I absolutely loved this story! It was such an incredible fairytale retelling, better than most others in that it isn't a very well known fairytale, but if you have ever read the tale, you can find the pieces that are there. The story was wholly its own and so captivating! We don't get a lot of German settings for fantasy books, so it was a fun and new setting to explore. I love when a book plays with a real language to make the setting more realistic, it adds a lot of flavor to a book that automatically makes it more endearing to me. The characters were incredibly vibrant and diverse, and so many were characters I just couldn't help but love. Ragne was my all-time favorite, she started off as like she would be a small character, only to surprise you and grow into such an important role. She was such a fierce and loyal character, at one point she made me weep. Vanja was an excellent anti-hero, she was so blinded at times, but all of her faults made her more endearing and realistic to me, I truly connected with her character. This is honestly one of the best, maybe even the best, book I've read in 2021!