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nakymatonlapsi 's review for:

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
4.0
adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

After a bit slow start I just couldn't let this novel out of my hands!

It's a historical fantasy novel  set in medieval Russia, and the times when the Christian religion was clashing with the old mythologies and folk religions. I quickly fell in love with the dark and mystical atmosphere of the novel.  Vasilisa is a great main character and following her journey and her developing relationship with the mysterious winter king is an enjoyable experience. 

The ending of the novel felt a bit hasty (this seems to be a common issue in fantasy/speculative fiction novels lately). But it's only the 1st part of the trilogy, so the questions left unaswered will probably get more light later in the series...