationship between the two continued to develop. Swoon. Perfection! And that ending!! AHHH. There’s another one right?! I’m still reeling. Will be processing that for the foreseeable. Epic!

Where The Dark Stands Still is a retelling of Slavic folklore and is written in a slow, lyrical way to make sure you don’t forget it. It felt like I was being told a tale throughout each page, adding mystery and magic to the reading experience. Learning about the different creatures and myths was incredibly enjoyable, and the story as a whole was moving.

I had difficulty when I first started reading because it felt a lot like I was outside looking in, but the further I read the easier it was to feel the characters, understand their choices and see their growth. I usually like a faster pace within the books I’m reading but the last twenty to thirty percent made up for the slow journey to get there. It was exciting and thrilling, I was nervous for both Liska and the Leszy but I loved how the tale unfolded. It was melancholy but also hopeful. If there is a sequel I will be reading it because I would love to see what happens next.

Thank you to Penguin Random House UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Where the Dark Stands Still.

*4.5 stars*

Liska is powerful, but she soon learns that unfettered power can have devastating consequences. Fleeing into the spirit wood, Liska meets the legendary Leszy, with whom she makes a bargain for a years service in return for taking away the burden of having her magic. But the longer she spends with the Leszy in his crumbling but sentient Manor House, the more secrets she uncovers and Liska must work to unravel these mysteries in order to save the spirit wood and her new found family from the Demon in the woods.

I fell in love with Liska and Leszy’s story and I am going to need a sequel so that I can find out what is next for them and the rest of the characters in this book. I am new to Slavic folklore but I found it really refreshing and I loved learning about all of the different creatures and demons as I read the story.

This is a beautiful story and I really look forward to hearing about a sequel!

This book had the perfect spooky / fall vibe. It was original with polish folkore and a Gothic atmosphere.
The writing was good with a soft romance.
I really liked it.

I’m so torn. This book was a solid five-star read… up until the end. It’s gorgeous, dark and brooding and romantic, plus it has a semi-sentient house and a sassy ghost-cat (well, a house spirit that takes the form of a cat when she wants). But then… the ending. And that’s all I’m going to say, lest there be spoilers.

Words cannot explain how much I loved reading this. Before requesting it, I saw reviews and mentions that it reminded them of Howl’s Moving Castle, and this mixed with the Polish folklore (which I had never taken interest in before reading this) was such a beautiful combination. The following are two of my favourite quotes from this:

‘Remember what you did last time? her mind whispers. If you free it, you will truly become a monster. ‘Fine’ Liska hisses, blood leaking down her arm. ‘Then let me be a monster.’’

‘’You are not a monster, Liska Radost. You are sunlight, and you breathe life into everything you touch.’’

I ended up loving Where the Dark Stands Still!
I'm a huge fan of books with Slavic folklore so going into this book I already knew I was going to love it and I did!
The plot was amazing and i couldn't put the book down.

I also really liked both Liska and Leszy and I really loved their romamce!
The writing was beautiful and really atmospheric. I can definitely see the author being a new favourite!

I really hope there will be a sequel as I definitely need more!
I really do highly recommend this book especially if you are looking for a new gothic fantasy with romance and slavic folklore.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

I am obsessed with this book…please tell me we will get more from Liska and Leszy because I am not okay and I am not ready for that to be the end…

I was thoroughly surprised by the Slavic folklore in this book (if anyone knows me, they will know that I LOVE Slavic folklore). The characters were loveable and bounced well off of each other.
My favourite character has to be Jaga closely followed by Maksio.

This book reminded me a little of For The Wolf which I also enjoyed.

I was excited to read this one as the title and the cover grabbed me and going in I discovered it was Slavic mythology so I was more interested as I've not read much of it before but I was not disappointed.

I loved the plot of this book, I was hooked and absolutely flew through this one. I was intriged as to where it would go next and I adore the characters of this book especially Jaga our spirit cat!

Definitely recommend this book and looking forwards to seeing other books from this author!

If you’re a fan of Adalyn Grace, Ava Reid, Allison Saft, and Margaret Rogerson, you are going to love Where The Dark Stands Still.

Prepare to be spellbound! This debut is such a beautifully crafted gothic romantic fantasy, and it’s one I’ll be remembering for a long time. A.B. Poranek is such a gifted writer, and I knew this would be a new favorite as soon as I read the first line.

Gothic fantasies are always my favorite so it’s honestly no surprise why I love this book so much. It delivers all the spooky vibes perfect for fall (but it comes out in February 🥲) I loved that this book was based on Polish folklore, as I’ve never really read something like this before.

🌱 polish folklore
🌱 gothic atmosphere
🌱 romantic fantasy
🌱 soft fmc
🌱 haunted forest
🌱 witches
🌱 beautiful writing & world

Steeped in Slavic folklore and rich with descriptive prose, this debut novel was a decent read with interesting characters - a tired 700 year old demon boy trying to protect the bordering countries and a tenacious fledgling witch.

Whilst I did enjoy this book, I found the writing to be a bit fragmented and didn’t flow great.

I also couldn’t see much chemistry between the main characters, and didn’t really see the enemies to lovers element, this was more dislike to lovers.

The ending was very bittersweet, overall 3.5 stars.