mlsweeten 's review for:

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

5.0

adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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This was different than I expected but I loved it. The title is a bit misleading. The bear is symbolic of the dangers in the wild. A young stallion is named Solovey- meaning nightingale. It’s a battle between good and evil. Young Vasya is caught between old pagan beliefs and Christianity. She is accused of being a witch and attracting demons while she tries to save her misguided family and the villagers from those same demons. It’s based on Russian folklore and the variations of Russian names made it a bit challenging but worth sticking with. This is a great winter read as the descriptions of life in freezing Russian medieval times are quite chilling. I’m excited to read the rest of the series.