THE REPUBLIC OF BIRDS

A magical cartographer faces an avian empire.

Following her architect father’s disgrace, 12-year-old Olga Oblomova has been exiled with her family to the frozen northern reaches of Tsaretsvo. She’s perfectly happy to miss her Spring Blossom Ball debut given that her lack of grace, as well as her unfeminine interest in cartography, sets her apart from her peers. Complex plot strands weave around a firebird egg, which is the linchpin in the ongoing tensions between the human empire and the bird Republic beyond the mountains, the recent banishment of yagas (traditional Slavic witches with mobile, bird-legged huts), the Bleak Steppe Finishing School for Girls of Unusual Ability, and Olga’s own magic involving her ability to bring maps to life. When her little sister, Mira, a talented dancer, is kidnapped by a flock of birds, Olga has to use all of her special abilities to get her back. This unusual and intriguing setting includes a subtle message about state-sponsored propaganda and the manipulation present in fears of the Other without relying on questionable racial allegories. The many fascinating elements mean that the story feels a bit compressed, but each is intriguing enough to spark a follow-up. The book follows a White default.

A solidly done adventure mixing familiarity and originality.