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A review by anitaxlit
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was, simply put, a joy of a novel. I don't think it can be described as just fantasy, for it is, above everything else, a fairy tale. I loved how it followed the social and narrative mechanisms of traditional tales: the ideas of trading and reciprocity, the task-setting, the ambiguous characters, the talking animals! Perhaps if I had read this as a teenager I would've found it childish, but now that I know (a bit) more, I delighted in this.
The setting was a major selling point for me. The novel draws heavily from Russian folklore, and features Russian words often, which made me miss the time when I used to study the language. It depicts a culture very different from my own, and I loved being submerged in it for a little while. The way it shows the coexistence of Paganism and Christianity is fascinating!
The characters where all fascinating and complex, and all of them surprised me with their decisions. Vasya is, of course, fantastic, and I liked that she kept a certain amount of childlike innocence all through the story. Morozko is the broody and sometimes cruel mystery man of my dreams. I had expected Anna to be a sympathetic character, and was proved wrong. My favorite was, without a doubt, Konstantin - so tormented and proud. Ugh. He was delicious to read.
I didn't give this 5 stars because I found the author's style to be a tad juvenile at times, possibly because The Bear and the Nightingale is her first novel. For me, it didn't take away from the reading experience, and I'm certain Arden's writing will mature in her future works.
The setting was a major selling point for me. The novel draws heavily from Russian folklore, and features Russian words often, which made me miss the time when I used to study the language. It depicts a culture very different from my own, and I loved being submerged in it for a little while. The way it shows the coexistence of Paganism and Christianity is fascinating!
The characters where all fascinating and complex, and all of them surprised me with their decisions. Vasya is, of course, fantastic, and I liked that she kept a certain amount of childlike innocence all through the story. Morozko is the broody and sometimes cruel mystery man of my dreams. I had expected Anna to be a sympathetic character, and was proved wrong. My favorite was, without a doubt, Konstantin - so tormented and proud. Ugh. He was delicious to read.
I didn't give this 5 stars because I found the author's style to be a tad juvenile at times, possibly because The Bear and the Nightingale is her first novel. For me, it didn't take away from the reading experience, and I'm certain Arden's writing will mature in her future works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Blood