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.

A wonderful tale with a fantasy like quality that none the less does not cover the harsh realities and complex topics that this book seeks to cover.

Having grown up reading Russian fairytales, I found myself delightfully "at home" in this debut novel. Deftly weaving several tales and superstitions together, Katherine Arden creates a wonderful, rich sense of place for her characters and draws the reader deep into her Russia. I constantly wanted to know what would happen next, finishing this long novel in half the time I expected to, and felt a deep sense of satisfaction when the story resolved almost exactly as I had hoped. For anyone who enjoys Russian literature, fairytales of any variety, fantasy novels, and well-written stories in general, The Bear and The Nightingale is a must-read.

Everything about this book screamed READ ME. The cover. The synopsis. All of it. So obviously going into The Bear and the Nightingale I had a few expectations as well as an eagerness to see if it was truly as amazing as it looked/sounded. While it lived up to my hopes and dreams on some fronts, others didn't quite make the cut.

The first thing I noticed was the writing. Descriptive, vivid, beautiful. It ebbed and flowed in a way that I immediately associated with a master storyteller. I loved that the story surrounds Russian folklore because it's not something I've seen often in fiction and was quite refreshing. This isn't some epic tale common to fantasy or a young adult adventure. It's a fairy tale that Arden breathed life into to bring something new to the world.

That may sound flowery in the way I wrote it but this book evokes such an unusual kind of storytelling that isn't in my usual reading and deserves it all.

As for the story itself, I enjoyed the multiple perspectives. It's a fine line and sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't, but I think Arden pulled it off splendidly. She addresses several themes throughout, with the core idea of family permeating the entire book.

Now, the writing was good. The story had that magical element that made it seem more than just a book. But I wasn't completely hooked.

The pacing of this book is SO slow. I waited and waited for something to happen but it didn't. The Bear and the Nightingale was slow going which, for the level of detail in the world isn't surprising. I've had this issue with books in the past where it takes half the book to set everything up before the pace picks up but this one felt like it had an unusually long wait, especially for the first in a series. I put it down several times in favor of more action-packed reads. It's a personal preference, for sure, and I wouldn't let the pacing dissuade you from reading this one.

My other issue came with the characters. I never felt excited by their adventures, their own stories. I felt the disconnect as I would when being told a story versus living it through the words of an author. While Arden's writing style is beautiful, it didn't entice me to fall into the world with full abandonment or to grow attached to the characters.

It's hard to really summarize my feelings about The Bear and the Nightingale because while I wanted to love it and some of the elements were truly magical, the primary things I look for in a book -- the hook, a connection to the characters -- just weren't there. It's one that took far too long to pick up and just didn't work for me, but if those things don't bother you then I would highly recommend this title. This one definitely comes down to reading preferences!

Absolutely stunning debut! This was not what I was expecting, but it was exactly what I needed. Can't wait for the next book!

There should be more books like The Bear and the Nightingale. Lots of them. It is beautiful, and a joy to read.

Maybe I’m just a sucker for fantasies packed full of myths and legends. Maybe the Russian origins of this folklore charmed me.

But it’s the well-realized and absolutely wonderful characters that draw me to The Bear and the Nightingale. Arden weaves a tale full of people who all have goals of their own and the agency to see those goals realized. Each character becomes a triumph or tragedy in his or her own right.

Mostly, I like how this book makes me feel as I read it in the dead of winter. Sure, there are times when the overwhelming cold in this story makes me shiver, but every time I’m reminded of the comfort that hearth and home brings.

So, yes, you should read The Bear and the Nightingale. It’s a beautiful book, and we could use more of those.

So, I recently read Uprooted, and when I saw that the Bear and the Nightingale was being compared to that, I decided to request it. I don't really agree with the comparisons to Uprooted, which I loved, and the Night Circus, which I could not finish. They're very different types of books. The Bear and the Nightingale is based on Russian lore, which I'm not terribly familiar with. But it's still a familiar world, with the Russian history, and it's not. It's a time when Christianity is threatening the old gods and protectors which drives the plot of the story. Sometimes the names of the guardians get confusing, as do the numerous nicknames for each character. Anna is spectacularly unlikable, as is the priest. Our main character is feisty and clearly has abilities to see and save the old protectors, but it's a subtle kind of magic..This book just really sucks you in and doesn't let go until the end.

This reads like a fairy tale and includes Russian Folklore. There are some unanswered questions and I wonder if this is the first of a new series? Recommended to anyone interested in folk or fairy tales. Very well done.

It was an interesting take on Russian folk tales. Maybe it would have been better if I had known the stories before I read the book. I wasnt super interested in it.

This is one of those books whose tale you can’t possible confuse with another. The good news is the author is working on the second of the series, with a third sequel to follow.

It is set deep in the forests of Russia and the city of Moscow, a time in ages past where people still lived and believed in the old ways, seeped with mythological stories, even though Christianity had been introduced 500 years previous. But ways change slowly, even more so in the isolated north.

This debut author, Katherine Arden, simply writes so spellbindingly, it is not one I could put down. She wraps her world in spirits, sprites and demons from mythology. Her story is easily understood and highly entertaining as well as educative for she goes into some depth about these legends. I imagine she had to do a lot of research and she must be equally fascinated with it. Her style of writing fits these times of old, with its detail of dress, housing, rhythm of day activities, harshness of nature and legends of the people, to produce a rich, poignant and realistic journey.

Vasilisa, nicknamed Vasya, is Marina’s last born. She is a special child with special power and were people to know her as she is, they would shun her, calling her witch. She loves nature, spends much of her time out near the water, in the forest, with the animals in the stable and talking to the wood-sprites, rusalka, the water-sprite of the lake, the house domovoi, who does mending and protects the house, the vodyanoy in the river, the polevik in the trees and so many more.

Pyotr Vladimirovich’s five children, Sasha, Kolya, Olga, Alyosha, and Vasya grow up with the legends of Russia as told by their nurse maid, Dunyashka. At the beginning of the tale, Dunyashka tells the story of Morosko, the demon of winter, the one who is there when someone dies in winter.

Lost in the woods when quite young, Vasya finds an old disfigured man sleeping under a gnarled, black, old oak tree. The old man tries to encourage her to come closer, but suddenly a man garbed in rich robes of fur on a white mare, prevents the old man from touching her and commands him to sleep, for it is yet winter.
This scene is pivotal in the direction the story heads and instantly I knew these two men are to play a part in the telling. But certainly, I had no clue how.

Vasya’s father feels his youngest daughter very spirited, too free, she doesn't listen to his words and he wearies of her. But he had promised his Marina, he would take care of her. It is time to take a second wife, hoping this will settle the girl. He still has connections in Moscow, his wife’s family. Ivan Ivanovich, his dear wife’s half-brother, is Grand Prince.
Pyotr, while in Moscow, is given a gift for his youngest daughter. She is to wear the necklace or have it near all the time. Pyotr, being an honorable man and obliged through his promise gives the necklace to Dunya, the old nursemaid, later to give to Vasya when she is older.

He marries, Anna, the Grand Prince's sister, a mousey woman, scared of her own shadow. She is to be Vasya and Alyosha’s mother. This is a gift Pyotr can’t refuse, even if he has doubts about this woman. It would be insulting the throne.

Once back at Pyotr’s home, Anna, his new wife, seems slightly unhinged. She sees demons. The only place she doesn’t see them is in the church. Therefore, she spends much time there. When Konstantin Nidonovich, a man of God, comes to Lesnaya Zemlya, life for the villagers and certainly for the Vladimirovich family changes. This man of God speaks with a silver tongue, putting fear into the people’s hearts, they must repent and worship the one true God.

I love it when a debut author connects with readers and she most certainly has. I look forward to book 2! Arden doesn't leave the reader not understanding the many Russian words for she includes a glossary.

Amazing retelling of an old tale. Remember what they say there is a grain a truth to all folklore. When Vasillsa feels that stopping the old rituals can have a negative effect on their way of life. When fear can cause havoc and ignorance leads to fear of that which is different.

Beautifully written story!

Beautiful fairytale fantasy; this will undoubtedly be hitting my 'year's best' list at the end of 2017!

Set in old-timey Russia, the world created here strikes a perfect balance between timelessness and concrete, gritty reality. Vasya's mother was warned that she would die bearing her last daughter. But, knowing that her child would inherit her ancient gifts, she insisted. Vasya has grown up motherless, in a remote village, always a bit of an outsider, a wild girl. She sees spirits in the wood and at the hearth. But she knows nothing of her heritage, or the connection she might have with the tales of Morozoko the Winter King, who may or may not carry off young women to be his brides. A strange present awaits Vasya, but her nurse, Dunya, has begged not to have to give it to her just yet...

Life has never been easy or perfect, but things take a drastic turn for the worse when politics require that Vasya's father remarry - and the woman chosen for him by the court is one who also sees supernatural creatures - but regards them as signs of madness or worse, as tormenting demons. Unfortunately, she is bolstered in her beliefs by the new priest in the village: a prideful, arrogant and willful man who is far from without sin, but is eager to cast stones. The timbre of the village's feelings about Vasya and her strangeness begins to turn bitter and dangerous.

Lovely writing spins out a deceptively simple story full of complex shades of meaning and keen insights. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Allion's review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1606657992) for recommending this book to me. And many thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the review copy. As always, my opinions are unaffected by the source.

This debut novel is a fantastic foray into the world of Russian folklore, and an exploration of the ways old stories and traditions must fight or fold against the incursion of newer powers and stories. Arden has a lyrical way of writing, which brought the world of her characters to life. The supernatural characters range from household spirits to powerful gods, and their stories are carefully interwoven into the larger plot.

From the moment I started reading this book, I knew I wasn't going to be able to put it down until I finished it. I loved the use of history and culture. Russian culture and history is relatively unexplored in the literary world and to see it so beautifully brought to life is a great thing. I look forward to the future novels from this author.

The Bear and the Nightingale is an engaging read set in medieval Russia. Katherine Arden's writing reminds me of the old style of writing fairy tales. It is dark and enticing. It has an almost poetic feel to it as the lives of the characters and the coinciding fay creatures are described. I was easily draw into the story.

Vasilisa is a young girl who has the "second sight". She readily accepts both worlds and is a bridge of sorts between the two. She keeps the fay happy and protects her people from some of their dangerous ways. She belongs to both worlds and is happy with her role in both.

Tragedy strikes her people when her father takes a new wife and a new Priest comes to shepherd the flock. Both are devout and have zero tolerance for adherence to the old ways. The fay are diminishing, but they protect the humans from danger from stronger fay. Vasilisa is trying to save her people and keep her fay friends around.

As I stated in the first paragraph, the story is dark. It is a fairy tale, but it may be a little too dark for younger readers. There is a little bit of innuendo, but I found it to be clean. The book does contain violence that is non-graphic. It could be unsettling for younger readers.

This was the type of book you needed to read in a slow pace beside the crackling of a fireplace. No, seriously, it’s very reminiscent of old-world storytelling, and it was just so damn lovely. And lyrical. And filled with Russian fae-folk. And a badass girl who is not afraid to stare Death in the face. Literally.

review book


I'll Meet You Theretitle: The Bear and the Nightingale
author: Katherine Arden
pages: 336
format: Paperback
buy it: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
rating: 3.5/5 (from hated to loved) or 8/10 (all books I've ever read)
recommended for: Fans of Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones, or And I Darken by Kiersten White.
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.

in depth

A dark, atmospheric fairy tale with the sensuous charm of Wintersong (though much lighter on the romance!), the woodsy old country tone of Uprooted, and the scope of And I Darken. It's a slow-burning tale that breaths life into Russian folklore and history.

It's slow, almost painfully so in the beginning. Many readers will be lost here. Arden starts before Vasya is ever born, and spends quite some time with her mother and father. I kept with it because I was entranced by the language and the world. I'm glad I did, because the story creeps up on you, languidly unfolds into something entrancing.

Vasya is a spirited, fae character. She befriends kitchen devils and talks to horses. She's the strongest character, and easy to love. Her father is next, well-meaning but somewhat oblivious, the prototype of a kindly boyar. Then there's her stepmother, whom I loathed. In a good way. Her cruelty isn't exaggerated like in some tales. It's believable, the fervent viciousness of someone who believes what they do is in service to God--led on by the golden-haired priest whose narcissism drives him to become an idol to the people of the isolated town.

Other characters were somewhat underutilized. I wanted more of Vasya's brothers and of Dunya, her wise nursemaid. There was so much muchness in this book, so much expansiveness in the world. Too many stories to be adequately contained in one book, so naturally a few were left a little limp.

The worldbuilding and language worked together to create a home for these characters, and for the reader. Arden's prose is lyrical and visceral. She borrows old phrases and sprinkles Russian words judiciously. There's a sedate magic in the way her phrases build on each other. They sneak up on you, slowly, and then suddenly your head is in the chilly forest and there are stars in your eyes. It's rich with quirky creatures (I seriously want to squeeze the domovoi, whom I pictured as a Pignite for no good reason) and superstition.

The plot is intriguing, but a bit convoluted. It took me a while to get my bearings. (Get it, bearings?) Once I did, I found myself reading rapidly. The character dynamics were fascinating. There was something very Dostoyevsky-esque in the atmosphere Arden weaves, in her large cast and their complex interpersonal struggles. It was deeply human as much as it was fantasy.

Then it stopped rather abruptly, when I was just getting to know the night king. More Morozko, please? I wanted the book to start later in the story and end later in the story. The last page was like an unfinished sentence, a breath cut off by a knife to the throat. I don't know that I want a sequel, because sequels so often spoil a good standalone, but maybe a novella?

All in all, it was a powerful reading experience. I'd read it again. Arden's folktale, though perhaps more expansive than its current bounds, is rich with old world mystery, modern sensibility, and subtle wit.


in a sentence
The Bear and the Nightingale is a slow-burning fairy tale that captures the chilly magic of Russian folklore.

I loved this book. There are so many things to praise about this book: the writing was gorgeous, the descriptions were evocative, and the characters were brave and loving and multi-faceted. I enjoyed the incorporation of folk tales into the story, and the way the author used the conflict between modern religion and "old ways." At the same time, I felt that there was some ambiguity, which I really appreciated. Vasya's brother is a strong believer in modern religion but he is not a villain--fanaticism and misunderstandings are the real causes of the trouble here. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and hope to see more from this author in the future.

I featured the book here: http://www.bethfishreads.com/2016/12/10-books-for-tweens-and-teens.html

here: http://www.bethfishreads.com/2017/01/stacked-up-book-thoughts-brrrr-its-cold.html

and on Litsy (@BethFishReads)

and here: http://www.bethfishreads.com/2017/01/sound-recommendations-two-novels-for.html