Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros is a fantasy novel steeped in Jewish and Slavic folklore, culture, and history. Teenager Toma lives deep in the forest at the edge of the Kosa Empire, which is currently in a state of civil war between the magical ruling class and the non-magical lower class, which resents the powers of the elites. Toma’s adoptive parents are undead, but they abstain from consuming the living, and Toma’s world is relatively untouched by the war--until Kosa’s recently dethroned tsar, Mikhail, crash lands in his airship nearby. In the ensuing fighting, Mikhail’s enemies kidnap Toma’s sister, Galina. In a quest to bring her back home safely, Toma and Mikhail descend into the thick of the fighting and are joined by a mysterious boy, Vanya, whose status as a persecuted minority is complicated by the mysterious powers he exhibits. Bone Weaver is a complex but intriguing allegory about power struggles, with compelling teen characters battling against the odds. (Young Adult Books)