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A review by enchantedfiction
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
4.0
The Bear and the Nightingale follows Vasya (Vasilisa, Vasochka), a girl born to a family living in northern Russia. Vasya, like her grandmother, is a lithe, fae like girl that gains negative attention from the other village folk because she is not what a woman is supposed to be. She is defiant, reckless, not very attractive, and uninterested in things girls and women should be. Vasya can see the house spirits, but when the new priest comes into town, there is a shift in beliefs, and fear for the spirits that used to get offerings from all the houses arises. With the spirits becoming weak and unable to protect the houses, the harsh winters begin to take their toll. Can Vasya save her village from utter destruction?
I absolutely loved the folklore elements of this story. It was very captivating in that aspect, the description of the spirits, the idea that they are the ones that protect the occupants of the house from harm was just so magical. I liked how real the story felt, especially for the time period it took place in my mind, and how Vasya wasn't some beautiful maiden who saved the village and everyone loved her in the end. She was an average girl who was different than others expected her to be, but so unapologetic in her beliefs that she was a very strong character. I also liked the different perspectives we got from the different characters, no matter how brief those times lasted, because it made the world feel more believable and real. It was really different from most other books I have read which was really refreshing as well.
The only thing that really docks the fifth star was that the story was kind of slow. I thought we were going to get more magic as the story built up and get Vasya interacting with more spirits which just didn't happen. The main climax of the story happened within the last 20 pages of the book and was resolved relatively quickly, which kind of felt meh to me. I really wanted some ah-ha moment with Vasya coming into her own magical side, able to channel it through the pendant she wore, but was sadly left disappointed. I guess I just wanted more for her because she had a pretty hard life, even if it was all to leave the village in the end. I would assume that her character grows more in the next two books, so maybe it was just a slow start to a really exciting next two books.
That being said, I would highly recommend the story still! I was definitely captivated by it all the way through, even if I wanted a little more action throughout. Vasya is a character that everyone will take something away from, be it being unapologetic for being yourself, bravery, a kindred spirit, or something else, she has a lot to offer compared to some other main characters.
I absolutely loved the folklore elements of this story. It was very captivating in that aspect, the description of the spirits, the idea that they are the ones that protect the occupants of the house from harm was just so magical. I liked how real the story felt, especially for the time period it took place in my mind, and how Vasya wasn't some beautiful maiden who saved the village and everyone loved her in the end. She was an average girl who was different than others expected her to be, but so unapologetic in her beliefs that she was a very strong character. I also liked the different perspectives we got from the different characters, no matter how brief those times lasted, because it made the world feel more believable and real. It was really different from most other books I have read which was really refreshing as well.
The only thing that really docks the fifth star was that the story was kind of slow. I thought we were going to get more magic as the story built up and get Vasya interacting with more spirits which just didn't happen. The main climax of the story happened within the last 20 pages of the book and was resolved relatively quickly, which kind of felt meh to me. I really wanted some ah-ha moment with Vasya coming into her own magical side, able to channel it through the pendant she wore, but was sadly left disappointed. I guess I just wanted more for her because she had a pretty hard life, even if it was all to leave the village in the end. I would assume that her character grows more in the next two books, so maybe it was just a slow start to a really exciting next two books.
That being said, I would highly recommend the story still! I was definitely captivated by it all the way through, even if I wanted a little more action throughout. Vasya is a character that everyone will take something away from, be it being unapologetic for being yourself, bravery, a kindred spirit, or something else, she has a lot to offer compared to some other main characters.