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

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The storytelling was enchanting. The prose was beautifully written and every scene was given the same care. This fairytale is a wonderful story to get lost in on a cold day with a cup of tea. You need barely any imagination for the rich text to come to life in your mind. The story told is also worth while and the protagonist is love-able and even the step-mother antagonist is someone to sympathize with. As always, it seems men create their own problems, but this was a fresh telling of that type of plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Mental illness

Period typical misogyny/sexism/religious bigotry - these are central plot points to the story, but they aren’t traumatically enforced. The protagonist continuously defies convention the whole story and is never broken down, though there are threats of it.