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4.49 AVERAGE
4.49 AVERAGE
A book where right after I finished I felt complete satisfaction, followed by longing for the world built. It's a perfect trilogy but would be ecstatic for more books end up being added to the series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
emotional
inspiring
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
I love this series, and this was the best of the 3. The author handled the nuance of the history, the fantasy, the adventure, and the folklore so well through a likable but flawed and human heroine.
SOLOVEY. everything else is secondary but I did really enjoy this finale.
I’m literally at a loss for words with how beautiful this series is. I will likely be reading this series again. Vasya is such a wonderful, powerful and vibrant MC. Every character (major or minor) and every one of the little spirits in this book are so fleshed out. I thoroughly enjoyed this series.
“You shouldn’t have told them I was a girl. Then they might have believed that I was dangerous.”
“…the three guardians of Russia are a witch, a frost demon and a chaos spirit.” And I loved all three of them so much.
“You shouldn’t have told them I was a girl. Then they might have believed that I was dangerous.”
“…the three guardians of Russia are a witch, a frost demon and a chaos spirit.” And I loved all three of them so much.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
A fantastic conclusion to a fantastic trilogy
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Time to buckle down and once again go at my review backlog. Apologies in advance for the sloppy or haphazard reviews about to spew forth from my keyboard.
This trilogy, to sum up, is worth it. It's a bit of a slow burn in the first book as Arden really sets her stage, with amazingly detailed descriptions of what life was like in medieval Russia, but I think all that set-up is more than worth it for the end product, which was a coming of age adventure about a girl who doesn't want to be put in a cage, any kind of cage, coming into fantastical powers in a time that was dangerous for even just your average woman. The villains were fantastic (especially as the Bear is revisited in this book), the historical detail was so interesting (I don't know much about Russia, actually) and really grounded the story in such a nice way. Most of the main characters in this book were real people, and the real battle that is the climax really, actually happened. I wish I knew more about the real historical figures and circumstances so I could see how Arden played around with them more clearly.
I think I might hate Father Konstantin more than I've ever hated any villain in a book; even more than Dolores Umbridge. He did something here that made me SO UPSET I had to put the book down for two days. I think it's a measure of the author's skill that I didn't blame her, or abandon the book. The terrible thing had a narrative purpose. But seriously, fuck that guy.
I think I might have to buy this series for an eventual re-read, and I am mostly definitely in for whatever else Katherine Arden wants to write.
[4.5 stars]
This trilogy, to sum up, is worth it. It's a bit of a slow burn in the first book as Arden really sets her stage, with amazingly detailed descriptions of what life was like in medieval Russia, but I think all that set-up is more than worth it for the end product, which was a coming of age adventure about a girl who doesn't want to be put in a cage, any kind of cage, coming into fantastical powers in a time that was dangerous for even just your average woman. The villains were fantastic (especially as the Bear is revisited in this book), the historical detail was so interesting (I don't know much about Russia, actually) and really grounded the story in such a nice way. Most of the main characters in this book were real people, and the real battle that is the climax really, actually happened. I wish I knew more about the real historical figures and circumstances so I could see how Arden played around with them more clearly.
I think I might hate Father Konstantin more than I've ever hated any villain in a book; even more than Dolores Umbridge. He did something here that made me SO UPSET I had to put the book down for two days. I think it's a measure of the author's skill that I didn't blame her, or abandon the book. The terrible thing had a narrative purpose. But seriously, fuck that guy.
I think I might have to buy this series for an eventual re-read, and I am mostly definitely in for whatever else Katherine Arden wants to write.
[4.5 stars]
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes