Reviews

The Winter of the Witch, by Katherine Arden

taypoor's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

bezczytu's review against another edition

4.0

chociaż uważam że zakończenie było idealne, wciąż wolę poprzednie dwa tomy. w zimie czarownicy wasia prowadzi akcję całkowicie samodzielnie, przez co "czegoś" mi brakowało. ta pustka nie zaważa jednak na moim odbiorze całej serii i uważam ją za znakomitą i godną polecenia ✨

helena_g_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

⭐️: 4.75/5

“ ‘There are no monsters in the world, and no saints. Only infinite shades woven into the same tapestry, light and dark. One man’s monster is another man’s beloved. The wise know that.’ “

➡️ linear timeline 

👤POV: single person  

🐎 Pace: medium

💭 This story picks up immediately from where the 2nd book ends. 

What I loved:

• Burn the witch!
• Konstantine reminding me of Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame movie
• Tricky demons
• War is coming, picking sides 
• Kinda steamy
• Ded grib, our little buddy
• Morozko, winter king  
• Sergei, chill priest
• Marya, spunky niece 
• Firebird 🐥
• What 👏🏼 an 👏🏼 ending!!
• So much Russian 
• Russian setting
• Fairytale-esque 
• Folklore vs Catholicism 

What I wasn’t a fan of

• Weird pacing
• There’s a moment the character makes a choice that seems very out of place 

Overall, I really liked this book and how the series ended! The pacing, similarly to the first two books could’ve been better, but aside from that it was an enjoyable read. 

⚠️ violence against women, grief, catholic priest

kate_b96's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

5.0

bannedfrombookclub's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

4.5

A solid conclusion to a really solid series that blends early medieval Russian history with Slavic folklore. 

accidentalspaceexplorer's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I really enjoyed this final installment. Vasya was as captivating as always, and I really enjoyed the way the story echoed her struggle to decide what and who she was in the plot. Plus I cried at the end. I'm glad I finished this series!

books_and_baguettes's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

ljjohnson8's review against another edition

5.0

I have to recover a little that this series is over. But, happily, the final book was as beautiful and as satisfying as I could have wished.

What I loved about this book in particular was how much time was spent with the magical creatures of this world. Like the other books, the historical is weaved into the fantastic, and Arden's extraordinary skill makes it all work. She creates this gorgeous atmosphere that is spellbinding.

And her lead character, Vasya, is unforgettable. It's rare to have such a convincing and interesting character and character arc. Vasya grows and changes and I believed her every step of the way. Brother Sasha was another favorite. The bravery and sacrifice of Arden's characters brought me to tears.

I feel sorry for whatever I read next for having to follow this.

mpeach's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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

3.75

snafusium's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0