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A review by dialmformeerkat
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
5.0
I started this half a year ago during July and it became clear very quickly, that I am not doing myself any favours reading this in the summer.
I shelved it again until the first snow, and I'm glad I did. I suggest you do the same.
This is a beautiful fairytale about mythology, magic and the bitter cold of the long winters.
It borrows exstensively from Russian folklore, history and tradition, making its own changes here and there, and creating a wonderful universe of creatures, magical laws and politics.
At all times, there is a very strong sense of place, an almost Joanne-Harris-esque love for local cuisine and nature, and above all- the warmth of the oven and the cold of the wind.
As a central theme, you have the old pagan folklore vs the orthodox church, female empowerment vs tradition, the change of the seasons and the immense danger of the cold. Family, responsibility, adventure and death, play a big role as it follows the characters over several years of storytelling.
One of the random thoughts I had during the book was "This is game of thrones for romantics", which I still think is true in a way.
I started the book and then didn't really put it down until I was done. The artwork it created in my head only got more gorgeous the further I read and it made me enjoy the stinging cold of the frozen air on my face in a whole new way.
Easily one of the best books I have read this year.
I shelved it again until the first snow, and I'm glad I did. I suggest you do the same.
This is a beautiful fairytale about mythology, magic and the bitter cold of the long winters.
It borrows exstensively from Russian folklore, history and tradition, making its own changes here and there, and creating a wonderful universe of creatures, magical laws and politics.
At all times, there is a very strong sense of place, an almost Joanne-Harris-esque love for local cuisine and nature, and above all- the warmth of the oven and the cold of the wind.
As a central theme, you have the old pagan folklore vs the orthodox church, female empowerment vs tradition, the change of the seasons and the immense danger of the cold. Family, responsibility, adventure and death, play a big role as it follows the characters over several years of storytelling.
One of the random thoughts I had during the book was "This is game of thrones for romantics", which I still think is true in a way.
I started the book and then didn't really put it down until I was done. The artwork it created in my head only got more gorgeous the further I read and it made me enjoy the stinging cold of the frozen air on my face in a whole new way.
Easily one of the best books I have read this year.