This was steeped in folklore and a desperate search for belonging. Dira has struggled to fit in with what her family and village has wanted from her since she was a small girl. Her reluctance to kill the polar bears they share the land with has gotten her into more trouble than she could have imagined. Being held responsible for something so horrible at such a young age has shaped her entire world with a sense of tolerance rather than acceptance. A betrayal from her best friend and brother, on top of the loss of an entire family is enough to make her want to run.
Dira follows the polar bear she saw as a child, and that she saved by the beach...because somehow, he's a man in a polar bear skin cloak, and he's beckoning her to follow. She's taken miles across the ice by her polar bear and wakes up alone in a strange place. Looking for her bear, she finds the man, Valemon, bringing her food and clothes.
As they live along side one another, Dira is desperate for answers, and she keeps pushing until she gets them, good or bad. Valemon is secretive, for good reason. As time goes on, they begin to depend on one another for company and a need to be seen so deep that Dira can't believe how much she needs this man she just met to just stay with her.
Dira has opportunities to go home and doesn't take them, which sets into motion a series of events that will lead them both to discovery, love, and a seemingly unbreakable curse. I could not put this down. It was so enthralling and magical from the start.