A Jewish money-lender's daughter takes on her father's debtors, nearly triggering disaster. Winter kings, Demon possessed Tsars, mathematics as magic...so many wonderful things here.
I loved this book. I thought it was just as evocative as "Uprooted", but it hung together much better. Naomi Novik has a knack for weaving in fairy tale elements in fresh and surprising ways. And the way she mixed in real historical details, like the way the Jewish characters are treated by their neighbours, make the story feel all the more real and grounded. The three heroines are all believable - strong and brave in different ways. This is a book that I could definitely re-read many times.