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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Ok read. Kind of weird, kind of magicky. The snowy Russian setting made it a good book to read in the winter but never got all that invested in the storyline or characters.
The entire book is so hauntingly beautiful; very much reads like a fairytale!
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a reread. When I read this book for the first time, I was slightly disappointed. I liked the next two novels in the trilogy much better.
Returning now to the start after having grown to love Vasya and Morozko, I enjoyed the pace and the set up and the foreshadowing.
I'm bumping my rating from 3.5 to 4.25.
Returning now to the start after having grown to love Vasya and Morozko, I enjoyed the pace and the set up and the foreshadowing.
I'm bumping my rating from 3.5 to 4.25.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
good soup. VERY good soup. also Morozko had me giggling and kicking my feet. teehee…
This book just wasn’t for me unfortunately. I found it difficult to connect to the characters which made me disassociate a lot which is why I had to keep putting the book down. The storyline and the concept was good but it just wasn’t for me.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this book - it practically read itself. The story was magical, an amalgam of ideas from Russian folklore adapted beautifully
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Bear and the Nightingale is a rewriting of a Russian folk tale, told first by the fire by an old grandmother. A girl is wooed by winter and wins treasure, but when a jealous/greedy mother sends her daughter to the woods in hopes of the same treasure, the girl is left to freeze.
The rest of the book is a tale full of door trolls, barn guardians, river nymphs and witches.
Vasya is the youngest daughter of Pyotyr and Marina, a large, well-off family that owns land and wealth in the North. Vasya has the gift of sight, and can see things others can't. Her mother has this gift too.
A lot happens in the opening: child birth, death, marriages in Moscow, a son joining a monastery, horse training, a fanatical priest, and lots of magic. Also there is a lot of wind and snow.
It's a lovely escape. As I read it, I thought it would make a great graphic novel or manga. The good are very good, and the bad are horrid. It is the first of three books, but stands nicely on its own.
The rest of the book is a tale full of door trolls, barn guardians, river nymphs and witches.
Vasya is the youngest daughter of Pyotyr and Marina, a large, well-off family that owns land and wealth in the North. Vasya has the gift of sight, and can see things others can't. Her mother has this gift too.
A lot happens in the opening: child birth, death, marriages in Moscow, a son joining a monastery, horse training, a fanatical priest, and lots of magic. Also there is a lot of wind and snow.
It's a lovely escape. As I read it, I thought it would make a great graphic novel or manga. The good are very good, and the bad are horrid. It is the first of three books, but stands nicely on its own.