Wildalone

November 3, 2014
Ancient Greek mystery religions, culture clash, and college romance form a heady blend in Zourkova’s poetic, striking debut. In the fall of 2006, Thea Slavin applies to Princeton from her native Bulgaria, unaware that her older sister, Elza—about whom Thea’s family refuses to speak—disappeared from the university 15 years earlier. Once on campus, Thea finds the memory of her passionate, talented “earlier version” impossible to evade, as one of her professors is obsessed with Elza’s theories about Orpheus and Dionysus. Thea also has to contend with the attentions of beautiful, wealthy brothers Rhys and Jake Estlin, whose dizzying sexual allure almost disguises their secretive, erratic behavior. Bulgarian-born Zourkova draws perceptive and persuasive connections between Balkan folklore and Greek myth, especially when she identifies the Bulgarian samodivi—lethal, sensual female spirits of the forest, translated by Thea as “wildalones”—with the Greek maenads, but she fails to anchor her romantic triangle with the same meticulous conviction. The resulting novel is strongest when building its maddening mysteries, and it falters when its characters need to deal with the answering revelations. Agent: Grainne Fox, Fletcher & Company.

April 1, 2014
At Princeton but homesick for her Eastern European homeland, Thea Slavin becomes involved with two handsome, ambiguous brothers who introduce her to a mythic underworld shaped by Greek mythology and dominated by the Samodivi, or Wildalones. These forest witches of Bulgarian folklore ensnare men, and Thea is ensnared by their story, even as she learns something frightening about her family. Bulgarian-born first novelist Zourkova herself studied at Princeton before graduating from Harvard Law School; it's not known whether there are any Samodivi in her past. With a 50,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2014

Zourkova infuses her first novel with atmosphere, lyrical language, Greek mythology, Bulgarian folklore, and the sharp stab of first love. Thea is a piano prodigy from Bulgaria beginning her freshman year at Princeton University. After a public concert performance, she draws the attention of several men on campus, A first-person point of view and a sense of the surreal places the reader firmly in Thea's head as she tries to navigate an unfamiliar culture steeped in tradition: from dressing the part of a Princeton coed to the school's exclusive eating clubs. She is also thrown by the unexpected intricacies and intimacies of American relationships; her feelings for two mysterious men are complicated by family secrets on all sides. Fantastical creatures, forest witches known as Samodivi, or Wildalones, weave a thread through the entire novel, leading Thea to a decision that has consequences far beyond anything she could have imagined. VERDICT Zourkova pulls off a balancing act that few debut authors manage: a clever, dark romance steeped in mystery, with a bittersweet thread of melancholy and keen sense of place. Fantasy and romance lovers, as well as those who liked Donna Tartt's The Secret History or Pamela Dean's Tam Lin should enjoy this. [See Prepub Alert, 3/3/14.]--Charli Osborne, Oxford P.L., MI

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014

At Princeton but homesick for her Eastern European homeland, Thea Slavin becomes involved with two handsome, ambiguous brothers who introduce her to a mythic underworld shaped by Greek mythology and dominated by the Samodivi, or Wildalones. These forest witches of Bulgarian folklore ensnare men, and Thea is ensnared by their story, even as she learns something frightening about her family. Bulgarian-born first novelist Zourkova herself studied at Princeton before graduating from Harvard Law School; it's not known whether there are any Samodivi in her past. With a 50,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2014
A paranormal romance among college students inspired by an ancient Bulgarian myth.Bulgarian piano prodigy Thea Slavin is hopelessly attracted to not one, but two young men, eerie but beautiful orphaned brothers who live in a mansion just off the Princeton campus where she is a freshman. Like their clear predecessor, Edward Cullen of the Twilight books, both men are secretive, controlling, possessive and egomaniacal, but to Thea, who says repeatedly how irresistible they are to her, their dark, brooding and mysterious traits outweigh their nastier ones. Thea's personality, like Bella Swan's, is mostly a blank slate; her desires shift any time it's necessary to advance the plot or ratchet up the romantic tension. She seems to constantly be running to or away from one of the brothers, when not attending class or practicing piano (both of which are subjects of great emphasis in the beginning of the book but fade away without consequence as the love triangle develops). Initially, Thea's mission at Princeton, aside from education, is to investigate the disappearance and possible murder of an older sister she never knew who was obsessed with the mythological samodivi, or "wildalones," of Bulgarian culture-gorgeous moon worshipers who would beguile then destroy any man who came across them. Zourkova's greatest strength in her debut novel is drawing parallels between the samodivi myths and the Orpheus story of Greek mythology and then bringing these elements to life on the Princeton campus. But the plot tries overly hard to craft reveals at the expense of natural progression or action, and the prose is crammed so full of abstract poetics that it obscures more than it illuminates. Passages on music are an enchanting exception. For those willing to wade through the dense text, there are many points of intrigue, but given the reductiveness of the love triangle, they may not be enough.

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November 15, 2014
When Thea Slavin leaves her native Bulgaria for the hallowed halls of Princeton, she has a goal beyond pursuing a career as a pianist. Fifteen years ago, Thea's older sister, Elza, died during her freshman year at the school, and shortly afterwards, her body disappeared from the morgue. Determined to learn the circumstances surrounding her sister's death, Thea launches an investigation upon arriving at Princeton. But she is soon distracted from her pursuit by the handsome, mercurial Estlin brothers. Though it is Jake who is first taken with Thea during a classical concert, his older brother, Rhys, is the one who pursues her, unaware that Jake has fallen for her. Yet Rhys holds Thea at a distance even as their fixation on each other grows, leaving Thea yearning to learn the dark secret he is keeping from her. Readers who love fantastical romances and mythology are apt to fall under the spell of Zourkova's debut, and once they reach the final page, they will hope that Thea and the Estlin brothers' adventures continue in future books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)