What I'm Reading: Plain Kate, Erin Bow

The Tolkien tradition has cast such a long shadow over the literature of fantasy that it's refreshing to read a fantasy in a setting that is rooted instead in Eastern Europe. I found Erin Bow's book Plain Kate appealing from the outset for its a dark and brooding Slavic cast. But it's equally compelling as a story, with an utterly believable magical quest and a talking cat, rendered completely without cloying sentiment.