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.

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.

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.)