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A review by drskdsrihari
Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden
4.0
A very well written fantasy which will make us fall in love with winters in Russia ,a bay stallion Solovey and a tiny mushroom spirit Deb Grib who steals the show in the last book.The transformation of Vasya from a sweet wild child to a queen of the Cheyrti realm was stunning.
Katherine Arden has succeeded in mixing fantasy and Russian folktales with history .The narrative has lush descriptions and beautiful prose. Every character was unforgettable right from the idealist Sasha,the practical homemaker Olga ,the prince Dimitri and even ancient and mad Baba Yaga .
Still,it is not all milk and honey in this historic fantasy .Arden is brutal when she describes patriarchy in Russia and the fate of the women who are forced to manipulate,lie ,act and use their powers of negotiation to preserve their families and pride in a society that hardly gives them their due.The treatment of women who are considered witches is despicable and it always has been so .I have often wondered why they have never had warlocks burned ????
Katherine Arden has succeeded in mixing fantasy and Russian folktales with history .The narrative has lush descriptions and beautiful prose. Every character was unforgettable right from the idealist Sasha,the practical homemaker Olga ,the prince Dimitri and even ancient and mad Baba Yaga .
Still,it is not all milk and honey in this historic fantasy .Arden is brutal when she describes patriarchy in Russia and the fate of the women who are forced to manipulate,lie ,act and use their powers of negotiation to preserve their families and pride in a society that hardly gives them their due.The treatment of women who are considered witches is despicable and it always has been so .I have often wondered why they have never had warlocks burned ????