I still can’t believe this series is over, although this conclusion was absolutely perfect. Katherine Arden’s writing was beautiful, I love how she captured the atmosphere and the characters. Vasya has grown so much since the beginning of the series and I loved her character development in this installment. Plus the folklore and the history!! I feel like I’d need to read this series with reference books near by to catch everything, it’s obvious that Katherine Arden knows the history and lore of the region.

This is a story about defying expectations and staying true to yourself. This is a story about family, about love, and about faith. This is a story about magic and how one person can change the world. Overall, The Winter of the Witch was an incredible conclusion to one of my favorite series.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free eARC.

After reading the first two in this series, I was so excited for the 3rd. Unfortunately, I have been trying to get into it since January, and I don't think I will be able to. Maybe it's just the wrong timing, but after 2 months, I have decided to DNF it.

I hope to try again in a few months, and that I will be able to not feel lost.

I have heard so many great things about this one, and that it was the best one out of the three!

"The Winternight Trilogy gets better with every book. I can't imagine a better ending to this series. Katherine Arden is a fantastic writer, and though I'm sad this series is over, I'm excited to see what she'll write next." --Goodreads review

"The Winter of the Witch (January 9) completes The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden, one of my all-time favorite historical fantasy series. If you’re a completest, now’s your time to read this amazing series! It begins with The Bear and the Nightingale." --My Book Riot write up

I loved thisbook! i was a fan of the first two and was happy to get a copy from Netgalley. The most surprising thing about this was how little of it felt like winter-I spent most of the "polar vortex" reading this thinking it would be as chilly and wintery as the previous two installments, and really it was mostly warm and swampy, hahaha. But I love the family tension, the pulling in different directions, the forces of magic in the world trying to coexist with a society that seems to be leaving it behind.

Katherine Arden's writing is some of the most beautiful and enchanting I've ever encountered. This final book had some of my favorite moments of the entire trilogy. If The Bear and the Nightingale (still my favorite) was a slow tread through a forest, this was a sprint across an icy field.

A part of me wishes this ended at Chapter 22. It felt like the natural conclusion to all of the events of the previous books; it was perfect and the payoff from all those hundreds of pages was so worth it. After that, everything became a bit muddled and less satisfying because what ends up being the final denouement is an event that had been lurking in the shadows of the previous novels, tied up somewhat more hastily given the scale of the conflict. It suffers a bit from the lack of emotional build-up.

I'd say chapter 22 is the spiritual conclusion of the trilogy and what comes after is the narrative conclusion. I felt like this book might have been my favorite of the three until that point, even though I did like the bittersweet ending.

I was excited to be able to review this book. I had picked up the first two of the trilogy in the winter as a part of a December read- a-thon with an online book club and immedietly fell in love with the world the author created. It is a beautifully written book that you will sink slowly into the way you fall into a deep sleep after a long hard day. It was the perfect winter read to read by the fireplace.

An excellent finale to this trilogy. While I think that the first book will remain my favorite, this was a strong addition with a satisfying ending. I found the pacing to be a bit uneven at times, but the action is very engaging and it's enjoyable to watch Vasya continue to discover her powers and also her weaknesses. The relationship between her and Sasha is very sweet and believable. And I loved the ending. I'm going to have to go back and reread the series at some point. Overall, highly recommended! Just make sure to read this series in order.

I absolutely looove all the books in this series! I had super high expectations for this book but Katherine Arden didn´t disappoint.

I loved The Bear and the Nightngale, and The Winter of the Witch was a perfect way to end this trilogy. Emotional, lots of action but still some self-reflection. I would love future tales ofVasya and Morozko but this will do me just fine. Thank you, so so much.

Katherine Arden's books are amazing. Her writing style is flawless. Russian Folklore is prevalant now with Leigh Bardugo's new book out so if anyone is looking for a read alike this is my first recommendation.

I rarely will give a book a five star rating, but without hesitation, this one is five stars. You need to read the first two books in this trilogy. Book 3 begins right where the last story ended. I would say this book was even better than the first two. The author has written a beautiful fairytale that is almost perfection. Vasya, is now a young woman and still fighting to save her family and her beloved Russia. The mix of mortals and magical beings all struggling to coexist is riveting.

The ending of the book was extremely satisfying. Only I am so sad to end this series, but I only hope Katherine Arden continues to keep writing. I can't wait to see what comes out next! I received a complimentary ebook from the publisher.

So sad to see this series end. I've read it from the start all the way to the finish and Vasya's tale is one of awesomeness. Her character has evolved throughout the series with each book adding a certain layer to her personality. She does stay true to who she is though. She often acts before she thinks and that's her character flaw that somehow stays with her. She doesn't apologize for it either.


This book however, was quite honestly the saddest one of the bunch. I actually teared up. Vasya experiences tragic loss in this one so beware of that. If you've read this series from the beginning, you were really invested with the character(s). Rather than give that away though, I can safely say even with that, I really loved this book the best.


Old friends and new surprising allies join Vasya fight for her country as it all climaxes in an epic battle involving fantastic creatures, and humans. It all really comes down to if the two worlds could ever co-exist. One of the main themes of the series is that churches have made humans forget about domovoi that live in their home to protect them. They are not "seen" anymore and are slowly fading away. Vasya has always been able to see them but at a great price to her. She is accused of being a witch in this one and FIRE is involved. Very harrowing stuff. This book kept me on my toes and I'm sad to read it to competition. Although, I'm happy that Vasya found her place in the world, even with the rough road she's been on.


This series definitely has a re-read value for me and I can't wait to read what the author comes up with next.

The Winter of the Witch is the final book in the Winternight Trilogy.

I absolutely love this trilogy! The stories have the lyrical feel of old folk tales. I listened to the first two books on audio. It was like listening to an old wise woman read me a story. Enchanting! I read a digital ARC of this final book in the series. While I have to say I did miss the audio experience somewhat, the ending of this trilogy is so powerful and action-packed that I was totally swept away by the story.

There is a lot going on in this final piece of the story. This series really needs to be read in order to understand the characters and the plot. It isn't a series where a reader can jump in on the last book and be able to follow the plot.

Vasya learns so much about herself and her powers in The Winter of the Witch. A lot of things come full circle. She is such a strong character! I was a bit worried going into the final book that no conclusion to the story would be "enough.'' It took me awhile to work up the courage to read this final book....I didn't want the series to come to an end. Or maybe the correct statement is I didn't want this series to come to an unsatisfactory or disappointing end. Sometimes when I read a series that has characters and a magical story that I really love when I come to the end I'm just left feeling let down somehow....like there really wasn't a satisfactory way to make me feel okay about leaving the characters behind with an ending. I didn't feel that way at the end of The Winter of the Witch. I'm glad I finally took a deep breath and read this final book. This trilogy ends with understanding, power and magic. I closed the final book with a smile on my face.

I did purchase the audio book. And I'm going to enjoy the story again. This series just works better for me in audio format. I can imagine myself sitting on the floor in front of a stone fireplace listening to a wise woman telling me the lovely story of Vasya, who saved the world.

I will definitely be reading more by this author. I loved this series!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Random House via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

**ARC Provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Many say, better to die, until the time comes to actually do it, Morozko had told her once. He was right.


So, this series was a true love-hate thing for me. Yet, as a month and a half has passed since I finished it and have had sour thoughts about since, I can’t help, as I start writing this review, to have fond feelings for this story-so I guess that tells more than any nasty feelings that lingered. I hated the first, but loved the setting, the vivid storytelling (when it wasn’t talking about something totally triggerish for me), and, of course, Morozko. So I read the second-And I just plain adored it. Many times it’s not enough for the guy to be the only appealing thing to me, but, for this one, I really just had to know more about the mysterious Winter King and his oddly protective personality-even though, over the course of the series, he said time and again that he couldn’t always be around to protect Vasya, that it was taking him away from his duties, and that he wouldn’t ever do it again so be warned. Yet, every single time she was in danger…a certain freezing cold and rain or snow would assist our daring Vasya, and we just knew who couldn’t help himself from not letting her die. How romantically thrilling.

“I do not like him.”
“I fear,” said Sergei, “that he does not care in the slightest.”


And I finished this book around Christmas, or right before, what-have-you…and couldn’t find the words to write the review. After everything, this is what we were left with? Yeah, it was good. But, gone was what made me fall in love with this series, which was how Vasya was so strong, and how Morozko picked up the pieces and was relentless when she couldn’t be. I loved that. No matter how trigger-happy, nor how angry I got, I always loved that about this series, which is why I finished in the first place. Morozko had sacrificed so much over the course of this series, therefore he was at his weakest in this book-so we didn’t get to see many of theses moments (Though, he still continued to sacrifice all he had, in the only ways he could). It hurt me deeply, even though I know the goal was to show Vasya’s growth and what she can do to save her city on her own. But, with all the bullcrap surrounding these epic moments, the lack of Morozko was hard to swallow.


“...that is the only way you can play for everything, when you do not fear to lose.”


For all the triggers in all the lands of these books, one thing has stood out above all that that I just….just…could not stand, and that’s that bastard priest that was a thorn in my side from book one on. Can he just not, like, DISAPPEAR?! Go. Away.



YOU CAN’T SIT WITH US. He ruined so much and caused so much pain, heartache, and desperation that I could barely stand the series because of it. But, alas, he’s gone nowhere, and here we are.

Raising her head, she snapped at him, “Did you bring me here to watch me bleed to death? You are going to be disappointed. I am getting used to spiting people by surviving.”


TRIGGERS: Death, animal death (TRAUMATIC), child deaths, scary moments for weaklings such as I, and, like, so much more? What am I forgetting? Abuse at the hands of a misinformed and angry mob? And, for book two, which is what really hurt me most out of this whole series…a baby death. I have never been okay with this moment and, had it been erased from this series and book two, I think I could stomach it more.

“I knew you couldn’t do without me!” cried Ded Grib, triumphantly. “Even if now you have allies that are bigger.” He gave the Bear a very hard look.
“This is going to be a terrible war,” the Bear interjected. “What damage do you expect to do with a mushroom?”


I am a very sensitive soul, so when a mother is weeping for her child (book one) or an animal is slaughtered (1, 2, and 3) or burnt to death (2) or a baby dies traumatically and because of a selfish heroine (2) I cannot. I cannot I cannot and I will not. Yet, again, here we are. I feel fondly of this series…even after all this. All the tears. All the heartache. It all hurts. But I still, in a weird way…imagine skimming all that to get to the bright and amazing and shining parts. So I guess, again, that speaks louder than my angry reviews.

Which leads me here-Do I want these absolutely STUNNING books on my shelf? Yes. Will I get them? I don’t know. Is it worth it? There is so much heartache and sadness. Despair. But then-Morozko. Romantic peril. My baby Solovey. And those gorgeous covers. Here we are. Again. And again. And again.

None of the tales spoke of both wanting and resentment, of grand gestures and terrible mistakes.


Most enjoyable, to me, in order:

The Girl in the Tower (Favorite, might even just buy this one)
The Winter of the Witch
The Bear and the Nightingale

The finale to Arden's trilogy is as fantastically written as its' predecessors. Five stars. Would read again.

I had a mix of emotion when I started reading The Winter of the Witch. I was happy because this book was out. I was apprehensive because of the blurb. I was sad because the trilogy was ending. My feelings were validated for The Winter of the Witch. I never get emotional reading a book. But I did for this one.

Vasya was one of my favorite people in The Winter of the Witch. Even when pushed to her limits, she was one of the strongest people in the book. What she endured in this book would have killed lesser people. Instead, it made her a stronger person. It fueled her desire to bind Bear. I was worried about what was going to happen to her after Bear was bound. I was worried that the story was going to flounder.

Morozko is one of my favorite characters to date. He stole every single scene that he was in. The fight scene with Bear, his twin, was one of the best supernatural fight scenes that I have read to date. His scenes with Vasya after that were touching. I mean, he did follow her to summer. If that doesn’t tell anyone how he felt, that I don’t know what would. My only complaint is that he refused to get involved in the war. But I understood why.

Vasya’s rise to power in this book was amazing to read. I knew that something was going to happen when she was thrust into Midnight. I was thrown for a surprise when it was revealed who her grandmother was. I remember shaking my head and saying “Well, that explains a lot”. I liked how Vasya was able to keep her promise to the chyerti. There were points in the book, after her journey to Midnight, where I thought that she was failed. I have never been more happy to be proved wrong!!

There were several deaths in The Winter of the Witch. The death of Solovey, at the beginning of the book, broke my heart. Vasya never recovered from it. There was one death where I cheered. The other notable death was at the end of the book. I was crushed at that person’s death. Freaking crushed. I did cry. No shame here in admitting that.

The end of The Winter of the Witch was an emotional read for me. I am not going to give away spoilers but I was thrilled with how it ended. I was also thrilled with the other thing that happened. That came out of left field for me. I was happy. I might have done a fist pump and say “Yes!!“.

I want to add that the Author’s Note was a welcome surprise. I liked that the author used an actual battle as the backdrop of the one that took place at the end of the book. The Grand Prince and Sasha were actual people. She admitted to tweaking parts of the battle (which I expected). She pointed out something interesting about Russia that ended with the Revolution. Made me go “Hmmmm“. As was her fitting reference about the guardians of Russia.

What I loved was that she included a glossary. She also included a note on Russian names. Both were helpful!!

I would give The Winter of the Witch an Older Teen rating. There are mentions of sex (not graphic). There is no language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread The Winter of the Witch. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Winter of the Witch.

All opinions stated in this review of The Winter of the Witch are mine.

I have truly enjoyed the Winternight Trilogy & am sad that it is over. This has been a fast paced adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat with every turn of the page. A beautiful tribute to the land of Russia and the power of its folklore. I hope to see more of Arden’s novels in the future. 5+ stars.

Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.

The bear has awakened, and the dead are beginning to walk.  A horse of fire, a laughing skeleton, a shadow of claws, and a bird with a woman's face.  In the vast realm of Midnight, some shocking family ties are exposed.  Allegiances and betrayals.  A grievous loss.  Will the nightingale remain silent and frozen, or return to sing another day? 

I was utterly bewitched and transfixed with this trilogy.  Divulging a secret here, this one <b>almost</b> made me cry.  I stifled it, of course; big girls don't cry and all that.  But I share it as a testament to the magical story that is, sadly, now at an end.  Brava!

Magical! I love the language and imagery in this series. After finishing this book I felt as if the tale is finally complete.

The series finale brings us to the final chapters of a coming-of-age story set in the unforgiving Russian climate. Arden is a natural storyteller and I loved this series. Looking forward to seeing what direction she'll take us next.