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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received this book from the Goodreads giveaway. Thank you so much. It is my first five-star rated book of the year. I loved the setting in northern Russia and the characters of the novel. Very good.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
I really liked this book. Some parts were slow, but I loved how the author set the scene of rural Russia. It had a good amount of “other worldly” beings for lack of better term that made it interesting in my opinion. I think I sense a love interest happening and I’m really rooting for that. I also feel like a certain antagonist will be back. I’m really looking forward to continuing this trilogy.
3/5 stars
so, the bear and the nightingale is definitely atmospheric—like, you can practically feel the frostbite and hear the wind howling through the trees. the russian folklore vibes are really cool, and vasya is such a fierce and independent protagonist. i loved how the magic was woven into everyday life, and the domovoi (little house spirits) were such a unique touch.
but... i didn’t totally love it. the pacing dragged in parts, especially in the beginning—it felt like forever before things actually started happening. and while i appreciated the dreamy, fairytale writing, sometimes it was a little too much, like it was trying too hard to sound lyrical. also, some of the characters felt flat or just... predictable?
i think it’s a great winter read if you’re into slow-burn fantasy with lots of description, but for me, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. i wanted to like it more than i actually did, which is a little disappointing. that said, i’m curious enough to maybe pick up the sequel—eventually.
so, the bear and the nightingale is definitely atmospheric—like, you can practically feel the frostbite and hear the wind howling through the trees. the russian folklore vibes are really cool, and vasya is such a fierce and independent protagonist. i loved how the magic was woven into everyday life, and the domovoi (little house spirits) were such a unique touch.
but... i didn’t totally love it. the pacing dragged in parts, especially in the beginning—it felt like forever before things actually started happening. and while i appreciated the dreamy, fairytale writing, sometimes it was a little too much, like it was trying too hard to sound lyrical. also, some of the characters felt flat or just... predictable?
i think it’s a great winter read if you’re into slow-burn fantasy with lots of description, but for me, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. i wanted to like it more than i actually did, which is a little disappointing. that said, i’m curious enough to maybe pick up the sequel—eventually.
slow-paced
"There is magic in your bones. You must reckon with it".
Giving this four stars, because I really did enjoy the large majority of it, even though I had my issues with a few pieces of the story. It was a very pleasant surprise for me.
This books stands with a really unique sub-genre to fantasy that seems to be becoming more and more popular. I'm not even really sure what to call it. There are fantasy books that focus mostly on characters, world-building, magic systems ect (Epic or High Fantasy), but then there are books like this. Anybody who has read [b:The Night Circus|9361589|The Night Circus|Erin Morgenstern|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387124618s/9361589.jpg|14245059] by Erin Morgenstern, or Neil Gaiman's [b:The Ocean at the End of the Lane|15783514|The Ocean at the End of the Lane|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1351914778s/15783514.jpg|21500681] (two of my personal favorites) probably knows what I'm talking about. These books take place in our own world, so rather than being driven by world-building and new magic systems, they are driven by strong themes, and folklore, and an ambiance that draws you in. They err on the side of feeling whimsical, and nostalgic, and beautifully descriptive, and this book is no exception to that. Not gonna kill time regurgitating the story, just going to talk about what I liked and what I didn't.
Things I loved:
1. The prose is gorgeous. I love so much when an author can draw me in with nothing other than the beauty of their words, because it is really rare for an author to do this well. It adds a magic to the story that wouldn't be there otherwise. This is what brings in that ambiance that I mentioned before.
2. The setting is really unique, taking place in northern Russia, in what seemed could have been about two hundred years ago. My older sister was adopted from the Ukraine and speaks Russian fluently, so I was familiar with a lot of the terms that might have been more obscure to most readers. It revolves around Russian folklore, and how the advent of Christianity (more specifically, Roman Catholicism) disrupted the Spirits that guarded the homes and lakes and forests of this village. I knew almost nothing about Russian folklore going into this, so it made for a special kind of experience learning about this for the first time!
3. The themes of bravery and fear, more than anything, were my favorite part of this book. The priest who came to live in the village essentially made it his goal to force the people into obedience because of fear. He wanted them to believe that God would smite them if they did not obey, and that their trials were merely God testing their faithfulness. But fear is never a proper motivation for anything. The priest was motivated by fear, and because of this, he made himself open to being deceived by the thing he most wanted to avoid. I don't want to give away anything in the story, but this ultimately lead to him deceiving the people as well.
In contrast to this, we have the protagonist, Vasya. She almost personifies pure bravery, and is a perfect contrast to the themes of fear in this story. Motivated by love and bravery and truth, she is able to completely see through the lies that the people are believing, and because of this, sets out to save them.
Things I didn't love:
1. The beginning of this book was a complete slog to get through. Different from other books in this sub-fantasy-genre, the beginning of this book had a very heavy dose of reality in it, dealing with family, politics, marriages, ect. The entire first third felt totally out of place compared to the rest of the book, while the last two parts were just excellent.
2. The ending resolved itself too quickly. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. The climax came way too quickly and easily, and it just didn't feel like the right ending to me.
In conclusion:
Overall, because of my own personal tastes, the pros definitely outweighed the cons in this book. I would definitely recommend it to people who enjoy the types of books that I mentioned, but just know that you really have to press through the beginning before it starts getting good. In the end though, it was a wonderful story with beautiful writing, in a setting that will draw you in for sure once it gets going!
“Nothing changes, Vasya. Things are, or they are not. Magic is forgetting that something ever was other than as you willed it”.
Giving this four stars, because I really did enjoy the large majority of it, even though I had my issues with a few pieces of the story. It was a very pleasant surprise for me.
This books stands with a really unique sub-genre to fantasy that seems to be becoming more and more popular. I'm not even really sure what to call it. There are fantasy books that focus mostly on characters, world-building, magic systems ect (Epic or High Fantasy), but then there are books like this. Anybody who has read [b:The Night Circus|9361589|The Night Circus|Erin Morgenstern|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387124618s/9361589.jpg|14245059] by Erin Morgenstern, or Neil Gaiman's [b:The Ocean at the End of the Lane|15783514|The Ocean at the End of the Lane|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1351914778s/15783514.jpg|21500681] (two of my personal favorites) probably knows what I'm talking about. These books take place in our own world, so rather than being driven by world-building and new magic systems, they are driven by strong themes, and folklore, and an ambiance that draws you in. They err on the side of feeling whimsical, and nostalgic, and beautifully descriptive, and this book is no exception to that. Not gonna kill time regurgitating the story, just going to talk about what I liked and what I didn't.
Things I loved:
1. The prose is gorgeous. I love so much when an author can draw me in with nothing other than the beauty of their words, because it is really rare for an author to do this well. It adds a magic to the story that wouldn't be there otherwise. This is what brings in that ambiance that I mentioned before.
2. The setting is really unique, taking place in northern Russia, in what seemed could have been about two hundred years ago. My older sister was adopted from the Ukraine and speaks Russian fluently, so I was familiar with a lot of the terms that might have been more obscure to most readers. It revolves around Russian folklore, and how the advent of Christianity (more specifically, Roman Catholicism) disrupted the Spirits that guarded the homes and lakes and forests of this village. I knew almost nothing about Russian folklore going into this, so it made for a special kind of experience learning about this for the first time!
3. The themes of bravery and fear, more than anything, were my favorite part of this book. The priest who came to live in the village essentially made it his goal to force the people into obedience because of fear. He wanted them to believe that God would smite them if they did not obey, and that their trials were merely God testing their faithfulness. But fear is never a proper motivation for anything. The priest was motivated by fear, and because of this, he made himself open to being deceived by the thing he most wanted to avoid. I don't want to give away anything in the story, but this ultimately lead to him deceiving the people as well.
In contrast to this, we have the protagonist, Vasya. She almost personifies pure bravery, and is a perfect contrast to the themes of fear in this story. Motivated by love and bravery and truth, she is able to completely see through the lies that the people are believing, and because of this, sets out to save them.
Things I didn't love:
1. The beginning of this book was a complete slog to get through. Different from other books in this sub-fantasy-genre, the beginning of this book had a very heavy dose of reality in it, dealing with family, politics, marriages, ect. The entire first third felt totally out of place compared to the rest of the book, while the last two parts were just excellent.
2. The ending resolved itself too quickly. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. The climax came way too quickly and easily, and it just didn't feel like the right ending to me.
In conclusion:
Overall, because of my own personal tastes, the pros definitely outweighed the cons in this book. I would definitely recommend it to people who enjoy the types of books that I mentioned, but just know that you really have to press through the beginning before it starts getting good. In the end though, it was a wonderful story with beautiful writing, in a setting that will draw you in for sure once it gets going!
“Nothing changes, Vasya. Things are, or they are not. Magic is forgetting that something ever was other than as you willed it”.
4,5.
Elsker dette! Elsker eventyrpreget, elsker personene og kanskje mest av alt kulda (eh, stemningen?) #isøde. Trekker fra en halv stjerne fordi slutten er litt for enkel, nesten anti-klimatisk. Hadde forventet noe større. Litt for få løse tråder inn i bok 2, som gjør meg skeptisk, får vi en helt ny historie? Time will show.
Elsker dette! Elsker eventyrpreget, elsker personene og kanskje mest av alt kulda (eh, stemningen?) #isøde. Trekker fra en halv stjerne fordi slutten er litt for enkel, nesten anti-klimatisk. Hadde forventet noe større. Litt for få løse tråder inn i bok 2, som gjør meg skeptisk, får vi en helt ny historie? Time will show.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve read this in 4 days, but it felt like 4 years
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
An incredible story with a satisfying ending, beginning a series. A Russian fairytale with all of the attendant creatures, spirits, deals, magic, and threats. I usually tire of tomboy characters in historical fiction (they're not like other girls?) but this main character is so vibrant and her characterization is so consistent that it really didn't feel strained.