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drskdsrihari's review
4.0
A very well written fantasy which will make us fall in love with winters in Russia ,a bay stallion Solovey and a tiny mushroom spirit Deb Grib who steals the show in the last book.The transformation of Vasya from a sweet wild child to a queen of the Cheyrti realm was stunning.
Katherine Arden has succeeded in mixing fantasy and Russian folktales with history .The narrative has lush descriptions and beautiful prose. Every character was unforgettable right from the idealist Sasha,the practical homemaker Olga ,the prince Dimitri and even ancient and mad Baba Yaga .
Still,it is not all milk and honey in this historic fantasy .Arden is brutal when she describes patriarchy in Russia and the fate of the women who are forced to manipulate,lie ,act and use their powers of negotiation to preserve their families and pride in a society that hardly gives them their due.The treatment of women who are considered witches is despicable and it always has been so .I have often wondered why they have never had warlocks burned ????
Katherine Arden has succeeded in mixing fantasy and Russian folktales with history .The narrative has lush descriptions and beautiful prose. Every character was unforgettable right from the idealist Sasha,the practical homemaker Olga ,the prince Dimitri and even ancient and mad Baba Yaga .
Still,it is not all milk and honey in this historic fantasy .Arden is brutal when she describes patriarchy in Russia and the fate of the women who are forced to manipulate,lie ,act and use their powers of negotiation to preserve their families and pride in a society that hardly gives them their due.The treatment of women who are considered witches is despicable and it always has been so .I have often wondered why they have never had warlocks burned ????
megarowsey's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
katiemoten's review
5.0
My favourite fantasy series. It's about a girl who doesn't fit in finding her place in the world and the pagan spirits she loves fighting to exist. It's about tolerance and compromise. It's about love of family and country. It's about sacrifice and determination. It's about figuring out what's right and doing it no matter what it costs you personally. It's about acknowledging your flaws and learning from your mistakes. It's evocative and lyrical, featuring complex, contradictory characters, all of whom are allowed to love and fear and be angry and joyful all at once. It's a beautiful story, satisfying without being overlong. It's sweeping and romantic, epic and atmospheric, bittersweet and hopeful. I love everything about it.
sylvia_reads's review
4.0
I saw someone recommending this book on Tumblr, and when I saw it in the library the week after, I knew I had to pick it up.
This book is in some aspect quite different from what I usually read, and in others very much like it.
For one, it is some ‘literary’ fantasy, the fantasy elements are quite ambiguous for a large part of the book. Also, the pacing isn’t as fast as many books I usually read, and the setting is Russia, or what is now Russia, which is not something I know much about. However, apart from the pacing, these elements weren’t a drawback for me.
On the other hand, it is a fantasy book with a female protagonist, which is very much like other books I read.
Speaking about the protagonist, Vasya, I don’t really know what I think about her. I don’t think I really like her, but I can’t really voice why. I think it is because we don’t really see her interacting with other people. She doesn’t really have friends, and she’s just always so serious. I think I would have liked to have a scene where she’s just joking around with someone.
Actually my main reasons for not giving this 5 stars, are Vasya, and the fact that the plot just seemed to be building up towards nothing. Things started going seriously bad only at the very end. I think the stakes could have been set a bit higher a little earlier.
Nevertheless, it was a really enjoying read. The writing-style really fit the story and setting. And while I didn’t like Vasha, I didn’t really dislike her, and the other characters were all very well fleshed out. So I’m really glad I read this book.
This book is in some aspect quite different from what I usually read, and in others very much like it.
For one, it is some ‘literary’ fantasy, the fantasy elements are quite ambiguous for a large part of the book. Also, the pacing isn’t as fast as many books I usually read, and the setting is Russia, or what is now Russia, which is not something I know much about. However, apart from the pacing, these elements weren’t a drawback for me.
On the other hand, it is a fantasy book with a female protagonist, which is very much like other books I read.
Speaking about the protagonist, Vasya, I don’t really know what I think about her. I don’t think I really like her, but I can’t really voice why. I think it is because we don’t really see her interacting with other people. She doesn’t really have friends, and she’s just always so serious. I think I would have liked to have a scene where she’s just joking around with someone.
Actually my main reasons for not giving this 5 stars, are Vasya, and the fact that the plot just seemed to be building up towards nothing. Things started going seriously bad only at the very end. I think the stakes could have been set a bit higher a little earlier.
Nevertheless, it was a really enjoying read. The writing-style really fit the story and setting. And while I didn’t like Vasha, I didn’t really dislike her, and the other characters were all very well fleshed out. So I’m really glad I read this book.
snegurochkaz's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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