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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
J’aurais vraiment aimé adorer ce roman ! J’attendais beaucoup de lui : le résumé me faisait rêver avec ces histoires de contes, de magie, et le tout qui se passe en Russie...
Pour ce qui est de l’univers, je l’ai apprécié. Et il en était de même pour les personnages, du moins pour certains. L’héroïne est attachante, avec son caractère bien à elle et son don.
Mais qu’est-ce que c’est long ! Il ne se passe que très peu de choses pendant les 3/4 du roman, ce n’est qu’à la fin que ça commence à devenir prenant.
Je tenterai peut-être le second, en espérant qu’il soit moins long à se mettre en place 😅
Pour ce qui est de l’univers, je l’ai apprécié. Et il en était de même pour les personnages, du moins pour certains. L’héroïne est attachante, avec son caractère bien à elle et son don.
Mais qu’est-ce que c’est long ! Il ne se passe que très peu de choses pendant les 3/4 du roman, ce n’est qu’à la fin que ça commence à devenir prenant.
Je tenterai peut-être le second, en espérant qu’il soit moins long à se mettre en place 😅
This book was amazing! It felt like a classic fairy tale and it's one of those books that sucks you in and keeps you there. It's beautifully written and Vasya is a girl after my own heart. I love how she's unapologetically herself, even when people don't really understand her.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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:
No
Because of the flu, this book took me far, far longer than I had hoped to finish.
What an absolutely lovely, icy story this is. The Bear and the Nightingale doesn’t rush. It submerges you in medieval, freezing Rus’ where the winter and the setting are their own characters (and sometimes literally). Everything here is carefully realized by Arden, very well researched, and deftly interwoven together. The prose has the dreamy, languid quality of a fairytale.
I will say that the book does have a much slower pace in the first half; the second is much speedier and plotty. And I kind of love that? This book will not be rushed. It will not act like a typical fantasy novel. It keeps its fable aesthetic intact.
I was surprised at how absolutely horrifying, gore-filled and grueling parts of this tale can be. Arden doesn’t shy away from showing every bit of the terrors of living in such an icy, remote landscape, and the book is better for it.
Books like this are pretty much made for me, so I’m excited to continue the series and see what the remainder of the books have in store. Perfect for this season.
What an absolutely lovely, icy story this is. The Bear and the Nightingale doesn’t rush. It submerges you in medieval, freezing Rus’ where the winter and the setting are their own characters (and sometimes literally). Everything here is carefully realized by Arden, very well researched, and deftly interwoven together. The prose has the dreamy, languid quality of a fairytale.
I will say that the book does have a much slower pace in the first half; the second is much speedier and plotty. And I kind of love that? This book will not be rushed. It will not act like a typical fantasy novel. It keeps its fable aesthetic intact.
I was surprised at how absolutely horrifying, gore-filled and grueling parts of this tale can be. Arden doesn’t shy away from showing every bit of the terrors of living in such an icy, remote landscape, and the book is better for it.
Books like this are pretty much made for me, so I’m excited to continue the series and see what the remainder of the books have in store. Perfect for this season.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This is one of those breezy fantasy reads, where the writing is well done and immersive without being overly complicated.
I quite liked the storyline. Very much like a Grimm's tale. I look forward to reading the Girl in the Tower sometime.
I quite liked the storyline. Very much like a Grimm's tale. I look forward to reading the Girl in the Tower sometime.
boring generic protagonist with a predictable plot line and scant references to the folktale it is based on, here and there.
maybe I am not in the right head space to enjoy this, but dear god I had to drag myself through it. I would have abandoned it if it weren't for a research project.
oh there was also an unnecessary implied romance (that could develop later) between the main character and winter king which just about made me gag. I just do not get how it is appropriate or even plausible for a being as old as humanity to have any romantic tension with a young adult im sorry; makes the character instantly boring.
the world that is created, is passably good. the eeriness and mystery of the wilderness parallels well with protagonist's I suppose; but the protagonist is so "been there done that" so I wasn't half as interested in her.
the only unpredictable character was father Konstantin maybe a little bit. not that I liked him.
the king frost's character should die pls
Anna ivanovna was fine. Pyotr was fine. alyoshka, Olga, Sasha, etc were all fine I guess.
protagonist had the "sight" in her ancestry from her mother's side. there is no explanation to it beyond this ancestry. this is a series, so it is likely that the author takes it up again in the later books but I have no patience so imma trash on this also. protagonist is not one bit curious about the source of her power or her mother. all she cares about is...well helping the folk creatures only she and her evil step mother see? she doesn't want to marry or become a nun (fair). she just wants to be "free" and save the creatures of the lore. I mean, could you get a more generic character? **gag**
it is either this review OR my shitty lethargic mental space, you choose
maybe I am not in the right head space to enjoy this, but dear god I had to drag myself through it. I would have abandoned it if it weren't for a research project.
oh there was also an unnecessary implied romance (that could develop later) between the main character and winter king which just about made me gag. I just do not get how it is appropriate or even plausible for a being as old as humanity to have any romantic tension with a young adult im sorry; makes the character instantly boring.
the world that is created, is passably good. the eeriness and mystery of the wilderness parallels well with protagonist's I suppose; but the protagonist is so "been there done that" so I wasn't half as interested in her.
the only unpredictable character was father Konstantin maybe a little bit. not that I liked him.
the king frost's character should die pls
Anna ivanovna was fine. Pyotr was fine. alyoshka, Olga, Sasha, etc were all fine I guess.
protagonist had the "sight" in her ancestry from her mother's side. there is no explanation to it beyond this ancestry. this is a series, so it is likely that the author takes it up again in the later books but I have no patience so imma trash on this also. protagonist is not one bit curious about the source of her power or her mother. all she cares about is...well helping the folk creatures only she and her evil step mother see? she doesn't want to marry or become a nun (fair). she just wants to be "free" and save the creatures of the lore. I mean, could you get a more generic character? **gag**
it is either this review OR my shitty lethargic mental space, you choose
I really enjoyed this debut novel by Katherine Arden. As a lover of fairytales, especially Russian fairytales, I found the story compelling and the characters captivating. I'm very excited to see that this book is the first in a series, because I felt that the end of this novel, though it did conclude the tale, left the reader wanting more. I'm excited for the next installment
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.