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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The bear and the nightingale is rich in Russian folklore. Some of the pronunciations tripped me as an English reader. There's no complicated politics. It does take a while to get into it, but the first in a series usually sets the scene, builds the world. I will be reading book #2.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’ve never hated a reading experience more
3.25 Stars!
This one was actually quite difficult for me to rate, mainly because I haven't read anything quite like it before, and I'm still not sure about how I feel about it as a whole.
So, the synopsis is rather vague, which is probably necessary because I think that it would be really hard to pin down exactly what this story is about in a couple of sentences. There is a rather large cast of characters, but not in the traditional sense of the word. It's not that there are a lot of characters - there's probably an average amount - but the thing is that we read from almost all of their perspectives throughout the book due to its omniscient narration. Now, this has both its benefits and its disadvantages. As for the benefits, it means that we get to see inside the heads of multiple characters, which is necessary to tell this kind of story as I don't think that it would have worked if we'd just read from Vasya's perspective. On the other hand, it was slightly disorientating to jump from the head of one character to another to another within the space of a few sentences, at times.
One thing to definitely be aware of is that this is definitely a book meant to be read slowly, so if you're looking for a super-engaging and/or fast-paced story, then this is not the one for you. It will take time, and it does pay off, but it definitely takes its time to get there, and the first 100 or so pages did feel quite tedious.
Vasya was enjoyable as a character, I appreciated her optimistic outlook and complete and utter stubbornness. She knows what she wants, and she's not afraid to say so, which made it really easy to cheer her on. I also enjoyed reading about her siblings as they were all interesting in their own ways, and I look forward to seeing what Katherine Arden does with them in the next few installments. As for the other characters, there were a lot of sinister forces out there that were terrifying for different reasons, which made for a very layered story that balanced personal fear well with a larger-scale threat.
The magic was really well-done, nice and subtle and not overused, which was different to a lot of magic-infused worlds that I'm used to seeing. Don't get me wrong, I love those too, it's why I read so much fantasy, but seeing it playing out different here was refreshing.
Be warned, a lot of this book is very bleak and uncomfortable, which can be a lot to try and handle at times, but there are light moments splashed in here and there (plus, as I mentioned, Vasya's optimism) that prevent it from being totally despairing. I did struggle with the actions of some of the characters at times, especially in the darker moments though.
Overall: A rich and intriguing fantasy which can be very dark and uncomfortable and struggles with pacing, at times.
This one was actually quite difficult for me to rate, mainly because I haven't read anything quite like it before, and I'm still not sure about how I feel about it as a whole.
So, the synopsis is rather vague, which is probably necessary because I think that it would be really hard to pin down exactly what this story is about in a couple of sentences. There is a rather large cast of characters, but not in the traditional sense of the word. It's not that there are a lot of characters - there's probably an average amount - but the thing is that we read from almost all of their perspectives throughout the book due to its omniscient narration. Now, this has both its benefits and its disadvantages. As for the benefits, it means that we get to see inside the heads of multiple characters, which is necessary to tell this kind of story as I don't think that it would have worked if we'd just read from Vasya's perspective. On the other hand, it was slightly disorientating to jump from the head of one character to another to another within the space of a few sentences, at times.
One thing to definitely be aware of is that this is definitely a book meant to be read slowly, so if you're looking for a super-engaging and/or fast-paced story, then this is not the one for you. It will take time, and it does pay off, but it definitely takes its time to get there, and the first 100 or so pages did feel quite tedious.
Vasya was enjoyable as a character, I appreciated her optimistic outlook and complete and utter stubbornness. She knows what she wants, and she's not afraid to say so, which made it really easy to cheer her on. I also enjoyed reading about her siblings as they were all interesting in their own ways, and I look forward to seeing what Katherine Arden does with them in the next few installments. As for the other characters, there were a lot of sinister forces out there that were terrifying for different reasons, which made for a very layered story that balanced personal fear well with a larger-scale threat.
The magic was really well-done, nice and subtle and not overused, which was different to a lot of magic-infused worlds that I'm used to seeing. Don't get me wrong, I love those too, it's why I read so much fantasy, but seeing it playing out different here was refreshing.
Be warned, a lot of this book is very bleak and uncomfortable, which can be a lot to try and handle at times, but there are light moments splashed in here and there (plus, as I mentioned, Vasya's optimism) that prevent it from being totally despairing. I did struggle with the actions of some of the characters at times, especially in the darker moments though.
Overall: A rich and intriguing fantasy which can be very dark and uncomfortable and struggles with pacing, at times.
I really liked this book! It was quite slow in the beginning, and there were a lot of names (a LOT) to keep track of, but it was really well written and it really felt like reading an old fairy tale.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to love this one, i’ve had it in my tbr for so long, like years, and i finally got to it but unfortunately i didn’t enjoy it as much as i wanted.
I know it’s a trilogy so the first book i expected it to be introductory but it took it to the next level of introductions, almost 70% of the story was getting to know the main character, we literally follow her since before she was born until she’s around 14 years old where the main story happens.
The amount of characters in this is already difficult to follow but what made it more challenging was the use of almost 3 names for the same character; now i know this is common for russian background but it was very hard to follow (the glossary at the end could have been at the beginning for a more accessible use).
At the very end of the story it got so good, it was exactly what i wanted, Vasya is a very interesting and unique character and i really would’ve loved to get more of her final arc but i guess that’s going to be in book 2 and 3. I really don’t know if i’ll continue it, for now my interest is not really high.
Wow. Just, wow.
This one snuck up on me! For the first quarter of the book I wasn’t quite sold, the back and forth perspectives were confusing to me and the setting hadn’t really materialized in my brain yet. I kept going because I could tell the story was going somewhere and WOW did it go somewhere! This book truly has it all, well rounded characters, extremely fleshed out scenery, and a plot that knows where it’s going and doesn’t take too long to get there.
While I admit it took a minute for the setting to fully become realized in my brain, slowly as I was reading I started to notice a chill that wasn’t there before. I could see the forest with clarity and visualized the architecture so clearly. Katherine Arden is a master of place. By the end of the book I knew exactly where she wanted us and could even smell the world she had built around me. If you’re a person who loves world building, this book is for you.
The characters really shine as well! The many perspectives almost put me off but as you get further into the book the perspectives start to focus in on the ones driving the plot. I feel like everyone was pretty well rounded and I found myself on rooting for each one at different points, even the “villains” in the story. Particularly Anna, I know she really was a bad stepmother but it’s hard to hate her when I know how young she was when she was put in this position against her will. Vasya is obviously the star of the novel and “the chosen one” but I feel there were times I was frustrated with her choices before falling back in love with her. Konstantin was also a tough character because I felt myself wanting him to come around at many points throughout the story.
This book is the first in a trilogy and I can’t wait to read the others, this was such a strong opening and I hope the rest is just as good!
This one snuck up on me! For the first quarter of the book I wasn’t quite sold, the back and forth perspectives were confusing to me and the setting hadn’t really materialized in my brain yet. I kept going because I could tell the story was going somewhere and WOW did it go somewhere! This book truly has it all, well rounded characters, extremely fleshed out scenery, and a plot that knows where it’s going and doesn’t take too long to get there.
While I admit it took a minute for the setting to fully become realized in my brain, slowly as I was reading I started to notice a chill that wasn’t there before. I could see the forest with clarity and visualized the architecture so clearly. Katherine Arden is a master of place. By the end of the book I knew exactly where she wanted us and could even smell the world she had built around me. If you’re a person who loves world building, this book is for you.
The characters really shine as well! The many perspectives almost put me off but as you get further into the book the perspectives start to focus in on the ones driving the plot. I feel like everyone was pretty well rounded and I found myself on rooting for each one at different points, even the “villains” in the story. Particularly Anna, I know she really was a bad stepmother but it’s hard to hate her when I know how young she was when she was put in this position against her will. Vasya is obviously the star of the novel and “the chosen one” but I feel there were times I was frustrated with her choices before falling back in love with her. Konstantin was also a tough character because I felt myself wanting him to come around at many points throughout the story.
This book is the first in a trilogy and I can’t wait to read the others, this was such a strong opening and I hope the rest is just as good!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes