Julia
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2024 I'm lucky enough to read Russian and I so enjoyed this book (dipping back and forth between the English and Russian texts was an extra treat). And I'm an adult, and an older one at that, which shows, in the tradition of the best children's books, that Sofka and the Crusader is a story that adults can enjoy too. It is beautifully written, bringing to life the Northern Caucasus where Sofka lives, Ukraine where Sofka visits her relatives and discovers what is different about being Ukrainian, and the magical realms of drowned maidens and witches. All of it rings true and I happily suspended any disbelief. I'm sure because Sofka is just such a straightforward, convincing and appealing character. She's a girl full of curiosity. She loves classic fairy tales and is very brave. At the beginning of the book she has an epic encounter with an enormous, Crusader spider in an outside toilet. Her horror is powerfully felt, reminding me - and I'm sure other readers too - of similar, terrifying experiences. From that moment I was hooked.
