Added to my all-time favorite series of books. I could not believe it actually ended. The feeling's still surreal. When I first started reading the novel, I absolutely had no idea what I was getting myself into-Russian folklore, religious affiliation, political warfare, marriages, historical adaption, and such with a heroine that grew up to find herself a future not dictated by others. The characters were all so beautifully created that I am deeply attached to them, especially to Solovey, Vasya's mare. The storytelling wasn't grandiose in a way, but its world building was so captivating that it incessantly creates various images, bountiful at that with its back and forth movement of the plot. It's one I can always get back to when I feel like rereading a book.