The Witch and the Tsar—the debut novel by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore—is a book with a title that draws you towards it without knowing what the story is about. There is a hint within the title—the tsar—but which one? Here’s another hint: this historical fantasy novel is about two of Russia’s most infamous figures—both from folklore and from history—the witch, Baba Yaga, and Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich IV of Russia, also known as Ivan, the Terrible.