Fairy Tales

This novel is something of a modern fairy tale that takes heavily from the classic Russian stories. This story has elements of many fairy tales, including Sleeping Beauty. Ivan finds himself playing the modern role of prince in Katerina's story. Katerina has been cursed by a witch who wants to keep Katerina from marrying and producing an heir so that her kingdom will be left without a king, leaving it open for Baba Yaga to steal. However, this curse backfires when Katerina is awoken by Ivan.

The fairy tale takes place both in the ninth century and in the modern 1990s. This causes the reader to see the more practical aspects of a happily ever after, including the difficulties of two strangers forced to marry when they are not even sure they like one another, let alone love one another. However, the story retains some of the...