The Bear and the Nightingale

This book is magical in a way that makes you feel something profound. There's Russian folklore tied in, a kickass heroine, and a great villain. It's a wintery coming-of-age story about a girl named Vasya who harbors secret gifts and has to grapple with them and what her stepmother does to her family. It's truly a fantastical book with vivid and eloquent storytelling.

The best audiobook I've ever listened too (Yes, imo it was even better than Harry Potter).

Also the best book I've read so far this year. I have borrowed a physical copy and will be re-reading that next.

Update: 5/15/17 - just finished my first re-read of this book. Loved it just as much as I did the first time around. Fantastic book!

So I finally got around to reading this one - people have been raving about it all year long. And honestly - I don't see what the fuss is about. It's good, sure. But it's not Girls Made of Snow and Glass, or The Crown's Game, or Uprooted. It's not The Golem and the Jinni. I enjoyed it, but I think the hype is a little undeserved. I am, however, always a sucker for Russian-themed fairytales. (Probably why I liked The Crown's Game and The Crown's Fate so much.) And I am looking forward to the sequel, The Girl in the Tower, which just came out. (I have a hold requested on it from my library.) The third book in the Winternight Trilogy appears to be The Winter of the Witch, and is scheduled to be published in August.

The Bear and the Nightingale is set in Rus - a Russia-like country, but with magic, of course. Vasilisa/Vasya is a granddaughter of a witch, and has some abilities herself. Mostly just the ability to see things that other can't, and to talk to them. Through the course of the book, she avoids an arranged marriage, saves a priest, fights a priest, and tries like hell to save her village from the demons of winter. I loved her tenacity, and her love for the old spirits. The description of The Winter King and his home was absolutely enchanting. Overall a good book, but a bit overhyped.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

Katherine Arden's debut novel, a Slavic-folktale-inspired historical fantasy set in Rus' in the fourteenth century, is phenomenal. It's the first book I read in 2017 and one of my two favorite new releases, but it's taken me a long time to review it since I don't feel that I can adequately describe this wonderful book and all that it encompasses. The writing is lovely with small details that bring the setting alive, the fairy tale aspects are enchanting, and the characters (especially the main protagonist) are well drawn. It's slow paced and it seemed to take a long time to build to the end, but I very much enjoyed the journey and am looking forward to reading the recently released sequel!

4 1/2 stars

Full Review on My Website

See my full review at The Emerald City Book Review. I opened The Bear and the Nightingale with great anticipation and not a little trepidation; since the trend for fairy-tale fiction exploded some years ago, there have been some brilliant entries in the genre and some derivative duds. Katherine Arden's debut novel looked promising, with its half-magical, half-historical Russian setting and an enticing cover, but what looks good doesn't always turn out to be so in the reading.

Fortunately, from the first pages I was entranced, as Arden quickly led me into a truly wonder-full world, in which the time-honored motif of the mistreated stepdaughter gains new strength and richness through her multi-layered telling. There's so much to discover and enjoy that I'd like to encourage you to just pick it up and explore it for yourself ... but to name a few favorite aspects, I especially appreciated how elements of folklore and myth were treated in a way that brought them to life for modern readers, while feeling genuinely atmospheric and psychologically true. At the same time, the historical setting – a medieval land of wooden huts, wandering monks and tribal machinations – is briefly but convincingly developed through details of life and language.

Toward the end, I found that Arden's storytelling weakened a bit. The villains became more one-sided and less interesting, and the battles with monsters started to feel too much like a video-game slugfest for my personal taste. I'm hoping that in the sequels (and yes! there will be sequels!) she'll carry the skill she shows so amply in the buildup of this story through to the very last pages. I will definitely be watching for her next effort with great interest, and confidence that this time my expectations will be rewarded.

I will freely admit to picking up this book solely due to the beautiful cover. I can see why some people adore this book, but I never fell in love with the characters or their stories. There was enough plot resolution at the end of this book that I am ambivalent about what happens in the rest of the trilogy.

The Bear and the Nightingale is an unexpected book. First, it has a world of its own. Second, its' unpredictably predictable.

However, sometimes it gets hard to read it. Especially if you are not familiar with some worlds. I think the author didn't explain well how this world works. I also felt that at the beginning of the book it is a bit boring.

Overall it is an amazing book!

Well, if that wasn't the perfect YA book than I don't know what could aspire to such title. Of course, it is just my personal opinion, but I'm a little bit in awe.

It is not a long book, but the story is stretched over 14 years. Can you imagine that? Not your usual YA novel. And I can only sing praises on how good it has been accomplished. The plot is rich with the details, but it is also fast-paced and gripping.

What's more, we get so many characters here. Some of them good. Some not so much. But all good written nonetheless. I really loved that we've got a point of view changed a few times in a chapter, it never let me get bored. But what I liked the most - all of them were reasonable. There wasn't hatred just for the hatred - they all had their reasons.

As for the main character, I'm just want to stand and applaud. Can you imagine the book, where a girl is truly not concerned what she looks like? Well, you don't need to imagine it anymore. Here is the book about such a girl. And even more. She is brave, but she is not stupidly brave. She has a brain and even knows how to use it. But you know what is even more surprising? She knows where it is better to stop talking.

One more good thing about this book - there wasn't a love triangle. To tell the truth, the romance is practically non-existent here, except for a tiny hint at it closer to the end of the book. However, I liked it that way as there were enough troubles without additional complications.

One more important thing in this book is the setting. The writer did a really great job of capturing the Russian folklore. Trust me, that's a truly great feat for a foreigner as I've grown up with the stories of Morozko and other peculiarities of Slavic tales.

By the way, there is no cliffhanger at the end of the first book (or almost not a cliffhanger), so it is more or less complete story. However, I have no idea if the second book ends in the same way. Therefore, I will not start the next installment in the trilogy right now. I prefer to wait until the last book will come out.

Let me start by saying Katherine Arden is a really nice person who even comes into town a day early for conventions because local bookstores tweet at her to come visit. Really cool person who has clearly done a ton of research into Russian mythology and folklore. Definitely my favorite part of the book is the coexistence of household spirits and Christianity. I think a lot of stories end up firmly on one side or the other, but Arden's story (while clearly supportive of the chyerti) firmly favors the idea that both can be true.

Anna is the most interesting character in my opinion. The difference in being born with the Sight and told “these are normal things” and “these are demons” is portrayed with skill and makes her a fascinating if tragic character. Honestly, I'd reread this story from her perspective.

While it was a slow starter (I see Arden setting up Russian politics for the second book, but it was hard to get through to actually hear Vasya's beginning), I think this is one of those books aimed at a YA audience that successfully translates for older readers. Not sure when I'll get to the sequel, but it was a fun read reminiscent of Tamara Pierce with a Russian twist.

I didn't read the blurb before diving in, and for that I am most grateful; it is a gross misrepresentation of what is an enjoyable Eastern European fairytale stretched out and given life. This novel is what Naomi Novik's Uprooted should have been, what I wanted it to be: a fairy tale made real, one that feels real and nuanced and adult and has layers.

And a good dose of religion, because you all know I love a religion-based fantasy. Highly recommend.

I had been meaning to read this book for some time, so I'm glad that I finally got around to it. The book was very whimsical and fantastical, but also dark and bleak at times. It has the feel of a fairy tale, but without the predictiveness and formularity. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters.

This took me incredibly long for such a short little book and not for the good reasons...

Out in a Russian forest the local leader's daughter is a bit different. She just seems to be magical, always a bit wild. When she gets a mad stepmother who shuns the honouring of the local supernatural, things just go wrong and the girl, Vasya needs to persevere as the only person who keeps them safe through keeping the traditions.

Russia is a setting that just attracts me. Never been to the country, don't speak the language, I've never had a mysterious, passionate lover from Russia, but the whole aesthetic is just my thing. I love it. Not gonna lie, that was the reason why I really wanted to read this book and nothing could stop me, not even the doubt of it not being so brilliant at the end.
Spoiler alert (in case you are not seeing my rating), it actually wasn't brilliant to me.
Part of it is not using the creatures too much. Seriously, when someone dips into lore so rich, so interesting and great, then they SHOULD actually use it all properly, instead of bringing it a bit in, then kind of... not developing on any of it at all.
We get no explanation about anything. Why is Vasya (and her dead mother) so magical? What's the point?? There was a conflict with the creatures and it is still all so vague. Something so underdeveloped makes me feel like the author didn't really know what to do with all the cool things, they just sounded nice and she threw them together.

My another big bunch of issues with it is the whole fairytale aspect. Not the fact it is there, I love stories like that, I adore the whimsical feel and the wonder, but the style has its drawbacks.
One I find here is that while you can suspend your disbelief and just roll with certain thing in a streamlined little story, those things kick you in the teeth in hundreds of pages of stuff. Characters acting ridiculous, tropes, all those things get more annoying if the story is longer, because there is no reason to just leave them like that. There is room to work with stuff!!!
Another here was the writing. I am going to be nitpicky when the style is supposed to be something like this. If you are so careful, then be that properly. Stop using ‘milling' and ‘vaulting' a million times, please!!!!!!! This is becoming something that annoys me so much, the uncaring writing. It's not that hard to avoid it. Even in just a text editor you can search for a certain word.

This connects to the fairytale aspects as well; characters. Those characters are simply written for a reason, they are limited by the genre and it makes sense. If you want to send a clear message to kids listening to you, then it makes sense to simplify. But here we got a way too “amazing” and infallibly perfect protagonist and nothing at all in case of the others. Not even the supernaturals, even thought they could have been something interesting.
I also dislike the obvious disdain for normal people. The main character's older sister is normal. She marries and after that nobody gives a shit about her even existing. Same goes to one of the older brothers. It's such a juvenile way of thinking; you are nothing if you are not irresponsible and wild. Being normal means you are nothing and you might as well just disappear. I have no issue with the protagonist thinking this, but here she is being sold as the perfect mindset, as someone who is always right.

Disappointment, honestly. I really need something that I can enjoy a lot now, because I seem to be in a mood of picking up books I end up not liking at all. I don't know what's happening.

Good night and pass me the vodka.

Magisch, onderdompelend sprookje, dat tegelijkertijd geruststellend vertrouwd als sprankelend nieuw aanvoelt.

I would walk into the jaws of hell itself, if it were a path of my own choosing. I would rather die tomorrow in the forest than live a hundred years of the life appointed me.

Ondanks de premisse van een sprookje, is het hoofdpersonage Vasya allesbehalve zoals de volgzame jonkvrouwen uit die verhalen. Ze is volledig haar eigen persoon en weigert zich te onderwerpen aan vals rechtvaardige mannen. Ze is fel en onbevreesd, en door volledig zichzelf te zijn ontsteekt ze de magie in de wereld om haar heen.

De overige personages kunnen als de gebruikelijke cast uit sprookjes worden bestempeld, doch de auteur ze één voor één, met schijnbaar weinig moeite, toch uniek en echt weet te maken.

There was a time, not long ago when flowers grew all year, when days were long and nights star-strewn and men lived free from fear

De schrijfstijl is bijzonder lyrisch, sfeervol en meeslepend.
Je wordt volledig ondergedompeld in traag kabbelende proza, dat het verhaal en de wereld waarin het zich afspeelt op elegante wijze van de grond opbouwt. De auteur weet alles niet alleen elegant, maar ook nog eens enorm beeldend over te brengen, zodat je het verhaal werkelijk voor je geestesoog ziet afspelen.

Dit boek nam mij volledig mee op avontuur en deed me bijna geloven dat het vroor dat het kraakte en dat ik de stilte van de sneeuw ervoer.
Dikke aanrader voor fans van Naomi Novik's Uprooted en Spinning Silver.

I actually won an arc of this here before it came out. I finally read it! I kept it on my shelf through many unhauls, and I'm so glad I did! This book is amazing. The characters and the folklore just pulled me in from the start. This is one of those slow burn reads that you just want to take your time and savor. I loved it! I have already ordered finished copies of all three books.

Full review on my blog: https://vicsense.wordpress.com/2018/01/17/the-bear-and-the-nightingale-winternight-1/

Vasya, short for Vasilisa, borrows her name from the famous fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful” but, has a very different adventure than her namesake. Unlike the original, Vasya isn't a gorgeous maiden who finds herself in Baba Yaga's hut. This Vasya is a little girl, shunned by her village and stepmother for being a ‘witch', a ‘devil's child'. Vasya inherited her grandmother's gift and can see the spirits of the old world. Being the only one in her village who cares about the creatures, she uses all of her strength to maintain them, even though the priest does everything in his power to control and ‘tame' her. Vasya learns from the spirits how to swim like a fish, talk to horses and run like the wind. Her inhuman abilities scare the villagers even more, especially because she is a girl, and girls shouldn't be able to ride horses like a war lord does.

Vasya is a modern woman, stuck in medieval Russia. She doesn't want to marry, she doesn't want to go to a convent, and she certainly doesn't obey the men in her life. She is strong and independent, traits not often found in that era. When Vasya forms an alliance of sorts with the Frost King, Morozko, it is one of balance and respect. He doesn't force her to obey him, and she doesn't try to control him.

Vasya was a wonderful heroine and I was rooting for her throughout. The setting of the book was magical and I felt as though I was in medieval Russia as well.

Overall, “The Bear and the Nightingale” is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys fairy tales and old world magic.

The cover is what first drew me to this book, months ago when I added it to my GR wishlist. Soon after I heard it was inspired by Russian folklore, which only intrigued me further. Some reviews came in from GR and YT, which made me more and more interested. Finally, I was gifted a gorgeous edition for Christmas and decided to pick The Bear and the Nightingale up after at least a year.

This is a fantastical historical fiction novel set in 14th century Russia. I found the fairy tale-esque writing style to be captivating and really set the tone of the story well. The book follows Vasya, a young girl who can see spirits in the world around her. This greatly complicates her life as she grows older and becomes one of the only people in her village to believe. Branded a witch, Vasya has to step up and protect her family from dangers only she knows exist.

I was surprised by the length of this tale, as I was reading it as an ebook borrowed from the library and could not see the thickness of the novel in my hands. So much happens in this book, it's almost impossible to recount it all.

I found this book enchanting, and it gave me the same feelings as reading North Child by Edith Pattou. It would be fair to say that the worldbuilding and atmosphere are really what set this book apart from others. While Vasya as a character was admirable and inspires a lot of love from the reader, the cold and creepy atmosphere that creeps in throughout the book kept me absorbed in the pages as I read.