The Bear and the Nightingale
Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale is the first book in her Winternight trilogy and she draws readers into a world of fascinating Russian folklore.
After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother Anna forbids her new family from honouring the household spirits. But more hinges upon these rituals than anyone knows. Crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. As danger circles, Vasilisa must call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.
I’m not as well read with Russian lore as I am with other countries, so not only did I like the story itself, but also I learned a great deal about Russian folklore, fairy tales, and Russian customs and traditions. It was enlightening to see the conflict between Catholicism and the rituals for household spirits. Anna’s deep desire to see these “demons” cast out was so strong, I can see why Vasilisa was fearful of what would happen to not only her home, but the village, once the new priest began to preach the same message.
I loved reading Vasilisa’s time spent on horseback. Her connection with the creatures leapt off the pages. I chuckled when I read how her betrothed felt shamed when she bested him on his own horse, so much so that he ran home with his tail between his legs. While in the care of Morozko, the blue-eyed winter demon, she is given Solovey, a beautiful horse, as a companion. Together, they save Vasilisa’s village from The Bear.
Vasilisa’s friendship—and possible relationship—with Morozko had barely begun at the end of The Bear, so I am excited to read more about how the winter demon and this wild woman continue to influence one another.
Adren’s ability to jump from perspective to perspective throughout the book is commendable. While she does mainly focus on Vasilisa, readers also see this story through her father’s eyes, her housekeeper’s, her older brother’s, Anna’s, and the priest’s. I’m eager to see if this theme will continue in the second book, when we meet her older siblings, Sasha and Olga, once again.
This dark, winter-blown tale will dazzle readers who love to curl up on a cold night with a good book.
The Bear and the Nightingale Rating: ★★★★★
After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother Anna forbids her new family from honouring the household spirits. But more hinges upon these rituals than anyone knows. Crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. As danger circles, Vasilisa must call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.
I’m not as well read with Russian lore as I am with other countries, so not only did I like the story itself, but also I learned a great deal about Russian folklore, fairy tales, and Russian customs and traditions. It was enlightening to see the conflict between Catholicism and the rituals for household spirits. Anna’s deep desire to see these “demons” cast out was so strong, I can see why Vasilisa was fearful of what would happen to not only her home, but the village, once the new priest began to preach the same message.
I loved reading Vasilisa’s time spent on horseback. Her connection with the creatures leapt off the pages. I chuckled when I read how her betrothed felt shamed when she bested him on his own horse, so much so that he ran home with his tail between his legs. While in the care of Morozko, the blue-eyed winter demon, she is given Solovey, a beautiful horse, as a companion. Together, they save Vasilisa’s village from The Bear.
Vasilisa’s friendship—and possible relationship—with Morozko had barely begun at the end of The Bear, so I am excited to read more about how the winter demon and this wild woman continue to influence one another.
Adren’s ability to jump from perspective to perspective throughout the book is commendable. While she does mainly focus on Vasilisa, readers also see this story through her father’s eyes, her housekeeper’s, her older brother’s, Anna’s, and the priest’s. I’m eager to see if this theme will continue in the second book, when we meet her older siblings, Sasha and Olga, once again.
This dark, winter-blown tale will dazzle readers who love to curl up on a cold night with a good book.
The Bear and the Nightingale Rating: ★★★★★