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A review by pye
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this final installment of the Winternight trilogy!
The witch hunt sequence at the beginning of the book was so brutal and really hard to read in places, and my brain couldn't help but liken it to the passion of the Christ, the way she was violently dragged through the town, beaten and put to death! That's not to suggest that the author deliberately inserted religious symbolism, but it's interesting that witches' persecution was often quite Christlike, even though they were often executed for being unchristian.
Solovey's death of course was heartbreaking. I really appreciate that Vasya's grief for him is a vein that runs throughout the book, as that's the true nature of bereavement. In fact, I'm a little conflicted about the author's choice to bring Solovey back at the end. I was obviously so pleased that he and Vasya could be reunited again, but it kind of felt like too much of an obvious play to lighten the ending of the book and balance out the loss of Sasha. And also a bit rushed? But maybe that's because Vasya is overwhelmed and can't quite process everything that's happened to her - which again, is realistic.
I think one of my favourite things about this book is the sheer amount of character development that Vasya displays. When Sasha dies, for example, she knows better than to force him back into the living world, after what happened with Olga and her baby. As well as being a really moving scene, this was also just a huge moment for Vasya in her process of learning what is and is not hers to try to control - even when it comes to losing the most important people in her life.
In terms of what she can control, I loved her growing ability to hold her own with, and in many cases assert dominance over, the chyerti. Her scenes with the bagiennik, the river-king, Morozko, the Bear, Midnight and Midday, in particular, I found so compelling, due to her pure grit and determination, combined with raw, magical power.
It was satisfying to explore further up her family tree and get a feel for what Vasya's next adventures would be after the events of the books, although making her the great-grand daughter of the sea-king felt a bit tenuous and unnecessary. Vasya is an incredibly strong and complex character by herself, and throughout the trilogy she derives empowerment from learning about her maternal lineage, so to throw this extra tidbit in briefly at the end didn't feel needed; in my opinion she's special enough already! But this is a minor complaint.
All in all I really loved this series; I had been looking forward to reading it for a solid year and it did not disappoint when the time finally came. I'm glad I saved it for winter as well as the season made for even more atmospheric reading. Fantastic books!
Solovey's death of course was heartbreaking. I really appreciate that Vasya's grief for him is a vein that runs throughout the book, as that's the true nature of bereavement. In fact, I'm a little conflicted about the author's choice to bring Solovey back at the end. I was obviously so pleased that he and Vasya could be reunited again, but it kind of felt like too much of an obvious play to lighten the ending of the book and balance out the loss of Sasha. And also a bit rushed? But maybe that's because Vasya is overwhelmed and can't quite process everything that's happened to her - which again, is realistic.
I think one of my favourite things about this book is the sheer amount of character development that Vasya displays. When Sasha dies, for example, she knows better than to force him back into the living world, after what happened with Olga and her baby. As well as being a really moving scene, this was also just a huge moment for Vasya in her process of learning what is and is not hers to try to control - even when it comes to losing the most important people in her life.
In terms of what she can control, I loved her growing ability to hold her own with, and in many cases assert dominance over, the chyerti. Her scenes with the bagiennik, the river-king, Morozko, the Bear, Midnight and Midday, in particular, I found so compelling, due to her pure grit and determination, combined with raw, magical power.
It was satisfying to explore further up her family tree and get a feel for what Vasya's next adventures would be after the events of the books, although making her the great-grand daughter of the sea-king felt a bit tenuous and unnecessary. Vasya is an incredibly strong and complex character by herself, and throughout the trilogy she derives empowerment from learning about her maternal lineage, so to throw this extra tidbit in briefly at the end didn't feel needed; in my opinion she's special enough already! But this is a minor complaint.
All in all I really loved this series; I had been looking forward to reading it for a solid year and it did not disappoint when the time finally came. I'm glad I saved it for winter as well as the season made for even more atmospheric reading. Fantastic books!