The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
(Winternight Trilogy #1)
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Then she must have a husband," said Dunya simply. "The sooner the better. Frost-demons have no interest in mortal girls wed to mortal men. In the stories, the bird-prince and the wicked sorcerer - they only come for the wild maiden"

I adored this book! There are so many things about it that I loved. It’s so different from the books I’ve been reading lately. I don’t know where to start.

The Russian folklore - all the little fairy folk who live in the house and the Winter King - I love this! I never knew anything about Russian folktales before and now I’m really keen to go and read some actual Russian fairy tales to see what this is based on. I don’t know how accurate they are, but it’s a fantasy novel so who cares? The author can write whatever she wants. It did remind me quite a bit of books by Juliet Marillier and Naomi Novik, but the story is very unique.
I’ve seen other reviews say that it has a slow start, well I didn’t mind that at all. I think it all adds to the story. If you’re used to urban fantasy, which is all action, then yes this is slow, because it’s a different style. It’s a fairy tale style historical fantasy for one thing, but also it’s building a deep and rich story around this whole family. The story begins before Vasya is born and encompasses everyone around her. We see different points of view from a lot of people, including Vasya’s father, the priest, the stepmother and even the Winter King himself. I love that about this book, I thought it was a refreshing style, and it feels very cosy, despite the wintery Russian setting.

The way the author has added in some actual historical elements (from the 13th century I think?) makes it seem very real. There is some real Russian history, there’s a bit of politics, there’s religion and it all ties into the story so well.

I love Vasya, the main character! She’s the kind of girl I wish I’d been growing up. She’s wild, and independent. She goes exploring in the forest, and climbs trees and rides horses instead of staying inside and sewing and cooking like girls are supposed to. Keep in mind, this is historical, so gender bias is very real and present, and a big part of the book. Girls are supposed to do what they’re told, and get married and give their husband sons, the only other option being a convent. Vasya wants freedom and she will do anything to get it.

This book is just so atmospheric and enchanting and magical, I love it so much! It works well as a standalone but of course I’m going to read the next one in the series, the writing is too good not to carry on reading. If you like any type of fantasy, I can’t recommend this highly enough! Read this book!

Thanks for reading!

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