I’m a huge fan of fairy tale and mythos re-imaginings, so a new take on Baba Yaga grabbed my attention right away. Deborah Blake’s Wickedly Dangerous follows Barbara Yager, one of the three Baba Yagas covering American territory, after she’s been summoned to investigate the mysterious disappearance of young children. Instead of an old crone, this Baba Yaga is an “Amazonian beauty” and her crime-solving partner is the hunky local Sheriff, Liam McClellan. Also, Baba’s sentient hut with chicken legs is now a temperamental Airstream trailer. Humor, tension, and an incredible world of magic made Wickedly Dangerous a quick read that kept me on the edge of my seat and anxious for more.
Known as the wicked witch of Russian fairy tales, Baba Yaga is not one woman, but rather a title carried by a chosen few. They keep the balance of nature and guard the borders of our world, but don’t make the mistake of crossing one of them…
Older than she looks and powerful beyond measure, Barbara Yager no longer has much in common with the mortal life she left behind long ago. Posing as an herbalist and researcher, she travels the country with her faithful (mostly) dragon-turned-dog in an enchanted Airstream, fulfilling her duties as a Baba Yaga and avoiding any possibility of human attachment.
But when she is summoned to find a missing child, Barbara suddenly finds herself caught up in a web of deceit and an unexpected attraction to the charming but frustrating Sheriff Liam McClellan.
Now, as Barbara fights both human enemies and Otherworld creatures to save the lives of three innocent children, she discovers that her most difficult battle may be with her own heart…
Barbara, or Baba as she prefers to be called, is this tough, solitary woman that loses a bit more of her humanity with each passing year. She helps those that know to invoke the Baba, for a price of course, and seeks to maintain a balance between the earth and humans. I’m a sucker for a badass (but flawed) heroine, and Baba fits the bill perfectly from her leather ensemble and classic BMW motorcycle to her lonely childhood and minimal social skills. Then, hunky Sheriff Liam makes Baba re-evaluate her intensely solitary and nomadic lifestyle. Swoon. The Sheriff has faced his share of troubles as well. There is some sort of trauma involving a previous marriage that has Liam leery to trust anyone, let alone a beautiful woman. I fell in love with the characters as they fell in love with one another.
Let’s talk supporting characters for a moment. Baba travels with a sentient Airstream trailer and an incredibly large dog (which is actually a small dragon) named Chudo-Yudo. Chudo-Yudo is actually the guard of the Water of Life and Death – the elixir that keeps Baba from aging. He provides humor and levity to Baba’s serious nature. Also, the three (sexy) Riders who assist all of the Babas didn’t give up much about themselves. I want to know more about them and find out why they’re single.
Wickedly Dangerous kept me entertained from start to finish. The missing children mystery that brings Baba into the investigation involves an Otherworld connection. In this iteration, the Russian witch works at the behest of the fae Queen and helps watch over the portals between the human and Otherworld realms. I liked the idea that the Baba Yaga was tasked with keeping balance in the human realm. Also, it was a nice touch that Baba solved the case of the missing children rather than being the culprit. A successful re-imagining and great first novel in the Baba Yaga series, Wickedly Dangerous sets the stage for more stories following the Babas. So if you love fairy tale rewrites as much as me, do yourself a favor and grab a copy from your preferred retailer on September 2nd. You won’t regret it!
Read Order:
Wickedly Magical
Wickedly Dangerous
Wickedly Wonderful (Dec 2, 2014)
