Thirteen year old Annat is a shaman by birth. Within her own people, the Wanderers, shamans can heal, protect, and enter bodily into other realms. Outside her people, however, shamans are looked upon with suspicion and mistrust. Annat is largely untrained in her powers, but when her aunt falls sick, she and her brother are sent to live with the father they barely know.

Annat is finally able to train as a shaman under the tutelage of her father, Yuda, but the family soon turns down a dangerous path. Yuda has been assigned to investigate strange occurrences and brutal murders in a small northern town. Strange, old magic seems to be at play in the area, and soon after arriving, Annat’s brother Malchik disappears. Annat and Yuda’s search for Malchik will take them on a strange journey through a mystical land of winter, where they must find Malchik and stop the evil being responsible for the town’s troubles.

This was an interesting and well-crafted fantasy. The story exists in a slightly offset historical Russia/Eastern Europe, with a good dose of Judaism and Jewish mysticism. The Russian fairy-tale setting is in vogue at the moment, with books such as The Bear and the Nighingale by Katherine Arden, and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo creating well-deserved buzz. Rydill’s inclusion of Jewish history, religion, and folklore set her book apart and add a touch of realism and historical grounding in a fantasy tale.

In all, the book is well written. The character of Annat is well-realized, sometimes to the detriment of the other characters, who can feel a bit flat. The journey through the fairy-tale realm borrows from Eastern European and Russian folklore, and is for the most part exciting and fun reading. I did find that the book began to drag a bit towards the end, but overall I found Children of the Shaman a diverting fantasy.

Fans of the fantasy genre, especially those who enjoyed The Bear and the Nnightingale or Shadow and Bone will likely enjoy this book. Anyone looking for a fantasy featuring a strong female lead (Children of the Shaman reminds me a lot of The Green Rider by Kristen Britain) shoudl also consider this book for their TBR.

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. ( )

When their aunt is taken ill, thirteen-year old Annat and her brother are sent from their small coastal town to live with their unknown father. Like Annat, Yuda is a Shaman; a Wanderer with magical powers, able to enter other worlds. As Annat learns more about her powers, the children join their father on a remarkable train journey to the frozen north and find a land of mystery and intrigue, threatened by dark forces and beset by senseless murders that have halted construction of a new tunnel. But Annat’s doll, her only remembrance of her dead mother, may hold a dark secret - and when her brother Malchik is kidnapped, Annat and her father must travel onwards to find him before it is too late.

Between uncertain allies, shadowed enemies and hostile surroundings, it is only in the magical kingdom of La Souterraine that they can find answers - and it may be that only a Shaman can save the family and the Goddess.

Children of the Shaman is the first book in my Shamansland series. I have only recently given the series a name, though in Germany it's known as 'Kristallwelt' or 'Crystal-world', which is a good name too.

Children of the Shaman tells the story of two teenagers - a geeky older boy and a stroppy thirteen-year-old with magical powers - called Malchik and Annat. They've been brought up by their Aunt after their father deserted the family when they were little. Now they are going to spend time with him while their aunt goes into hospital.

Their mother is dead and their father turns out to be a surprise. Annat and Malchik are Wanderers, a persecuted race like the Jews, and they have had a sheltered upbringing. Yuda, their father, works as a railway guard, a job that involves riding on top of the train and fighting off bandits and terrifying magical attacks.

Yuda is a shaman, and can use his powers as a healer or a warrior. He is foul-mouthed, unashamedly bisexual, and completely different to the children's aunt, his twin sister.

He takes the children north to his new posting, working as a healer in the village of Gard Ademar. Right from the start it is clear that he isn't the ideal parent; and that his posting to a frontier town is fraught with hidden danger. ( )