A review by dragonaion
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

The title and cover are delightfully deceptive and are not for the faint of heart. Arden writes this in an excellent story book pattern, giving a natural cadence and bounce if you read it aloud, but this is absolutely a brilliant story for adults that will give nightmares to children. Filled with complex themes, this is an excellent blend of historical fiction and fantasy that had me at the edge of my seat and desperately turning the pages. One moment you are naturally shivering with the main characters in winter (I had to turn the fireplace on a number of times) and as they mention the household spirits you can almost imagine the ones next to you while you read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Violence, Animal death, Grief, and Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, and Classism

Minor: Death of parent, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

The story takes place in a realistic Russian village and appropriately shows the hardships of winter, how women were treated in such a time, and the clash of Christian religion with pagan beliefs.