Marya Morevna is not like the other girls in Saint Petersburg/Petrograd/Leningrad. She sees the husbands of her sisters while they are still birds. But times are changing in Russia, now the Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics. The People have no time for magic, and Marya does not see the bird that becomes her husband. A pity, for this husband is named Koschei, and now she is snared in his story. 
 Koschei the Deathless is a famous figure in Russian folktales, the sorcerer who has cut out his own heart, his death, and hidden it so that no man or thing can kill him. In tale after tale, he falls in love with a beautiful woman, but she is in love with Ivan the Fool, and they find Koschei's heart, no matter how well guarded. There are variations to the tale, but they all end the same way. 
 This version is written by the author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In a Boat of Her Own Making, and is set against the background of Russian history in the first half of the Twentieth Century. The fairy tale creatures of Russian folklore have taken on new forms to match modern times. Even Baba Yaga makes an appearance. 
 Marya is a complicated character. Despite the rather disturbing courtship style of Koschei, Tsar of Life, she genuinely comes to love him, and helps him in his war with the Tsar of Death. And yet she finds herself irresistibly drawn to her Ivan when he appears. Marya wants to avoid the fate the story has for her, but makes decisions that drive her farther down that road. 
 Given that the non-graphic sex scenes dance on the line between rough sex and spousal abuse, I do not recommend this book below senior high level. There's also some very dubious consent that may trigger some readers. 
 For those who might be interested in Russian folklore, and fans of tragic romance.