Wildalone: A Novel

Written by Krassi Zourkova

Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

In this enchanting and darkly imaginative debut novel full of myth, magic, romance, and mystery, a Princeton freshman is drawn into a love triangle with two enigmatic brothers, and discovers terrifying secrets about her family and herself—a bewitching blend of Twilight, The Secret History, Jane Eyre, and A Discovery of Witches.

Arriving at Princeton for her freshman year, Thea Slavin finds herself alone, a stranger in a strange land. Away from her family and her Eastern European homeland for the first time, she struggles to adapt to unfamiliar American ways and the challenges of college life—including an enigmatic young man whose brooding good looks and murky past intrigue her. Falling into a romantic entanglement with Rhys and his equally handsome and mysterious brother, Jake, soon draws Thea into a sensual mythic underworld as irresistible as it is dangerous.

In this shadow world that seems to mimic Greek mythology and the Bulgarian legends of the Samodivi or “wildalones”—forest witches who beguile and entrap men—she will discover a shocking secret that threatens everything she holds dear. And when the terrifying truth about her own family is revealed, it will transform her forever . . . if she falls under its spell.

Mesmerizing and addictive, The Wildalone is a thrilling blend of the modern and the fantastic. Krassi Zourkova creates an atmospheric world filled with rich characters as fascinating and compelling as those of Diana Gabaldon, Deborah Harkness, and Stephenie Meyer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jan 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9780062350718

Krassi Zourkova

Krassi Zourkova grew up in Bulgaria and moved to the United States to study art history at Princeton. After college, she graduated from Harvard Law School, and she has practiced finance law in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, where she currently lives. Her poems have appeared in various literary journals, and her essay, "Book Collecting in the Absence of Books," about compiling a personal library under Communist censorship, won first prize in essay contests at Princeton and Harvard. Krassi is an accomplished musician, and her love of Chopin and her national folklore inspired Wildalone.

Reviews for Wildalone

[lyrrael · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Okay, I just quit this book at 50%. Our protagonist has been being stalked and controlled and repeatedly nearly raped but keeps going back like any screwed up relationship to the utter detriment of her friends and herself. I've been doing nothing but swearing at this book for the last hour, until she abandons her friend YET AGAIN for crazy guy. I see hoping this will turn around and back into the fantasy ride I signed up for, but it's just one screwed up move after another, and by god, YES I'M MAD ABOUT IT.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was initially intrigued by this novel, especially since the broad outlines of the narrator paralleled the author's life. However, this intriguing start quickly shifted into a somewhat predictable love triangle involving the narrator and two handsome brothers. The supernatural certainly plays a part and Greek mythology plays a staring role but I do wish the author had fleshed out the myths a bit more. Overall, the book was pretty good, but I had high expectations and was a little disappointed.

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book sounded soo promising but quickly infuriated me. Talented Bulgarian pianist Thea, learns that she once had a sister, even though her parents never let on. When it comes time to choose a college, Thea shocks her parents by choosing far away Princeton, the very same school her sister mysteriously died at fifteen years prior. Having gone her entire life never knowing about her sister, Thea now wants to know what little she can about her. First however, she must transition to a foreign school, keep up with the demanding workload, and practice the piano like there is no tomorrow. As if she didn't have enough on her plate she meets a mysterious boy at her first concert and a whirlwind romance ensues. Things quickly become mysterious though and everything starts to point back at her sister. Mixed with Bulgarian folklore, tragic romance, and beautiful piano prose this story would make an excellent movie. However, I didn't like it because I could not STAND the two men she was into. Rhys seemed like such a controlling jerk, worse then Christian Grey and Sparkly Edward combined. The fact that Thea puts up with his bullshit made me hate her. Intriguing plot, I liked the mythical undertones and the piano bit, but I pretty much hated the characters.

[Stephanie Ford · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have both read and listened to this novel and I love it. A twisted love story into Greek mythology. I am hoping for a second novel

[Krista Novellover · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is my third time reading this book, they did a great job on the audiobook! Is there more?

Mythical creatures, human pacts, love triangles, constant twists, spicy scenes everything you can ask for set in an academia setting. What more could you possibly want ?

Except…. Is there more?

[Tereasa · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Loved the intro music but no words ?

[MelanieNettle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5...looking forward to the next book!

[Angie · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

this is one of 2 books I stopped reading (listening). The main character moves to the US to go to Princeton, she is a paino prodigy and of course right away is playing a piano concert in front of tons of people. and then she meets him.... he practically stalks her, and then she goes out with him on a picnic where he pushes himself on her.. she says NO, so (thankfully) he backs off.. and THEN she cant stop thinking about him.. and sees him again. and he pushes himself on her AGAIN.. and she has a harder time getting him off of her. this book is pathetic.. sexually assaulted heroine, who till wants her perp. I was disgusted so I stopped reading. AND I actually read through the 50 shades books..

[melissalynn-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Wildalone tries its best to engage its readers in a story of mystery, romance, mythology and fantasy; but in the end, fails to succeed.

[mrsmommybooknerd7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

OK. this book is both mystical and original, compelling and entertaining...a perfect blend of so many things which makes it unlike any other I have read in a long time. I have to say that this was one of those books that you just get drawn into it. There is something for everyone and the book is just done right. There is a balance between all the elements that keep you turning pages. I really enjoyed this book and think the story will get better and better as the series continues. 4 stars

[mishker-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Theodora Slavin grows up in Bulgaria under the watchful eye of her parents. At an early age she finds a piano locked away in her house, drawn to it's mystery and beauty Thea seems to already know how to play. Thea is allowed to continue to play, under certain conditions. Before leaving for college, a music scholarship to Princeton in the United States, Thea learns of several family secrets- a missing child and a link to the Bulgarian myth of the samodivi. These stories will affect Thea as she enters schools and tries to solve the mysteries on her own, but two alluring brothers, Rhys and Jake ensnare Thea into their own world.Intriguing and addicting, I felt like I raced through Wildalone. The seamless blending of mythologies into everyday life brought out a magical quality. I just had to know what happened to Elza, the missing girl, and what the connection was to the samodivi. I enjoyed learning about this Bulgarian folktale as well as the other mythologies that blended into it, such as Orpheus and Eurydice. Through beautiful prose, the writing brought out an ominous but beautiful setting, the Princeton campus, large empty houses and even Carnegie Hall. Everywhere Thea goes doesn't seem quite safe, but may hold the key to solving the mystery of Elza. Of course, the brothers presented a problem. Creepy and controlling, Rhys is the one Elza falls for, while Jake, kindhearted and mysterious is pushed to the background. As much as I hate love triangles, the brother's world still drew me in and created a way for Thea to find out more about the mysteries she is trying to solve. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

[yourotherleft_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Piano prodigy Thea Slavin has left her native Bulgaria for her freshman year at Princeton University. She's struggling to adjust to a new American culture and dealing with a recently discovered family secret that haunts her new life at Princeton. Her Greek Art professor is singling her out for reasons she doesn't understand, and before she can so much as take a class, her music advisor is pressing her onto the stage for an early recital. As she plays Chopin before a full house, one guy with a white rose is all she can see, but he disappears before they can meet, and another takes his place as the love interest that competes for her attention.Wildalone has two of the most handsome, most charming, most inexplicably moneyed, and morally ambiguous love interests that a book can offer. Rhys and Jake live slightly off Princeton's campus in a house that has a name and a butler (or is he a manservant? Either way, you get the idea). Rhys is sexy, romantic, with a controlling streak he papers over with lavish displays of love, and absolutely the sort of guy that you would warn your best friend away from with great vigor in real life, but in fiction, he's tantalizing. Jake, mysterious with his white roses and thoughtful gifts, seems to know Thea better than she knows herself, but his inexplicable dedication to his brother's happiness keeps him from speaking up for her. Soon Thea is wrapped up in the mercurial pair's web of secrets, secrets that come perilously close to Thea's own.This book is so easy to get lost in but so hard to talk about, and even harder to talk about without spoilers. Debut novelist Zourkova deftly juggles real life as a Princeton student with Thea's much more profound experience chasing her family secret down a veritable rabbit hole of magic and myth, untangling the mysteries of two brothers who are much more than meet the eye, and discovering a hidden world that lies just beneath the soaring Gothic architecture of Princeton's campus. Reading Wildalone, I was constantly reminded of Keith Donohue's The Stolen Child. The stories aren't very similar at all, but the rich atmosphere is. Like The Stolen Child, Wildalone manages to unite the humdrum with the extraordinary, the realistic and the fantastic, all of which is woven through with mythology, art and music. I was completely transfixed by Zourkova's haunting, eerie romance which is so enriched by its exploration of art and music. Wildalone is perfectly paced, dripping just enough mystery at a time to draw readers deeper and deeper into its pages, and even when you think you've figured out the impossible truth, Zourkova's got another plot twist up her sleeve. Wildalone is truly an impressive debut, and Zourkova is definitely an author to watch.

[mrsdanaalbasha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found this book as a suggestion while shopping for books on Amazon, and boy was I glad to get it! Wildalone is a gem, truly. Krassi Zourkova managed to bring a new story filled with new myths, passion, and an enchanting mystery and a protagonist to the literature world. I struggled to write a review because I loved the book so much (and I spent many hours researching about it).

If you're looking for something different, with a sinister edge, a lover of piano, with myths mixed in a dormitory filled with a thriller history and a mysterious murder, YOU my friend will want to buy this book!

We are talking about a Bulgarian girl in America trying to solve a mystery, play the piano, and find true love... and stay away from magic (as if!). To me, it's a winner. Bravo! Can't wait for book #2.

FYI I'm team Jake, I don't like Rhys at all.