To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth

Here is a summary with spoilers for To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth 

Dymitr is ready to move on and find a way to get his soul back. He is tired of going to different places to feel people’s pain, as that is the only way for him to live now. When he goes to meet Baba Jaga, she demands that Dymitr kill 33 Knights of the Holy Order to complete their bargain, but the first death must be his own grandmother, Joanna.

Dymitr knows that he will need help, so he goes to his friend Ala, the zmora, who agrees to help and travel to Poland with him. She is especially interested because she now has an opportunity to retrieve the book of curses from her own family.

Meanwhile, Niko has been given a new mission: to hunt down a woman nicknamed the Razor, or Marzena Myśliwiec, an important Order member and someone the knights greatly fear. He makes his way to Poland, and by pure chance runs into Dymitr and Ala. He tells Dymitr that he is there to kill the Razor, and Dymitr has to tell him not to. Dymitr panics, because he believes Niko is not ready to take her down. Niko then finds out that the Razor is actually Dymitr’s mother. Niko tells him that just because the two had a brief relationship, it doesn’t mean he will abandon his mission.

Dymitr and Ala return to his home, and it is tense and awkward as his family has not seen him in some time. Not only that, but he was once a warrior and now is partially stripped of that identity. They don’t know what to do with him. On top of the awkwardness, Dymitr’s sister, Elza, isn’t sure what to think about him either. She once idolized her brother, but now she starts to question many things.

While Dymitr is with his family, Ala takes the opportunity to sneak into his old room to retrieve the book of curses. Not only will this help Ala, but it is also the key to Dymitr’s new path so he no longer has to live in pain and can heal.

There is one snag in the plan: Ala gets captured, forcing Dymitr and Niko to create a rescue plan to get her back.

Dymitr and Niko’s paths intertwine while they are both on their missions, but the two end up choosing each other over their goals. This leads to Dymitr visiting Baba Jaga once again. Her new bargain is that he must break 32 curses, and his soul will be fully healed. He agrees. But then she says that the first curse can be broken if he protects her grandson, to which Dymitr replies that he is already planning to do so.

All recovered and back in Chicago, they begin to make their next plans.