The beautiful cover of this book is what originally attracted me to it. Another reason for wanting to read the book was that I loved fairy tales and folklore as a child.

The Bear and the Nightingale is set in medieval Russia. It is based on Russian fairy tales and folk lore, all are rather dark. However, it's a beautifully written book. The descriptive words and writing from the author bring winter in Russia to life! I could feel the dark snowy days.

There were a few times that I felt like I couldn't get into the story. Then something would grab me right back into the tale. Maybe I've outgrown my fairy tale years but it was an enjoyable story.

* I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. I voluntarily reviewed this book.

The Bear and the Nightingale was really good. Several of my staff have read it and enjoyed it.

Vasilisa, the youngest of 5 siblings, grows up in the Russian hinterlands with a special connection to the wild. She loves her nurse's stories of the different spirits of house and forest, but most of all she loves tales of Morozko, the fearful king of winter. When her father remarries to a devout citywoman, who comes with a new priest, it triggers a change in Vasilisa's comfortable existence. And, as she soon comes to realize, a change in the natural balance. As the new priest's influence grows, the local spirits and land weaken. As scary as tales of Morozko are, they are nothing compared to the thing he guards against. Threatened with marriage or a convent by her stepmother, Vasilisa must find a way to keep her land and people safe before time runs out.

One of my favorite books growing up was a book of Russian fairytales. In many ways, The Bear and the Nightingale was like revisiting my childhood. Except the fairytale grew up with me and got equivalently darker as a result. I'm not mad about it. This was an engrossing, atmospheric read. From the domestic spirits to the encroachment of Christianity to the mythos surrounding Morozko, this fictional slice of old Russia felt rich and authentic. It is not a Disney-fied fairytale. There is blood and death and violence, and a monster or five. It does nicely capture that feeling familiar from folk tales, where reality slips sideways just a bit and suddenly things like magic just are.

Vasilisa as the main character is both traditional and not. Traditional because that's a recurring name/character from Russian folklore, but not because generally it's Vasilisa the Beautiful where she is a fair maiden. This story's Vasilisa is not ugly, but not beautiful either. Rather, she is smart, and brave, and compelling. I like this modern twist on a heroine. The supporting characters were mostly well-done and sympathetic- even the traditionally vile stepmother. The author did well to add nuance to the normal archetypes.

I would've liked a little more backstory on Vasilisa's mother and the magic of her line (where it came from, what exactly that meant). And some parts of the story moved a little slowly for me. But overall, I still really enjoyed this book.

If you like new twists on old stories, or have a penchant for Russian folklore, give this a try.

This review originally appeared on Brightly:
Some authors create a world so vivid, so immersive, so unlike your own that you can’t help but remain there long after you finish reading. Katherine Arden has created such a world in her debut novel, The Bear and the Nightingale. Set in the far north of Rus’ (what would later become Russia) during the 14th century, the small village where Vasya Petronova lives spends most of its year in winter. The village honors the sprites and fears the demons that live all around them. Vasya has a special ability to see the sprites and demons, and her life becomes more exciting as she communicates with them and learns from them.

Vasya is a bit of a wild child, especially compared to the norms of the time. While her father, a minor nobleman and widower, seems to enjoy his daughter’s spirit, he’s unsure how to tame her as she ages. When he marries Anna, a young woman who grew up in the city of Moscow and is very devout to the new Christian religion, Vasya’s freedom is challenged. Then, when a priest settles in the village, Vasya finds herself not only fighting for her own freedom, but for the village’s ancient beliefs, which are starting to give way to the priest’s beliefs.

Arden’s book brilliantly melds fantasy, history, magic, religion, politics, and folklore into an enchanting tale. I was completely captured by the story, so vividly imagined and yet so firmly rooted in reality. It went beyond simply imagining the book; it was almost a sensory experience — the chill of the air, the smell of the food cooking in the hearth, the richness of the sights, the fears and triumphs.

A quick word on the reading: If you are unfamiliar with reading books rooted in Russia, it can take a bit of time and effort to familiarize yourself with the characters, as each typically has multiple names and nicknames. Arden does also use some Russian vocabulary and naming conventions. Luckily, there’s a glossary in the back that serves as a great resource as you start the novel.

The Bear in the Nightingale is the first book in a planned trilogy. While this installment has a satisfying conclusion, I’m very excited to read more of Vasya’s story. And, even more so, I look forward to reading more of Arden’s amazing writing.

Couldn't get into it. Not into reworked fairy tales, sorry.

There aren't words to describe my love for this bokk

This was an original and enchanting tale that takes place long ago and is based on old Russian fairytales. I feel in love with the story soon after I started. The main focus of the story is the young Vasya who has a touch of magic in her. She can see demons and house-hold spirits. When her village and home is threatened, Vasya discovers that she may be the only one with the power to stop the evil. I enjoyed reading every part of this story. It was a fantastic tale of mystery, magic and it the writing was gorgeous. I can't wait to read the next book.
I received a complimentary ebook in exchange for a review.

DNF @ 12%

*eARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing Group (Ballantine) via NetGalley*

I tried. But I just don't have any interest in returning to the book at this point. I think it definitely has strong writing and characters, but I am SO. BORED. And I'm not a big fan of books that span multiple years. I will give it a second chance at a later time, because I think I could really enjoy it if I get further into the story. So this is kind of a we-are-on-a-break moment for us instead. :D

A richly detailed story that is quite intriguing. Vasilisa is unlike any heroine you will come across. While this moves at a slow pace, it takes you on a journey as we watch a free-spirited girl grow up to become a brave young woman. It's hard to believe that this is the author's first book. Clearly, a lot of research went into this about Russian folklore. The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars instead of five is because it took me quite a while to get through the slow parts and pick the book up again.

My rating reflects my personal tastes. I don't like myths, legends or fairy tales, so this book was a difficult one for me to finish.
It seemed much longer than necessary and became tedious reading.

In this highly anticipated debut, Katherine Arden spins a story that blends Russian fairy tales and folklore with history.

Vaslisa is a girl with old magic in her blood, and she must save her village by honoring the old traditions. I really loved the feel of this story. It has a mysterious quality to it that reminded me a little of The Snow Child. I also loved how the tale is wrapped in the world of Medieval Russia. The fairy tale aspects and the historical are woven together so well.

The plot does seem to wander at points, but I think the overall atmosphere made up for any pacing problems.

The Bear and the Nightingale is the perfect winter read, so curl up with a cozy blanket and a warm drink and crack this one open.

Featured in "Reading on a Theme: A Russian Setting" on Intellectual Recreation.

Such a cool story, I'd never heard of this fairy tale. I was completely sucked in, it was so well-written.

Four and a half stars, but I'll round up. I don't know a ton of Russian folklore, and my Russian history is rusty. Katherine Arden, on the other hand, knows her Russian history expertly and still manages to to make that knowledge uninstrusive. She uses it to paint a picture of a harsh, medieval world, where kings and princes don't last long if they aren't suspicious and cynical. Her focus isn't the Russian court, though, but is instead upon a small holding off in the feral forests. Her characters gather around the house stove and sleep on top of it to keep warm. They negotiate loyalties between a distant prince, an orthodox Church, and old beliefs which include house and forest spirits.

The book is the beginning of a retelling of Vasalisa the Beautiful, a tale I don't really know. It's a bit slow to get off the ground, since it looks like it's going to be a trilogy, but I didn't mind the time spent setting the stage because the author did such a good job of drawing me into her world. Vasya is a wonderful character: strong, brave, caring. She's a great heroine. Her entire family is fascinating too, from her mysterious mother, her brusque but loving father, her three older brothers and sister, none of whom are touched by the supernatural in quite the way that Vasya is.

It almost always freezing in this book- you'll want a fire and some tea or hot chocolate- and the supernatural is not safe in the slightest, although it's beautiful and seductive. The writing itself could probably stand some technical improvement, but I'm willing to bet that will come with time. I'll grab the sequel as soon as I can.

This book was amazing.

It’s a Russian fairytale. Set in medieval Rus’ with Boyars and princes, old gods and new religion, all surrounding a beautiful harsh landscape. Vasya is the youngest of five siblings and blessed with her maternal grandmother’s strangeness. As she grows up Vasya becomes aware that she is unlike everyone else and sees things differently from her siblings.

All the fairy tale elements are in this book. The dead mother, the antagonistic stepmother, the three brothers, the beautiful stepsister, but the author takes the time to give each a distinctive personality and motivations of their own. I adored Pytor, Vasya’s father. Sometimes the parents just slip into the background but he was an integral part of the story and I loved that he was so visible.

I found the book beautifully descriptive, with imagery filled with details alive enough to make you smell the smoke and feel the cold. This world is haunting, vivid, and I could sense that. The author evokes the harsh northern seasons, and how life adapted, while weaving in the magical folk figures who seem to be dying off as the people's faith turns to Christianity. The push pull between the old ways and the Christianity the new religion, ended being a plot point. Vasya tries her best to find the old peaceful balance between old ways and new. I will admit that I was more interested in the old ways than the new.

My favorite part was the fairytales. The frost-king Morozko and his destructive brother, the Bear, play the primary fairy tale roles, but there are additional Russian folklore elements like the stepmother sending her stepdaughter into the forest to find snowdrops in midwinter from the story “Twelve Months”, Morozko sending lost girls home with a dowry of gold and jewels, the Sea-King’s daughter, and Vasilisa the Beautiful. I did adore that the tales were told so that the reader didn’t have to go look them up.

I had two minor issues with the book. The first was the ending. It was so abrupt and I was left reeling a little. I mean it ends it but it’s just full stop, the end. My other quibble was that there were lots of half answered questions and confusing bits and characters (coughSashacough) that I got attached too that disappeared and never came back. Thankfully both my problems are answered by the fact that this is not a standalone and there are two more books coming.

This book reminded me so much of Uprooted and I was thrilled to read it. I am looking forward to next book.

The Bear and the Nightingale is incredibly slow-paced and relies very heavily on it's atmosphere and the odious characters. It isn't a book that you can read in one sitting but it's a perfect winter read if you want to immerse yourself in something fantastical and atmospheric. On the whole this was a good read despite some things I didn't love.

This book was a bit of a personal challenge. It took me over a month to read it and frankly, if I hadn't received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for the review, I probably would've added it to my DNF pile.

The good: the descriptions in this novel are fantastic. I was really able to see Rus' as it was meant to be seen. Vasya's village sprang to life in my head, as did all of the characters and creatures. It is apparent that Arden did a ton of research to get every detail just right. Her love for this novel, its settings, and its characters really shows.

Vasya is a wonderful character. She is not a Mary-Sue by any means, which I appreciate in a character. She is flawed, but strong. She cares deeply about her family, her faith, and her home. She sacrifices everything for all of those things and it is clear that her struggle was worth it in the end.

The bad: This book is slooooooow. I could't stand to read more than 30 minutes at a time until I hit about the 35% mark because nothing seemed like it was happening. I understand the need for all of the exposition now that I have finished the book, but at the time, I had a lot of thoughts along the lines of. "Why is this person important? Why are they going there and spending so much time on this one setting? What will this mean down the line? Does this really need to happen?". That said, the story is very reminiscent of a folktale being told around the fire over the course of several nights--which is exactly what one would do during the long winters in northern Russia, so while it wasn't my favorite style and pace, I understand what it was such.

Another issue I have with the novel is that all of the characters have, like, 3 names. There's their full name, their nickname, and then there are diminutive forms of those names or other nicknames. I understand that this is very typical of the Russian language (and really, any language), but it did lend some confusion to an already complex story. I appreciate the author's attempts to really bring us into the setting, but it was a little detrimental to the reading experience because I had to take some extra time to sort out all the names.

Altogether not a bad read and once the story picked up, I enjoyed this one, but I don't think I'd go back and read it again. This book is a solid 4 stars for me.

This book is magical. From the very beginning, when the author described the family sleeping atop the masonry stove, I was hooked!

I didn't really know what to expect when I started this, but needed a fantasy novel to get into. I guess I had no idea how heavily influenced by Russian culture and folklore it would be. But I am not complaining! It was a fascinating, if slow at times, read. There is a lot of action, but unfortunately in between major events the plot starts to drag. The prose is beautiful though, and the characters were each so individually well written that you were compelled to keep slogging through some of the more boring bits just to see what happens to them.

4.5 Stars - I highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction or fantasy. It is a lovely blend of the two that was just right for me. I especially recommend if you are looking to read about a different culture or time period. This is extremely fascinating and lovely to read.

Vasya is the youngest daughter of Petyor Petrovich and she is wild like her mother was. In the Northern part of Russia Vasya's city is caught between a primal and pagan past and the church. She is a disgrace to most of her city, but is perhaps the only one who can save them from what is coming.

I loved this book because I really didn't know what to expect when I started reading it. I knew there was a fantasy element to it, and that was it. It turns out that this book was a lovely surprise. It reads more like historical fiction, but weaves the folktales the children learn into the narrative. I took a Slavic Folklore course in college, so it was very fun to look back on that and remember things about Russian culture that I had learned. I like how well researched and imagined the setting, culture, religions, and myths are in this book. Arden really did her work. She does give a disclaimer about a bit of the language though, but that didn't bother me (as I know nothing about Russian language..). This is the kind of book where you become completely swept up in the setting and plot, and that will leave you wanting more. I saw someone say there will be more books later, I don't know if that is true. The ending is not quite a cliffhanger, but does leave me guessing. I would highly recommend this, and look forward to reading more books should there be some later. I recommend glancing through the glossary at the end to familiarize yourself with some of the terms, etc. It will help if you don't have a lot of background knowledge on Russian language, myths, etc. - of course you can always reference it on a case-by-case basis as well. :)

I feel terrible that it has taken me so long to write this review. It’s certainly not because I didn’t like The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. Quite the opposite. I loved this book. In fact, the hardest part of writing this review has been organizing my thoughts beyond, “Wow, go buy this book now!”

Believe me, a positive review was the last thing on my mind when I first heard of Arden’s debut novel. I started getting e-mails from NetGalley and the publisher giving a very hard sell, which made me very suspicious. But, despite all the lofty claims, I realized that there wouldn’t be a push like this if the publisher didn’t think this novel had what it took to be a bestseller. And despite my reluctance, despite my suspicions, Arden won me over. Of course, it didn’t help that like her, I had studied in Russia. I’m a sucker for its legends and fables. And so I fell for this book. Hard.

This book lives up to the hype. Arden offers an original take on old legends, and she sets her story in a rich, authentic world populated by a cast of detailed characters torn between the traditions of the old world and their desire for something better either in the next world or just next year.

The Story

Vasilisa is the daughter of a Russian frontier prince and a woman who had strange, magical powers. During birth, Vasilisa’s mother died, so Vasya was raised by a nurse who filled the girl’s head with tales of Winter and the spirits that inhabit the woods that surround her home.

Years later, her father travels to Moscow to find a new wife. He returns with Vasilisa’s new stepmother and a stepsister (yes, this story hit a lot of fairy tale markers, but they never feel like a trope), as well as an ardent priest, driven to strip these people of their old world beliefs. He also returns with a strange talisman for Vasilisa that a strange man gave to her father.

The snow piles up, the stores of crops grow thin, and the region’s spirits begin to die off. But Vasilisa has been learning from those spirits while doing her best to sustain them. But the villagers—and especially her stepmother—call her a witch and shun her. Does she bring doom or their last chance for salvation? Is it Winter knocking at their door, or something worse? Will Vasilisa the fearless, the stubborn, the wild save her people?

The Review

I’ll get to the characters in a minute, but I want to start with the world of this book. There is an authenticity here. Arden’s scholarship, her experience shine through. I remember visiting villages and wooden churches outside of St. Petersburg. This is the world Arden inhabits.

But it’s more than the buildings. It’s also the relationships, the clothing, the attitudes. And the fantastical elements as well. From the larger characters like Winter to the smaller household spirits, it all rang true. And if you are unfamiliar with Russian elements, the story won’t throw you. It will feel familiar to any fan of fairy tales. But just in case, there is a brief glossary in the back.

Now the characters. There is a large cast here, but main character or secondary character, Arden has given each strong motivations (the lord fighting to protect his fief, the wild and fearless princess defying all in the name of a larger good, the devoted priest absolutely confident in his faith, the doting nanny sacrificing for the children in her care). There is a saying that plot is character–that the choices well-motivated characters make determine the plot. But it can still be a tremendously difficult thing to pull off. Arden succeeds and separates her tale from most fairy tales where the characters are more like two-dimensional stereotypes, more puppet than person.

The pacing of the story has a slow burn in the beginning, but Arden draws you in and puts you under her spell. Before you know it, you’re lost in her world, just like Vasilisa in the dark woods that border her village. It’s an adventure, and only the strong and the bold will survive. Thank goodness readers have Vasilisa to show us the way.

Bottom Line

The Bear and the Nightingale was the first book I read in 2017. Part of me is worried that I might have peaked early. But if the rest of the year is as good as this book, 2017 will be something special. And all those hard-selling comparisons I mentioned above? Yeah, Arden does belong with Naomi Novik and Neil Gaiman. I can’t wait to see what she reads next.