The Bear and the Nightingale

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