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Yaga
She's more than just a wicked old witch. Baba Yaga is a legend, usually known as that elderly woman who lives alone in the woods and grinds the bones of the wicked. But what if she was actually a sexy, smart, modern woman operating off of morally ambiguous motives?
A detective finds himself in a small, isolated town asking, what does the disappearance of a young heir to a yogurt empire have to do with some random lore about an old witch? Matched by an apprehensive local sheriff, a university professor with a taste for younger men, and a whole cast of curious characters, the Slavic myth of Baba Yaga twists into a new labyrinth of secret lives, ancient magic, and multiple suspects.
This genre-bending comedic fairy tale meets thrilling whodunit gives voice to an antihero of epic proportions while interrogating how her story has historically been told by men. From now on, you'll remember the name Baba Yaga for the right reasons.
A detective finds himself in a small, isolated town asking, what does the disappearance of a young heir to a yogurt empire have to do with some random lore about an old witch? Matched by an apprehensive local sheriff, a university professor with a taste for younger men, and a whole cast of curious characters, the Slavic myth of Baba Yaga twists into a new labyrinth of secret lives, ancient magic, and multiple suspects.
This genre-bending comedic fairy tale meets thrilling whodunit gives voice to an antihero of epic proportions while interrogating how her story has historically been told by men. From now on, you'll remember the name Baba Yaga for the right reasons.
168 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2023
123 people are currently reading
958 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
Want to read
February 19, 2026yes i am adding this to the tbr bc of hudson williams i am a simple man
February 19, 2026
[4.75 stars]
I decided to buy a copy after seeing the news that Hudson Williams will be Henry. Not my usual genre but what a ride this has been!
Absolutely enjoyed how the story of Baba Yaga was adapted into this play, mixed with a modern day detective story and themes of magic, superstition, and female rage and justice (?). I was amazed at how beautifully this was written because it was immersive and detailed. I didn’t immediately figure out the twist at the end which was great.
I’m excited to see how this play would be as a series, and not just because Hudson will be in it. I truly loved the story, and I think there’s so many ways a series could further expand the world built here.
I decided to buy a copy after seeing the news that Hudson Williams will be Henry. Not my usual genre but what a ride this has been!
Absolutely enjoyed how the story of Baba Yaga was adapted into this play, mixed with a modern day detective story and themes of magic, superstition, and female rage and justice (?). I was amazed at how beautifully this was written because it was immersive and detailed. I didn’t immediately figure out the twist at the end which was great.
I’m excited to see how this play would be as a series, and not just because Hudson will be in it. I truly loved the story, and I think there’s so many ways a series could further expand the world built here.
February 19, 2026
So I read this because of Hudson Williams because I’m embarrassing but that was actually so good. It was exactly my kind of weird and I loved it.
February 20, 2026
3.5 stars rounded up.
I read this immediately upon learning Hudson Williams would be playing Henry in the TV adaptation and had a great time. Funny, dark, and feminist with a great twist at the end.
And, of course, I'm very excited to see Hudson play a character as as Henry.
I read this immediately upon learning Hudson Williams would be playing Henry in the TV adaptation and had a great time. Funny, dark, and feminist with a great twist at the end.
And, of course, I'm very excited to see Hudson play a character as as Henry.
Want to read
February 19, 2026The power of Hudson Williams compels me to read this before the show airs.
February 20, 2026
Yesterday I found out Hudson Williams was cast in the screen adaptation of this play.
So today I read it 🫡
Fast-paced, witty, easy to picture as a show adaptation… but I’m also a sucker for a small town detective story, complete with motel and diner (and sometimes, like in this case, also Russian folklore).
ALSO I just need to say seeing 1. a Russia connection, 2. a character named Lily and 3. a chapter called "Cottage Found" in this screenplay has me losing my poor HR mind.
So today I read it 🫡
Fast-paced, witty, easy to picture as a show adaptation… but I’m also a sucker for a small town detective story, complete with motel and diner (and sometimes, like in this case, also Russian folklore).
ALSO I just need to say seeing 1. a Russia connection, 2. a character named Lily and 3. a chapter called "Cottage Found" in this screenplay has me losing my poor HR mind.
February 19, 2026
I read Yaga because Hudson Williams is set to play Henry, and I can’t wait to see what he does with the role. The story is intriguing and sharp, with female rage and injustice portrayed in a raw, compelling and supernatural way. Now I’m especially excited to see how the TV adaptation fleshes the narrative out even more.
February 21, 2026
hell yeah this was greattt im so glad they got away with it. i CANT WAIT to see this on screen the casting is perfect omg. (hudson williams you’re a star.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2026
more comedic than i originally thought. love myth retellings, especially ones that reclaim female characters and give them justice. hudson is gonna body this. excited to see how they shape this into a tv series.
Want to read
February 18, 2026do not observe my behaviours that might reveal patterns in my motivations and interests
December 3, 2023
I'm a big fan of contemporary feminist revisions of fairy tales and other traditional stories, especially ones in which women are presented negatively (which is most fairy tales, to be honest). Sandler reworks the Slavic folk tale of Baby Yaga, an old witch who lives in a cabin on chicken legs in the woods and can grant wishes but also eats children and kills people. In Sandler's re-telling, a private investigator comes to a small town searching for a missing yogurt fortune heir, and he finds a twisted world of sex, mysticism, mystery, secrets, murder, chickens, and bad dogs. In this town, which has virtually no men in it, apart from Detective Rapp and Henry (the missing heir, whom we meet in flashback scenes), all other characters are female--though this never strikes Rapp as odd, and honestly I didn't really think much about it until the end of the play. He works with police Detective Carson and his prime suspect is Katherine Yazov, a professor in her sixties who was having an affair with Henry, but when it turns out she has an alibi he has to find a new suspect. However, when Elena, Katherine's mom, complicates the story with some Ukrainian folktales suspiciously reminiscent of the murder, Rapp is put on a path that leads him into a twisted world of magic, superstition, female rage, and punishment for sexual violence.
https://youtu.be/6GfT7waf3bE
https://youtu.be/6GfT7waf3bE
February 20, 2026
yes i read this bc of hudson williams but i was actually way more invested than i thought i'd be cause this is definitely not my usual genre
February 20, 2026
as someone who grew up slavic i thought i knew all about yaga. my mom used to threaten me when i was a kid that if i misbehave baba yaga will come get me and eat me. this play however is a wonderful modern take on the tale of the old witch. it talks about all the prejudice, loneliness and fights that women are subjected to the moment they are born one.
(yes i did read this because of the hudson williams announcement sue me)
(yes i did read this because of the hudson williams announcement sue me)
Read
February 19, 2026Hudson Williams brought me here, so I’m excited
February 20, 2026
RATING: 4.75/5 STARS
Twisted, crunchy, and so satisfying. Can’t wait to see this on screen!! Hudson Williams is PERFECT to play Henry, and Noah Reid as Rapp… already sat.
Twisted, crunchy, and so satisfying. Can’t wait to see this on screen!! Hudson Williams is PERFECT to play Henry, and Noah Reid as Rapp… already sat.
February 20, 2026
wow, never read a play before but coming here because hudson hahaha, i love it,, the story is really interesting and got me hooked. can wait for the series
August 5, 2023
"Are all women Yaga?"
February 21, 2026
HOLYFUCK
Yes i started reading this because of Hudson Williams (that’s dada!) being casted as Henry, but as soon as I learned that it was a mystery thriller originally created for stage, the theater kid in me had to read asap. And I’m so happy I did. Not only was it a quick read, but the story itself leaves the reader fully immersed into this world of (rightfully) evil women and the myths they live and leave behind in this patriarchal world of violence.
I have little to no knowledge about eastern european myths and about the old stories of witches (i guess other than the few history lessons from high school AP euro hist, the salem witch trials, and that one book series i read as a middle schooler, i think it was called the grimm tales (i really liked the hansel & gretel story in that one cuz it was the first time i read abt kids dying rather than living a happy ending.)) But none of that prepared me for the retelling of Baba Yaga’s story. In some ways, i feel dumb and slow for not catching on to some details as i’m reading, but ehh- it was my naivety that made the ending’s surprise so much more fun and intense.
Also, I absolutely adore the assertiveness all these women held throughout the entire story.
and you know what? fucking finally, the rapist in the story dies and gets the true evil he deserves. cuz everyone knows he never dies in real life. enough with these evil men getting redemption arcs where they realize what empathy is and that women and children are human beings- barely learning all that at the grown age of 40. i’m glad that in his last moments of life, he felt the fear of being chased and out of control.
and it leaves the question about these women- are they truly evil? or simply karmic? They protect one another and their community by any means necessary, even when it means murder, all while having real, flawed human relationships with one another (mother/daughter; generational trauma.)
I’m extremely excited for the TV adaptation Crave has to offer, although, to be very honest, a part of me wishes to see this live on stage as it was originally intended. Maybe I sound like a parasocial freak, but it’d be such a dream experience to fly to Canada to watch a live canadian play with my fave canadian actor (hudson williams<3)
also imma definitely read this again to see what i missed!
CANADAAAA🇨🇦!- bad bunny, superbowl ‘26
Yes i started reading this because of Hudson Williams (that’s dada!) being casted as Henry, but as soon as I learned that it was a mystery thriller originally created for stage, the theater kid in me had to read asap. And I’m so happy I did. Not only was it a quick read, but the story itself leaves the reader fully immersed into this world of (rightfully) evil women and the myths they live and leave behind in this patriarchal world of violence.
I have little to no knowledge about eastern european myths and about the old stories of witches (i guess other than the few history lessons from high school AP euro hist, the salem witch trials, and that one book series i read as a middle schooler, i think it was called the grimm tales (i really liked the hansel & gretel story in that one cuz it was the first time i read abt kids dying rather than living a happy ending.)) But none of that prepared me for the retelling of Baba Yaga’s story. In some ways, i feel dumb and slow for not catching on to some details as i’m reading, but ehh- it was my naivety that made the ending’s surprise so much more fun and intense.
Also, I absolutely adore the assertiveness all these women held throughout the entire story.
and you know what? fucking finally, the rapist in the story dies and gets the true evil he deserves. cuz everyone knows he never dies in real life. enough with these evil men getting redemption arcs where they realize what empathy is and that women and children are human beings- barely learning all that at the grown age of 40. i’m glad that in his last moments of life, he felt the fear of being chased and out of control.
and it leaves the question about these women- are they truly evil? or simply karmic? They protect one another and their community by any means necessary, even when it means murder, all while having real, flawed human relationships with one another (mother/daughter; generational trauma.)
I’m extremely excited for the TV adaptation Crave has to offer, although, to be very honest, a part of me wishes to see this live on stage as it was originally intended. Maybe I sound like a parasocial freak, but it’d be such a dream experience to fly to Canada to watch a live canadian play with my fave canadian actor (hudson williams<3)
also imma definitely read this again to see what i missed!
CANADAAAA🇨🇦!- bad bunny, superbowl ‘26
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2026
I will begin with the disclaimer that yes, like many in the past few days, I picked up this book because of a certain actor's influence. And I am very glad I caved in and did.
I devoured this in an embarrassingly short amount of time while commuting to work, because once I started I just couldn't stop. I was hooked from the get go. When I finished I was slack jawed on public transport. Usually I shy from modern retellings of folklore/mythology, but this was handled so beautifully. Kat Sandler weaves so cleverly together commentary on modern society, intertwined with commentary on the role of mythology/folklore and how it shapes worldviews - specifically on women and womanhood. It's definitely a piece that gets one thinking for a long time after you've read the last line (which holy moly...)
Each of the characters were beautifully imperfect, each with their own motives. The format of this being a play really worked, because of the sheer dramatics of the plot.
You should read this especially if you're someone who loves folklore/myth, horror, the macabre peppered with scathing commentary on how society continues to view women especially in the more so-called subtle and insidious ways. And if you so fancy, read it while listening to Florence + the Machine's Everybody Scream album in the background for added effect.
For now until the release of the screen adaptation, I'm going to re-read it again and again, and perhaps check out Kat Sandler's other work.
Maybe all women are Baba Yaga.
Maybe we are all Yaga. ;)
I devoured this in an embarrassingly short amount of time while commuting to work, because once I started I just couldn't stop. I was hooked from the get go. When I finished I was slack jawed on public transport. Usually I shy from modern retellings of folklore/mythology, but this was handled so beautifully. Kat Sandler weaves so cleverly together commentary on modern society, intertwined with commentary on the role of mythology/folklore and how it shapes worldviews - specifically on women and womanhood. It's definitely a piece that gets one thinking for a long time after you've read the last line (which holy moly...)
Each of the characters were beautifully imperfect, each with their own motives. The format of this being a play really worked, because of the sheer dramatics of the plot.
You should read this especially if you're someone who loves folklore/myth, horror, the macabre peppered with scathing commentary on how society continues to view women especially in the more so-called subtle and insidious ways. And if you so fancy, read it while listening to Florence + the Machine's Everybody Scream album in the background for added effect.
For now until the release of the screen adaptation, I'm going to re-read it again and again, and perhaps check out Kat Sandler's other work.
Maybe all women are Baba Yaga.
Maybe we are all Yaga. ;)
February 21, 2026
like essentially everyone that's been reading this one currently, i started this because i heard that hudson williams was cast in the series adaptation for this. it was just an added plus that the synopsis sounded so intriguing to me. i honestly don't read too many plays (though i love watching them on stage), so sometimes i find the format can take a bit of getting used to, but once i did, this was such a fun ride.
i love a bit of legend. i love a bit of lore. and i especially love feminine rage and anything that brings focus or critiques traditional gender roles and expectations for women (especially in terms of folklore). this play has all of that in spades. a cast of some fun, mysterious characters with some great dialogue.
admittedly, i do think that this would be more effective if i actually SAW it performed. sometimes i can't really see or feel the true essence of a script unless i see how it's interpreted on stage or through the screen...but that's also why i feel like this will make a really fantastic adaptation if done right. there's a lot to work with and i'm really excited to see how it all plays out in the adaptation!!
3.5/5
i love a bit of legend. i love a bit of lore. and i especially love feminine rage and anything that brings focus or critiques traditional gender roles and expectations for women (especially in terms of folklore). this play has all of that in spades. a cast of some fun, mysterious characters with some great dialogue.
admittedly, i do think that this would be more effective if i actually SAW it performed. sometimes i can't really see or feel the true essence of a script unless i see how it's interpreted on stage or through the screen...but that's also why i feel like this will make a really fantastic adaptation if done right. there's a lot to work with and i'm really excited to see how it all plays out in the adaptation!!
3.5/5
February 21, 2026
Did I read this book because of Hudson Williams? Yes, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
I loved this book because it includes elements I personally enjoy — small-town mystery, detectives, and folklore — such an interesting combination. Hopefully, a series adaptation will allow them to explore each character in greater depth. While reading the book, I understood why Hudson said yes to this, and I trust him to portray Henry well.
I loved this book because it includes elements I personally enjoy — small-town mystery, detectives, and folklore — such an interesting combination. Hopefully, a series adaptation will allow them to explore each character in greater depth. While reading the book, I understood why Hudson said yes to this, and I trust him to portray Henry well.
February 19, 2026
i havent read a play since like high school drama class but this actually made me miss it & want to do scene work is that insane yes it is
February 20, 2026
This is such a page-turner! Fast-paced, funny, fantastical. This is my introduction to Kat Sandler and I can't wait to read all her other works.
February 21, 2026
I know I don’t have to mention why I picked this book up, we all know. That said, I enjoyed this thoroughly, as someone who has ALWAYS loved folklore, myths, and witches. Baba Yaga has always been there, shaping my imagination.
I just can’t shake her and I’m not sure that I want to.
I just can’t shake her and I’m not sure that I want to.
February 21, 2026
read this book because of hudson and i don’t regret it, it was really good even though it’s not my usual genre
January 27, 2021
LOVED THIS.
Girl power to the MAX. Is it a little twisted? Sure. But, I loved it. This is crazy relevant right now and I hope more companies decide to produce this show!
Girl power to the MAX. Is it a little twisted? Sure. But, I loved it. This is crazy relevant right now and I hope more companies decide to produce this show!
February 21, 2026
Just like everybody else, I can’t seem to escape the mass psychosis that is Heated Rivalry so when either Hudson Williams or Connor Storrie drops news about their next project, best believe I’ll be in the front row.
This play is such an intricate story, interlaced with elements of female rage, superstition, and magic. It really made me reflect on how women are so often painted as villains in fairytales and, honestly, in real life too. My favourite line has to be: “Women? Oh, we are angry about everything.” It’s sharp, biting, and painfully true.
What I especially loved was how the story balances its darker themes with moments of dark humour. There’s something haunting about the atmosphere Kat Sandler creates.
Since this is being adapted into a show, I’m really excited to see how this world will be expanded on screen and I’m unbelievably excited to watch Hudson showcase his range in this project 🙂↕️ I just know he’s going to deliver.
This play is such an intricate story, interlaced with elements of female rage, superstition, and magic. It really made me reflect on how women are so often painted as villains in fairytales and, honestly, in real life too. My favourite line has to be: “Women? Oh, we are angry about everything.” It’s sharp, biting, and painfully true.
What I especially loved was how the story balances its darker themes with moments of dark humour. There’s something haunting about the atmosphere Kat Sandler creates.
Since this is being adapted into a show, I’m really excited to see how this world will be expanded on screen and I’m unbelievably excited to watch Hudson showcase his range in this project 🙂↕️ I just know he’s going to deliver.
February 19, 2026
I love a Baba Yaga story and I adore this interpretation of the different elements of the tale. Twist after twist kept it lively, and I’m really looking forward to the screen adaptation. Reading a play is a very different experience from seeing it live, but the comedy, sensuality, mystery, and mystical elements came alive on the page, a testament to the playwright’s skill. One drawback was that I would have liked to see a little more exploration of the sexuality of the older women in this story. There were allusions to sexual desire and desirability in some of the monologue, but it would be nice to see it fleshed out a little more. This is an interesting and important element of the myth.
Additionally, I want to hear more about Baba’s loneliness. The idea that she kept her supplicants coming back because she wanted company is heartbreaking and I would love to explore that a little more too.
Overall, this was a great and enjoyable read. I support women’s rights and especially women’s wrongs.
Additionally, I want to hear more about Baba’s loneliness. The idea that she kept her supplicants coming back because she wanted company is heartbreaking and I would love to explore that a little more too.
Overall, this was a great and enjoyable read. I support women’s rights and especially women’s wrongs.
February 21, 2026
3.5/5⭐️
lo leí por influencia de hudson williams? si. sin embargo, agradezco completamente porque me gustó un montón.
es una lectura súper amena que engancha desde el principio. creo que lo leí en tres horas porque me atrapó completamente. hubo partes en las que me reí y partes en las que me indigné.
me encantó la cantidad de plot twist que fueron apareciendo, sobre todo en el segundo acto.
lo leí por influencia de hudson williams? si. sin embargo, agradezco completamente porque me gustó un montón.
es una lectura súper amena que engancha desde el principio. creo que lo leí en tres horas porque me atrapó completamente. hubo partes en las que me reí y partes en las que me indigné.
me encantó la cantidad de plot twist que fueron apareciendo, sobre todo en el segundo acto.
February 21, 2026
hudson williams you’re going to thrive in this
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews