Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - Zima čarodějnice

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Zima čarodějnice by Katherine Arden

30 reviews

chattie_the_mad_chatter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

On a re-read this is even more incredible than when I first read it.

I love the journey we go with Vasya, it starts with a band then slows down, it took me by surprise but wraps everything up so well.

I love this out of all 3 as it mixes things I enjoy from the first 2, tje conflict between Chereti and the Church, politics, Vasya finding herself. Character growth is brilliant emotions are high and it has made me appreciate mushrooms!

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hanarama's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

Book at a glance:
• Historical fantasy
• Medieval Russia
• Folklore, Witches, and old gods
• Coming of Age
• War
• Final Installment

Again branded as a witch, Vasilisa must escape Moscow. Grieving the death of her stallion, Solovey, she makes her way on the road through midnight.

Mustering forces amongst the chert, Vasilisa soon realizes that she will need to take part in two wars. And unless she can resolve the battle between Morozko and Medved, she will be unable to bring the worlds of the chert and men together to save Russia from the Golden Horde.

What I liked:
Vasya really comes into her power in this book. Embracing her abilities as a witch, she is ready to grow her skills and to fulfill her destiny.

Arden's atmospheric writing makes the threat of dual wars feel grand and epic, larger than life. Based on the real conflict between Dmitry Donskoy and Mamai or the Golden Horde, The Winter of the Witch feels like a historical epic. While the first book felt like a fairytale, this one feels like a legend. Vasya is a hero for the ages.

What I disliked:
While the previous book was mostly downtime, this one feels like it has too little. With the plot coming to a head, there is so much happening that there is little chance to sit and breathe.

Additionally, there are moments where some of the more powerful chert have to spell things out for Vasilisa. With how clever she was through most of the books, and how far she's come, it feels like she should have been able to figure things out without the help.

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stardust_heidi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

5.0

An absolutely riveting conclusion to the Winternight trilogy. Each book got better than the one before it. Vasya is an incredible character, and her grit and determination to set her own course is inspiring. The series ended in a very satisfying manner. The character development is lovely: they are deeply flawed but grow and learn, and it’s…ugh. So good.

The tension between Vasya and Morozko is exquisite. The slow burn of their love is so good and I thought the relationship was written so well.

The scene in the bathhouse and then the push and pull between them after -- when she told him to never give her orders. Y'ALL -- I almost had to scream into a pillow, THAT WAS GOOD SHIT. She's fire and he's ice, and UGH, THEY ARE SO GOOD. It's one of those romances that burns so slow but when it catches you, you can't do anything except burn with it.

Vasya belongs to no one but herself, and I love the way this series explores that theme.

Solovey's death at the beginning SHOOK me, but when he came back at the end -- IT WAS EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED. The way Morozko saved him, like he knew it might be possible, GOD. Let me scream about this forever.

The cast isn’t diverse in terms of sexual orientation or race, but it is diverse in terms of humans and creatures (not sure that’s the best word), etc. I would love to listen to these books in order to hear all the names correctly.

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galactic_gigi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

I‘m not gonna lie, this was a wild ride. Don‘t get me wrong, I loved every single part of this series and finished every book in one sitting! But now I‘m left with this feeling of emptiness, wanting to know more about Vasya and Rus and all the potential stories that could follow while she‘s fully accepting her new role.
I really adored the fact that the people in this series weren’t divided into just good and just bad characters. They were all very well written characters, apart from if I liked them or not. I was able to understand their motivations and feelings and therefore was invested into their storyline.
Throughout the series I really got to know Vasya and I basically watched her growing up and maturing and making mistakes, because even though she has the best intentions she is not able to anticipate every single outcome of her actions. She always stood up for her beliefs, but in this book she was facing her greatest fear and standing up to herself.
The two main conflicts were really interesting and during the second one I was more than once on my toes, hoping and praying that this book wouldn‘t destroy me in the end. It did, but just a little.
It was a delight to read these books and I‘m left a little sad that it’s over. I would love to visit this world again!

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