The Bear and the Nightingale book review

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Series: Winternight Trilogy #1
Published by Del Rey Books on January 10, 2017
Pages: 323
Goodreads

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.
And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.
As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

The Bear and the Nightingale has cemented itself as one of my favourite books of the year and I cannot wait to read the sequel. This book was the perfect subtle fantasy that was just the right speed for me and I feel as though I read it just at the perfect time. There is a great mix of Russian folklore and brilliant characters, I loved every part of the story and the way everything ended up, I definitely think the sequel has a lot to live up to if it even wants to come close!

I really loved the characters in this one. I loved Vasilisa and the way she acted all the way through The Bear and the Nightingale, it was a great look at how the dynamics worked especially with her step-mother. I think I enjoyed the idea that two people who were in the perfect situation to help each were so opposed to that idea, it added the right amount of drama and I could appreciate them both from two different stances. This might be an unpopular opinion but I actually ended up really feeling for the step-mother, I could feel her desperation through the page and I wanted her to come to terms with herself and all that meant. I really wanted a happy ending for her and the way she saw herself and her life. This was perfectly done in my opinion.

I think the best bits of The Bear and the Nightingale would definitely be the type of fantasy, for once there is a fantasy that doesn’t surround action, assassins and violence. It’s a lot more subtle than that with the focus being on folklore and I really appreciated the change in pace, I loved learning about the different tales and the superstitions that plagued the locals. I think it was a wonderful book, with some really amazing characters, I was frustrated and rooting for them all.

There weren’t a lot of worst bits in The Bear and the Nightingale but the only thing I will say is that some of it did become a little repetitive at times and I wondered what the point of that was, especially when it didn’t seem to add an awful lot to the story. The other bit for me would be all the names, I think this is a “me thing” rather than a book thing but it was irritating all the same. I found it really difficult to keep track of the names of everyone and the different creatures that haunt the town and the houses.

I would recommend The Bear and the Nightingale in an absolute heartbeat, this book was a revelation and I cannot wait for the sequel especially if we get to learn more about the characters and the different folklore. This book broke me, and I thought the ending was really well done. It is definitely one of my favourite books of the year!

Have you read The Bear and the Nightingale? Did you enjoy it? Let me know what you thought in the comments!