An excellent ending to this trilogy! Arden picks the story back up without too much backstory, so I don't recommend this as a stand alone novel. But, for those who enjoyed the mix of fantasy and Russian history, this is a wonderful conclusion to Vasilisa's story. It's a rich story full of magic, heartache, and alliances that kept me on the edge of my seat reading. And although I loved this trilogy, its ended was satisfying and I didn't feel like I needed more from it.

I read this ARC from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank so much for the opportunity to read The Winter of the Witch ahead of publication. The Bear and the Nightingale is one of my all time favorite books and I was so excited to read this final installment in the Winternight Trilogy. Vasya is my favorite female character and her character development continues to be one of the best for a female character I've ever read. This book invoked emotions in me that not many books have done before. I cried, I laughed, I was anxious and I was happy. This was a fantastic ending to my favorite book series. A full review will be posted on my blog on December 23,2018 for my birthday!

WHAT! This book was an epic journey into the realm of magic and midnight, a fantastic twist to what we already love. Our favorite heroin Vasya is on the run as a supposed witch, after she saved the people of Russia. She knows that the battle isn't over though, and must find a way to return to her brother's side to save the ones she loves.

I really enjoyed this third book in the series. In true Katherine Arden fashion, we get a nice mix of Russian history and fantasy. We cry and rejoice as we follow Vasya through her trials and as she struggles to o what is right, even though it could cost her everything.

The only thing I didn't like was the slow nature of the middle of the book when Vasya was in the midnight realm. It was still interesting though, and kept me involved in the story. I gave this book a solid four out of five stars.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

My review will be posted on my blog, Confessions of an ExBallerina on November 28th, 2018 Exballerina.com

You'll LOVE it if...you want a satisfying conclusion to the Winternight trilogy.

There are so many plots and sub-plots at work in this series, it almost seems impossible to neatly tie all of them off (but Arden does anyway because, of course). The most important—to me and, I suspect, many others as well—remains that of Vasya's fundamental conflict with herself. For two novels we have watched her grapple with the love she bears her family, the reverence she carries for the domovoi and other magical creatures, the expectations medieval Russia places on a young woman of her age and station, and the question we all ask ourselves as we approach adulthood: who am I? How marvelous it is, then, for fans to watch Vasya grow into who she was meant to be from the opening pages of The Bear and the Nightingale.

Although this series has never been specifically marketed as YA, Vasya is a character I think all teenage girls should meet. Through her readers can see the turmoil and indecision that precede acts of rebellion, as well as how a rejection of your family's preconceived notions does not always mean a rejection of your family themselves. Beneath the snowy wonder of medieval Russia and its legends, the Winternight trilogy is an exploration and celebration of one girl's journey into womanhood. In The Winter of the Witch, Vasya is all grown up and a marvel to behold.

You'll WEEP if...you ship Vasya and Morozko.

No spoilers, I promise! All I mean to say is that their relationship continues to develop in breathtaking, heart-wrenching fashion. What I adore most about this relationship is everything how a mortal girl and immortal creature can challenge and influence one another without changing the other's fundamental character. Too often this kind of romance in literature reinforces the steep power dynamics at play. Arden subverts that template at every opportunity, bringing Vasya and Morozko closer to an understanding; this journey does not pass without sacrifice, but it is the small concessions, rather than the grand gestures, that speak the loudest.

You'll FREAKING ADORE it if...you just read it, okay?

Can you tell yet that I'm obsessed with this series and this absolutely flawless finish? If you've read the first two Winternight novels I sincerely cannot find any detail that will disappoint you in the final book. If you haven't read the first two Winternight novels: step away from the screen, beeline to your local bookseller or library, and change that pronto! Then re-read that second sentence again. The Winter of the Witch marries the wintry magical realism of The Bear and the Nightingale with the increased political intrigue of The Girl in the Tower, their inevitable clash bringing equal parts panache and poignancy. By story's end you will be sad to bid farewell to your favorite characters, but content with how you've left them. And there's no more beautiful way to end a tale than that.

At times magical, brutal, whimsical and poignant, this book is reminiscent of The Last Unicorn.
It is a truly epic finale to an amazing trilogy. I am so happy to have discovered Katherine Arden so early in her writing career and cannot wait to see what she writes next.
I cried several times throughout this book in both happiness and sorrow.
I am amazed that all 3 books in this serious are equally wonderful, which is a mark of true talent.
(Truly I sound like a buzzy cliche, but it is all true.)

Vasya Petrovna has just saved Moscow from a crazed sorcerer and a devastating fire. But the hysteria of the girl swells quickly. Once again accused of being a witch, she flees with the help of unlikely and dangerous allies. Learning to understand her newfound power, Vasya must fight to keep the two worlds she loves dearly from tearing each other apart.

I am sooo glad I had this at the ready for when I finished the Girl in the Tower. It is be far one of the best series I have picked up recently. I am happy to say that in the Winter of the Witch Arden was able to throw in some twists that I didn't see coming. Vasya has noticeably grown into her role as a true hero of Russia. A very satisfying ending for the trilogy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

While reading this book I could not help but think modern day Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe and the Chronicles of Narnia. With that series being one of my favorites of all time, I was really anticipating reading this book. Readers in our library have read The Bear and the Nightingale and really enjoyed it because the book reminded them of Narnia but they said this one was more modern and more sophisticated therefore this book was better. I have to say.....they were right. Every single chapter there was a new surprise twist, things happened unexpectedly and it's one of those books that you will not want to stop reading to find out what will happen to Vasya and will she discover who she is in time to save the kingdom. Very magically enticing.

This will definitely find a home in our Sci-Fi Fantasy collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I adore this series! This one felt like it took me a while to read but it was so worth it. I loved the dynamic between Vasya and the Winter King. Vasya is so passionate about her family and risks her life so many times to save them. She has such an amazing spirit and I was glad to see so much more of her powers throughout this book. I would have loved an epilogue at the end though where they are at the house by the lake with her niece and family and being able to be who she truly is. Otherwise this was a great ending to this series. I wasn't ready to let them go yet and will have to reread them all soon.

I received an early copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. To be honest, I will buy the paper copy so I can re-read it in my preferred format because this series is SO GOOD.

The third book in the trilogy picks up almost immediately after the end of the last book and the story moves very quickly into some pretty intense moments with the people of Moscow still reeling from the events in Girl in the Tower. The stakes are high as the people of 'Rus have to face the coming invasion of the Tatars. Vasya has a huge task ahead: to help save her people and the spirit world from threats both outside and within.

It has been very enjoyable to watch Vasya grow from a naive tomboy to a strong and confident woman. In this book, she travels to new places, meets magical beings and struggles with knowing if she is doing the right thing. The description of the landscape, people and magical spirits are some of my favorite parts of Katherine Arden's writing. This book is full of great characters, some new and many familiar faces, fast moving plot that you don't want to set down with some very touching scenes, big build-up and a fantastic conclusion. It is rare to get three great books in a trilogy but the Winternight Trilogy hits the mark.

I’d hoped to spend the weekend reading this end to the gorgeous Winternight Trilogy. Alas, that didn’t happen....because I finished it in a day.

I’ve written before that Arden’s writing is lyrical, lush, and full of magic and mystery; it will keep you reading well into the night. Truthfully, I haven’t loved a series as much since I first read Harry Potter.

I will honestly say that the Harry Potter series, which I have adored for more than 20 years, has been replaced by Arden’s Winternight Trilogy. The story takes the fairy tales of my childhood and makes them flesh in a way that left me breathless. Arden has brought the tales begun in The bear and the Nightingale full circle and created a tale for the ages.

I don’t buy a lot of print books these days, but I have purchased a set of these books and will keep and re-read them for years to come.

Someone please make this a Netflix series!

The conclusion of the Winternight Trilogy is satisfying if somewhat drug out for my tastes. I found the first two volumes more compelling, but much of what made those two works sparkle appears in the third volume as well. Based on her first three novels, Arden is absolutely an author to watch. I think readers can reliably expect many good things from her for years to come.

I have loved this series from the moment I picked up the first book and the final installment did not dissapoint. I loved the mix of magic and mundane that Winter of the Witch offered as I think it really solidified who Vasya was growing into. I would have liked to know more about what happened after everything ended but overall I think this was a stellar end to the series.

Vasya, a witch with ties to royal family of Moscow, is burned at the stake. But she escapes and sets out on an impossible mission. Book goes through her trials and tribulations.

Ms. Arden has done an excellent job of giving each of the previous books in this trilogy a conclusion while leaving enough of the story unresolved so that this third book really feels like a climax. Like the prior books this draws on folklore, but it is no bedtime-story-for-children. There is loss, violence, some madness. Vasilisa Petrovna is a compelling character whose mistakes are honestly made and whose eventual wisdom really seems earned.

We were warned since Bear that we would weep for a nightingale...

This conclusion is the most magical of the trilogy, and fittingly so as Vasya has come into herself and is beginning to truly understand who she is and the path she wants and needs to walk. I could not put it down - every question presented since the start of the tale had its answer and I was pleased with them all. I cried a few times, the hardest at the end with its bittersweet blend.

I can't think of a more perfect way for this trilogy to have come to a close. I am amazed at the wondrous story Arden has woven. I love Midnight's reality-twisting existence, the answers found by the lake, the balance found in madness and magic and forgetting, and the bridge between old magic and new faith. I love the magic of the woods and the winter king's touch, Vasya's vulnerability and her strength, and the glance beyond the line of good and evil to find that even monsters can mourn.

And also, Ded Grib.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Del Rey for supplying this ARC. I'll still be buying the final edition upon publication - this trilogy has easily become one of my lifetime favorites.

I have loved every book in this trilogy, and this one didn't disappoint. The characters, the story, and the atmosphere/setting are all brilliantly portrayed, pulling me in to this amazing world. I just love the feelings these books stir inside me.

Posted on Goodreads – Nov. 15 and onward.

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

Here is my fun fact origin story for the series:

Not knowing what it was about, I read the first book after taking my Early Russian Culture midterm. After that fun realization, I fell in deep love with Vasya fighting for herself in a world where the boundaries between folklore and religion blur in the woods and darkest of winters.

The Winter of the Witch has this and takes the idea of dvoeveriye to a new level with a road tethered by midnight, a land where death cannot touch an elderly woman, and a girl who helps holy men and monsters to work together. Told in the same lyrical prose as the previous two books in the series, Vasya’s stakes are higher after her secret is revealed to the city. Putting her family in further danger, she is forced to confront not just her family legacy, but the Bear who killed her father. With the Winter Demon trapped, it is up to one girl to save the future of her home for humans and demons.

I love this book. I lost sleep reading it after getting the ARC approval. Readers will also experience the wave of emotions in the battle for Rus’ , and will be delighted by the appearances of certain characters who were only mentioned in passing. Elements from the first book are repeated, bringing the entire story full circle.

Grab a heavy coat and make sure your blood is warm enough to help you cross Midnight Road!

I've received the arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

So good. The culmination of everything that came before. I love stories about women who come to know, understand and harness their power. This story dealt with literal and figurative power, both, and it was riveting from beginning to end. A very human protagonist, who finds her way through courage and all that other other good stuff you look for in a classic fairytale.

YES! I got my early Christmas gift this year. Almost a week ago, this book was up for request. I got excited because this book has been long awaited novel since I read The Girl in the Tower in December 2018. 5 days later, I came home from work to an email telling me the publisher has approved my request. You betcha that I was just like that 8 year old girl who just opened the best present on a Christmas morning! Made myself a cup of salted caramel hot chocolate, put on my PJs, turned off my phone, climbed into my wonderful bed with my dog Ewok, and my cat, Luna, and started reading.



Wow! What an amazing breathtaking finale! I needed a day to stop reeling from all the aftermath of this beautiful folklore before I could write this review. Sadly, I needed to step out of the book affter saying goodbye to my favorite characters.



Like the synopsis stated, stunning conclusion. It did not lie! It was gut wrenching, anger, sorrow, relief, freezing cold, tired, self discovery, betrayal, love(not the sappy kind, mind you!) evilness, blood and gore, goodness, neutral, new and old friends, family, leap of faith, religion, and cult. They all wrap into this fairytale, folklore, myths, and history.

Katherine Arden has done it again. She did not fail with this third book in this Winternight Trilogy. In fact, it just may be the best book of the 3 books in this trilogy! Ms. Arden has improved with her story telling gift. She is extremely talented with words and lyrics. While I'm inside the story, I can almost hear her telling the Russian Folklore in the background.



The story picks up immdiately at the ending of the novel, The Girl in the Tower. I was able to remember the characters from both of the books. This story was packed with mythical creatures, evil priest, mob, magic, evil, good, grief, madness, action, battle. The heroine was growing into her own powers and discovering her self while discovering her love for the "winter king". She really became one bad assed chick. The romance was hardly there but the love grew mostly out of admiration and respect which grew stronger. She learns more of her magical ancestry and her self worth despite of the powers she has. Bear, the evil twin brother of Winter King(many names for winter king) comes back and she has to use her wits, powers, and forgiveness against him. Ironcally, they ended up working together on the same team with her brother, brother in law and other prince in the battle.

I had to admire Vasya so much because her background was so deeply rooted to gods, and old beliefs to the point where she had to question herself with her beliefs and the religion her brother, Sasha believes in. She basically questioned everything. By opening her eyes and beliefs, she became a bridge between the old world and the new world.



There's so much in this story. Ms. Arden wrapped all of the pieces together as should be in this conclusion. There were new understanding, new bonds, consequences and etc. This is a wonderful, magical world of winter with midnights, mythical creatures, spells, and fairytale weaved with myths and history.



I was very spelled bound with all of the trilogy and Katherine Arden did not disappoint me one bit at all. It was so well worth the wait. When the hardcover comes out, I will most definately purchase it to add it to my other two books, The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower. This trilogy will be among my favorite series of all time.



I received this beautiful magical ARC from Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Del Ray through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased and honest review. Thank you so much!

A stunning conclusion to a world bending fairy tale of a story where the old gods and men find their paths intertwined and the power of faith is on full display.

“Winter of the Witch” picks up where book 2 left off and Vasya finds herself again at the mercy of those who fear her strange ways before coming face to face with a demon she thought was banished who hopes to bring hate and fear back into world and threaten the lives of those she loves while the of whispers of war creep closer to her homeland.

For me the strongest aspect of this series is the power of faith and the protection it grants you in both good times and bad and how those beliefs can be called into question as time changes. Here we have Vasya who is so tethered to that of the old ways that when the new system is brought in and the world she was raised in is forgotten she becomes the strange one, too wild or a witch but it is through her unwavering strength and trust in what she knows to be real and the respect granted to those creatures that helps her survive where many would have fallen.

There’s also a great consequence to that seen in this book as to how far a human girl such as she can really travel through the worlds of the gods and how easy it would be to get lost and forget everything you’re fighting for. I really love the weaving of Russian history and mythology into a story that’s very much a fairy tale as it calls to the quiet moments of magic from your childhood and the more adult reality of war and that even the best laid plans might benefit from making deals with devils if it’s for the greater good.

This is probably one of my favorite series in recent years and I can’t recommend it enough as it carries you off into a world of magic surrounded by the soft chill of winter from the first page to the last.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review!**