Ok, so this one comes with a warning: I had to read through my tears, it was THAT good.
It all starts when you, the reader, suspect long before the main character, Marinka, that' s she's dead, and you know she doesn't know it. Her grandmother, Baba Yaga, admonishes her not to go past the bone gate. She's not to interact with the living. She's supposed to help Baba guide the spirits of the dead each night into the Gate, but not discuss her own dreams -- dreams living girls have, but dead, ghostly ones probably shouldn't, because, well, they can't possibly come true, can they?
And then she does something terribly selfish, and her Baba must sacrifice herself to help a spirit through the Gate, and Marinka is left alone with only the House, a lamb, and her jackdaw. She's got to reach out to others, and when she does, it's not always to the right people.
In the process, she makes many poor decisions, but learns her House loves her, even after she tricks it terribly. She even finds a few living souls who will care about and for her, despite all her flaws.
An excellent read!
