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readerette 's review for:

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
4.0
adventurous dark reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I think the attempts to weave in aspects of myth and fairy tale weren't always smooth, but overall it was an entertaining read. The stepmother seemed particularly fragmented as a character, being as evil or stupid or fragile as any given plot point required for no coherent reason. Beautiful imagery. Should have been at least 25% shorter.

Also the description of this book makes it seem like the stepmother ruins life in the village, but it's not. She doesn't help matters, but she's a victim, like the rest of the villagers, of a different stranger (and of their own desires for the world to be simpler than it is) who provides the gateway for evil to take root.