A review by agenericmirkwoodelf
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

At first, I was skeptical of this book! Though the writing was gorgeous, I was struggling to pick out exactly why the events of the first third were relevant. It felt less like a structured story, and more like a (slightly gritty) slice of life story about a wealthy Russian family. 
But by the end? 
Oh my goddess!! I could not put this book down! There were moments, just before act three, where I felt myself feeling genuine dread! It’s extremely rare that a book makes me feel that. It was so eerie in a way it could not have accomplished had there not been the level of setup that there was. 
That, combined with the amazing characters, makes this a worthwhile read for sure!
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