ELENA THE BRAVE
OLD RUS TALES: BOOK TWO
2022 BookLife Prize Semi Finalist
2023 Writer’s Digest Self-pub Ebook Award for Best YA Novel
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It’s 1942, and the world is at war. Elena Petrovna Volkonsky is just a schoolgirl in a Pennsylvania steel town, the Russia of her forebears long forgotten – except in tales, sung by her babka in haunting tones. Elena can picture Old Rus clearly as she ponders her pet rock, its surface black and smooth, but its depths strange. Such visions! The snow-swollen Dnepr, wending southward through the wild steppe all the way to Byzantium. Vladimir of the Bright sun, ruling from glorious Kiev!. If only it were real. If only hers was not just an ordinary family in trying times. An ordinary family – with an extraordinary destiny.
Be careful what you wish for.
Meanwhile, Old Rus is in crisis. A dragon flies, a maiden is captured, and the great bogatyr, Dobrynya, is tasked with her rescue. But his son, Mitya, senses treachery on all sides. How can you save a man who will not save himself? And must he venture alone, trailing his father across the steppe where warring nomads range, even to the distant peaks of the Sorochinsk Mountains? He is prepared to do just that when a strange girl appears in the prince’s stables and upends all his plans.
What happens when two worlds – and hearts – collide?
Praise for ELENA THE BRAVE
“Mathison’s tale hauntingly interweaves the dragons, 1940s America, and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in a way that might have felt forced in less-skilled hands… A vivid mix of history, romance, and folklore with a notably relatable hero.”
– Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Mathison returns to Old Rus, the exceptionally well-constructed fantasy world introduced in VASILISA, one that blends the mythical and the historical to winning effect… Readers will feel fully immersed in the tale from the first page to the last.”
– The BookLife Prize
“A beautifully written tale. The author excellently weaves old Russian myths, lyrical prose, and 1940s history into one coherent and compelling tale that is hard to put down. The prose is particularly magical, with gorgeous sentences and lush language, and the relationships between characters, especially Elena and Vasilia and Elena and Mitya, stick with the reader longer after the tale has been told.”
– Writer’s Digest Critic’s Review
“Dabbing a little history with folklore and fantasy, this is an exciting coming-of-age adventure, which hooks in so many ways…Â The writing flows very well, allowing the scenes and characters to gain depth without ever losing on pacing. A lot happens in this tale, but it never grows boring or too heavy. I would recommend it more for the upper end of the middle grade audience and even for the young adults, due to the writing style and intricate tale weave.
– Bookworm for Kids
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