Yaroslava is a princess without a throne. Her small city-state in the south of Russia has fallen to the Mongol Horde. Many believe that God Himself opened the gates of Hell to unleash the Mongol demons to punish people for their sins.She must endure her new life as a slave if she is to free her people and herself. In captivity she is surrounded by many enemies: a fellow slave with an old grudge; a water spirit that wants to imprison her soul in its river; a jealous concubine that can harm with an evil eye. Yaroslava must find courage to save her people and defeat her enemies in a handful of earth that absorbed the blood of her dying father.REVIEW by Diane Donovan, eBook Reviewer, Midwest Book ReviewThis saga is wonderful, packed with historical details and lively action; but best of all is the powerful and captivating language of a writer who begins the story with a bang: "I needed to be Princess Olga. Her people had followed her into battle when she ruled Rus three hundred summers ago. I, on the other hand, couldn’t even talk my townswomen intoevacuating before the Tartar siege."A Handful of Earth is a first-person story of nobility, courage, and survival told in a spirited, involving voice that is packed with drama and psychological reflection: "I kept my silence, for I had learned from my father that when a man aches inside, he doesn’t necessarily want you to draw him out of his dark thoughts. Trying to talk to him at a time like this only makes the thoughts grow darker and that darkness can turn on you if you aren’t careful."Romance, changing allegiances and issues of courage and survival of oppressors makes this a powerful and fast-paced novel packed with supernatural elements that spice the protagonist's conflicts with man with her ultimate conflict with forces on the dark side.Ultimately Princess Yaroslava must face these dark forces both within and outside of her kingdom, and must find a way to overcome them to realize her true destiny and that of her world.A Handful of Earth charts bravery, leadership, and a woman's struggles to become a winner. You could say it's an epic historical novel of ancient Russia, but that would be simplifying the novel's force and strengths.More than a singular piece of historical fiction, it's a saga of what it means to be female, a leader, and how deals with the devil are contemplated in the course of a struggle for freedom.It's a saga replete with psychological tension and struggle, and is a top recommendation.