Kikimora by Emma Woodcock is a story of a little girl who was created by Anatoly to drive men/humans out of the mountains. She was raised from the dead, and never really understood her place in the world. She doesn't have a family, and besides Anatoly and Barinya, she has no friends. While she has the ability to scare off people, she is still too kind to be a monster that scares humans off the land. However, is she really a monster?

The story of Kikimora is well written and in a style that I quite enjoyed. There is some sort of mythical element to it, and there is an elegance in the way the writing is executed. The style is easy to read, yet not childish. It's serious, but not in a way that bores people. The characters and setting are very well thought as well. Each character has a set of traits that make them stand out from a crowd, which is how every character should be. The setting also fits the plot and story, allowing the protagonist to move forward and us to understand the culture. Kikimora is a very good novel that will entertain readers, young and old alike.

In Kikimora by Emma Woodcock, the spirits of Korsakov Forest were in distress. For years, humans had been taking minerals out of the ground and this was destroying the forest. In a desperate effort to put an end to the continued destruction of the spirits' treasured home, they crafted a monster intended to drive man out of the forest. Created using a concoction of the most complex ingredients, the monster was intended to destroy the activities of the miners, drive them insane, and eventually bring about the closure of the mines. Kikimora, the monster, was raised and groomed to execute this intention and, at age seven, her master felt she was ready to fulfill her purpose so off she was sent to Korsakov town. Invisible to the townsfolk, Kikimora set about fulfilling her duty with every mischief she could think of. However, she found herself at a crossroads when some of the kind gestures of the humans started affecting her in ways her grooming never prepared her for, and soon she started questioning her mission. When her superior took matters into his own hands and set a deadly trap for the miners, Kikimora had to choose whether to stay loyal to her master's cause or help save the very enemy she was created to destroy.

Kikimora by Emma Woodcock is a one of kind YA fantasy tale. From the intriguing setting that is Korsakov to its collection of odd inhabitants, Emma Woodcock created a world class compelling novel. The story came together perfectly with a gripping plot, characters of all types - charming, memorable, scarily, bizarre and everything in between - and flawless delivery. I was especially fascinated by Emma Woodcock's portrayal of Kikimora, for she was not your everyday monster. When Anatoly set out to create a monster, I expected the usual scary looking beastly creature but the end product could not have been any more surprising and charming, and it made it all the more intriguing to follow the story of her grooming and see her put her training to work. The additional stories told to Kikimora by Barinya added even more spice to an already amazing tale.