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theinquisitxor 's review for:
The Bear and the Nightingale
by Katherine Arden
"I would walk into the jaws of hell itself, if it were a path of my own choosing. I would rather die tomorrow in the forest than live a hundred years of the life appointed me."
I have wanted to read this book since it was first released in 2017 and finally got my hands on the trilogy for my birthday a few weeks ago. In all this time, I never knew quite what to expect from this novel, and I managed to avoid spoilers quite well. Still, I was worried that with all the hype for this series, it would not live up to my expectations. But man, it exceeded my expectations by far. I have always been a fan of Russian and Russian based Literature and this book takes place in the wilderness of medieval Russia. The clashes between Christianity and the pagan practices was hugely interesting, and this conflict frames the entire book.
Reading this in winter was perfect, with snow on the ground, and a chilling wind outside I had the perfect setting for this story. Vasilisa is great character who is determined to protect her family while still trying to seek her own destiny and fate. I can't wait to follow her on the rest of her journey throughout the other two books.
I have seen some complaints about the beginning of the book being slow and setting up the characters and family, but I did not mind this part. In my opinion, it is better to have a slower, more in-detail set-up than to leave me trying to figure out who is who. Once Vasya grows up the story really takes off. The rest was absolutely great. From the characters, to the folklore, to the action, I have no complaints about anything. I love Vasya's interaction and relationship with the horses. As someone who has spent most of her life around horses, I really enjoyed reading these parts. Morozoko is not quite what I was expecting, but I am looking forward to see how that relationship progresses. In all- this was a wonderful fairy tale and I can't wait to start the next book!
I have wanted to read this book since it was first released in 2017 and finally got my hands on the trilogy for my birthday a few weeks ago. In all this time, I never knew quite what to expect from this novel, and I managed to avoid spoilers quite well. Still, I was worried that with all the hype for this series, it would not live up to my expectations. But man, it exceeded my expectations by far. I have always been a fan of Russian and Russian based Literature and this book takes place in the wilderness of medieval Russia. The clashes between Christianity and the pagan practices was hugely interesting, and this conflict frames the entire book.
Reading this in winter was perfect, with snow on the ground, and a chilling wind outside I had the perfect setting for this story. Vasilisa is great character who is determined to protect her family while still trying to seek her own destiny and fate. I can't wait to follow her on the rest of her journey throughout the other two books.
I have seen some complaints about the beginning of the book being slow and setting up the characters and family, but I did not mind this part. In my opinion, it is better to have a slower, more in-detail set-up than to leave me trying to figure out who is who. Once Vasya grows up the story really takes off. The rest was absolutely great. From the characters, to the folklore, to the action, I have no complaints about anything. I love Vasya's interaction and relationship with the horses. As someone who has spent most of her life around horses, I really enjoyed reading these parts. Morozoko is not quite what I was expecting, but I am looking forward to see how that relationship progresses. In all- this was a wonderful fairy tale and I can't wait to start the next book!