A fairy-tale fantasy inspired by Slavic folklore from the author of Uprooted
Miryem is a moneylender’s daughter, but her father is not very good at his trade. He's happy to lend money to anyone, but then he can't bring himself to collect the repayments, leaving the family on the brink of poverty—until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against the villagers' obstinacy, she sets out to collect the debts and discovers she has a natural talent for the job. When her grandfather gives her a pouch of silver coins, she brings it back to him full of gold.
But when word gets out that she can turn silver into gold, it turns out that this might bring more trouble than it's worth. Miryem's abilities attract the attention of the Staryk king—supernatural beings who arrive with the first chill of winter and crave gold. This sets in motion a chain of events, at the centre of which, along with Miryem, are Wanda, a simple girl who starts working for Miryem after her father cannot afford to repay his debt to the moneylender, and Irina, a noblewoman whose father wants to marry her off to the young tsar. But even Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems…
