Review to be posted live on 16th January, 13:00pm London time.

The Bear and the Nightingale is an enthralling, slow-moving Russian fairytale about a lethal and deadly winter demon (Jack Frost) and a young woman of power battling a demon bear of the forest. It’s a tale as old as time; good v evil, though the deadly winter demon, Morozko, is far from good (he’s darn scary and badass). The story is richly steeped in religious tones, as magical spirits of old and legend start to fade as the worship of Christianity grows in Vasya’s village, aided by the dangerous fervour and manipulations of Father Konstantin.

As I mentioned above, The Bear and Nightingale is slow. The battle has been foreshadowed from when Vasya was a babe, so it’s not until well into the second half of the book that Vasya comes of age and becomes truly aware of her destiny. Vasya is strong-willed and independent. She is the baby of the family, and seems to do everything wrong. She is reminded constantly from how others react to her behaviour how different she is from the rest of her family and village. She’s also casually beaten by her father for her wilful transgressions, which I have no doubt was a norm back in the medieval days.

She’s determined to have and live her own life, which is very much against what her father wants, and they constantly have a battle of the wills between the two of them. Her village helps shape and creates the way forward in which the demon Bear, Medved, comes into existence by Father Konstantin, who is sent to the village with Vasya’s new step-mother.

Vasya is constantly under the beady and lustful eye of Father Konstantin, and she is emotionally and physically abused by her-stepmother. Her father has lost his way since the death of Vasya’s mother, but Vasya has her Grandmother and her brother Sasha, who I can’t wait to read more about in the following books. So while the driving force is the oncoming battle between Frost and his evil brother Bear, it’s also a story of a family that’s gone through death and separations in an age of famine and poverty.

I would say those who read Uprooted will enjoy this dark fairytale, though the two stories are vastly different in tone, with religion playing a centre role in The Bear and the Nightingale. Christianity isn’t shown in the best of light in this story, as it’s used as part of the antagonist with Bear. As more people worship Christianity, the old spirits start to fade away, and the more Bear grows until he is finally awakened. But it is counterbalanced by Vasya’s older brother, who becomes a monk. This book shows how religion can be centered on love and kindness, but it’s also manipulated and used for hate.

There’s no romantic elements per say, but towards the end as Morozko and Vasya unite, there is a hint of something. While I wished there was a romance, I was happy there was at least a little something. Once I found out this is the first book of a series, the ending makes a lot more sense, as Vasya’s power and her ancestry is hinted at but never revealed. For most of the book I couldn’t figure out why a Nightingale was in the title and when it was revealed in the end it felt a little-too-late, though the surprise has left me wanting more. Sorry. Spoilers.

All in all this was a very enjoyable book and though at times I wished the story picked up speed much sooner and there was more fantasy, Vasya and Morozko and her family, especially Sasha, glued me to the pages until very late in the early morning and I cannot wait until the next book.

I give The Bear and the Nightingale a B+

The Bear and the Nightingale was a very interesting read. I don't know anything about Russian folklore, and this book enlightened me so much.

I love the development of the characters in this book. The range of the timeline was long since it follows the growth of the characters, mainly, Vasya. It was delightful to see her become a brave, graceful young woman from the naughty child she was before. I also love how she was portrayed in the book. The women in this period are either meant to be married off, and stay in the house for the rest of their lives or be sent off to a convent. Vasya, on the other hand, became neither a wife nor a nun. She chose freedom, and though that freedom was hard to attain, she was successful in the end. It leaves a strong message to women.

Even though this book was rather slow-paced, it was justified by the fact that the author amazingly laid out the plot in a complete way, and because of this, the character development of the characters was laid out perfectly.

Even though there were times when I find this book really slow and I lose interest because my mind is yearning for more active/thrilling/action scenes, I liked this book because it's full of magic, bravery, courage, and many delightful stuff.

This book is outside my usual genres but I loved it. It is an adult folk/fairy story based on the Russian fables and it is extremely well told and well written. The characters have some complicated names, and some Russian words are used but there is a key. It is also lovely to read a book with a strong female lead. Vasya is the only one in her village initially able to see and interact with the magic spirits that she has seen everywhere since she was small. A fascinating, well written story, which is well worth reading, especially on a snowy winter's evening.

I liked this book and I REALLY wanted to love it. The writing was superb and the story was hard to put down. The issue I had was that the story didn't really go anywhere. If you're going to spend 2/3rds of the book giving a back story then the last third better be awesome, and it just wasn't, it fell a little flat for me and ended very abruptly with many loose ends (maybe a second book picks this up again, I don't know). Disappointment aside it was still an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from the author.

The story made me travel back in time and feel 5 years old again! You know, the age when you’ve slowly started reading on your own but still love it when adults read you out loud your favourite fairy tales? Exactly how I felt! Because all the creatures mentioned in the book: russalka, domovoi, lechiy - I used to believe in them and hear stories full of familiar creatures.

tI absolutely loved the usage of Russian words throughout the story. Some words are just difficult to translate and even if you do well, they might still lose their original taste and meaning. I wonder though, if these words confused any of you (non-russian) so you had to constantly check the glossary at the back of the book?

The story was not a light hearted fairy tale I must say! There were darker things, evil creatures lurking around, in dark corners, under the stove, or maybe even under your bed. (are you scared yet? because I sure was at some points of the book! SPOOKY)

Will there be a sequel?? Because I was left with so many question marks in my head! There were so many things that weren't completely explained. All I know is I AM IN A DESPERATE NEED FOR MORE!

When I first heard about this book I was utterly enchanted by the premise of it. It was actually sold to me because someone at the publishers said it reminded them of The Tale of Two Brothers from The Deathly Hallows. Do I agree with that analysis? I can’t completely remember it but it does seem apt, as do the comparisons in the summary. It does have elements from Uprooted and The Night Circus but only in the sense that it has magical writing which will enchant you. It’s a book I’ve been thinking on and it’s utterly magical and enchanting and it even has a bit of history in it too!

This is a fantasy book which is grounded in the real world and history and it’s all based on Slavic mythology. There is a disclaimer at the beginning about Arden playing a bit fast and loose with translations (there isn’t continuity with how her translations are done) and she has taken a bit of artistic license with Russian history (she admits that Prince Vladimir Andreevich was actually a few years younger than Dmitrii Ivanovich but she switched and made him older instead) but this is mostly due to it being a poorly documented period in history so she was able to make these liberties. The fact she put this disclaimer at the beginning of the book (at least in the version I read) was great because I like to know not to expect everything at face value.

Really, this book can most closely be compared to Daughter of the Forest for me as it is set in the past in a period of history people may not know well and it draws on the areas own mythology to create the world. The way Vasya grew up wild with a large collection of brothers and how she was so closely connected with nature just instantly reminded me of that book. For many that would be a drawback, I mean that is the pinnacle of well-done fantasy, but for me, this was a good thing. For a new book to remind me so much of a classic was excellent because it never felt like it was copying it, instead, it was a coincidence. It was simply as well written and researched as that and you could feel that in the writing.

And the fantasy elements of this book were amazing. I know nothing of Slavic mythology but I recognised things like Baba Yaga but the actual folk tales in the book were new to me. As were things like banniks, domovoi and leshy. This characters of folktales were brought to life and introduced to me in such an interesting way. I was hooked with how they were described and explained and I loved how it seemed genuine. I won’t spoil how they are featured in the book but I did love the originality of it.

Look, this book wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for me. I had some serious doubts when I first began reading. This book is one I was actually reading for far longer than my Goodreads dates shows. I began reading during a book slump (bad plan, I know) hoping to end the slump. Instead, the slow pacing at the beginning of this actually made me doubt myself. Add in the fact that the POV switches a lot throughout the book which led to me feeling a little disconnected from the characters to start off and I thought I was in with a recipe for disaster. I struggled and it was about two weeks before I got into the story. It wasn’t until I was 20% in on Sunday that I was hooked and then I sped through it Sunday night just having to finish.

Once you’re hooked you’re a goner, but getting that point was hard. The story was slow, I couldn’t see the fantasy elements I had been promised and I seriously didn’t get why I should care about any of these characters. I mean, at all. To say me and this book began badly is an understatement. I got there, though. And when I did it was love.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this and I have to say, even with the slow start and the fact I was confused and distant from the characters for a good long time I’ve still got to say it was amazing. Like, really good. The fact this book chose to spend a long time setting the scene and doing some world building isn’t a bad thing, especially as it was a culture and a history I knew little about so I needed the explanation. I adored Vasya and her rebellious nature and the fact good and evil were so closely intertwined and all came down to small decisions by characters which affected their path. I liked the introduction to new mythology and history and I liked the whole rural Russian world we were introduced to. I would happily buy this for friends and family and I wouldn’t feel bad recommending because I know what to warn folks about but know also that if they can make it through the slow start they will be rewarded with a really good book.

Deep in the northern parts of Russia winter is long and summer is short. The people worship the old spirits of the forest and sacrifice blood and bread to keep hearth and home safe from the Frost King (Death) and his brother Fear (the Bear). When a charismatic new priest is sent to one village, he preaches agains the old ways and the people stop their offerings giving strength to Fear. As winter deepens, the Bear grows stronger and the dead start to walk. The villagers' only hope is Vasya, daughter of the local Boyar and said by some to be a witch. Vasya can talk to the spirits and to horses and she has a destiny to fulfil.

Weaving many myths and folklore legends together this is a tale of medieval Russia written by a non-native and infused with a love of language, history and culture. I wanted to keep immersing myself in this world and wanted the book to be so much longer than it was because it is so beautifully written. The tale feels like one extended fairy story, lighter than true fantasy yet well-researched in terms of life in a Russia controlled from afar by the Mongol hoard. This is a book to savour and deserves to be incredibly successful because it is so good.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden is a rich fantasy tale set in medieval Russia, written in a beautiful style and sparkling with Slavic mythology.

The story is set around Vasilisa Petrovna and her family. Living in north Rus' isn't easy, as winters last most of the year and summers are schorching hot. But people of Lesnaya Zemlya get by attending the church but also remembering the old ways, told in the stories by the fireplace. Until Vasya's father decides to find a new wife and the village gets a new priest, determined to stop the villagers from honouring the spirits.

One of the biggest strenghts of this novel is the atmospheric, beautifully lyrical writing. The wonderful imagery transports you to the woods of northern Rus' and the busy streets of Moscow, and is full of magic and enchanting Russian folklore. The chapters form a bigger story, but at times each of them read almost like a separate fairytale, which is brought out even more by the chapter titles.

The mood of the story is magical but can also get dark and almost unsettling. The superstitions, the transition from old religion to modern one, the big fight between primeval magical forces, it all sets an enchanting atmosphere that draws you in and makes it hard to put the book down. Furthermore, even though the book is seen as fantasy, I feel like at the same time it's also grounded in reality. The descriptions of the setting and every day life feel very realistic, and living in the Slavic country myself, I could find a lot of familiar details that made my reading even more enjoyable.

Throughout the book, we witness Vasya's story, from her birth up until she's all grown up and she was a brilliant main character. Strong and fierce, determined to make her own decisions and live freely, even if she would have to go against the society's standards. I also thought that all of the characters present in the story, whether for the whole length or just a few chapters, were very well written and added something to the story to make it complete. Vasya's whole family, Dunya, father Konstantine, all the magical creatures, they made the story rich and interesting.

To sum up, The Bear and the Nightingale is a fantastic debut that I will thoroughly recommend! It has all the qualities of an amazing book: intriguing plot, interesting characters, beautiful writing. Top that with a huge dose of magical Slavic folklore and you'll get a novel that you wouldn't want to miss!

Things I wish I had known before starting to read [book:The Bear and The Nightingale|31344916]

1) There is a glossary at the end of the book.
2) This is the first installment in a series.

The events described in the GR description only happen in the second half of the book. The first part is dedicated to introducing the characters and giving the reader an introduction to what medieval Russia was like - I am hoping this will be further explored in the sequels. While the first half is a bit slow, the pace does pick up at 50% and is quite enjoyable.

Father Konstantin and Vasya are strong, multi-layered characters and it was interesting to read about them. The horses are great, too.


(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!)

I requested this advance copy as it was something completely different from my normal reads. I am so glad that I was given the chance to read it.

The story is a Russian fairy tale. I am not familiar with Russian fairy tales, so cannot say how much of it is traditional and how much is new, but it certainly came across as traditional.

It is an exceptional piece of writing, even more surprising when you learn that it is debut novel. I felt every ice crystal, every ray of burning sun, tasted the bread and drank the mead. The storytelling was captivating and vivid., the characters were strong and well written. I believed every word that I read.

A classic clash between good and evil, the tale is that of a young girl born with magic in her soul, and is the last link between the magical world and her own. Her world is fine until the arrival of a vain and pious priest, who wants to save the village, despite it's lack of need for saving. The priest's strong preaching and handsome good looks start to sway the villagers, and convince them that there is evil in their midst. This causes the magical folk to fade and suffer and the balance between good and evil is threatened.This results in an exciting and fast paced conclusion.

I loved this book - I couldn't put it down, and was devastated when it was finished. Fortunately it is not long until publication date, as I have many copies to buy for family and friends!

The Bear And The Nightingale By Katherine Arden is a general fiction (adult) read.
A young woman's family is threatened by forces both real and fantastical in this debut novel inspired by Russian fairy tales.
In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain,intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, the father hides the gift away and his daughter, Vasya, grows up a wild, willfull girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay.
This was a fantastic read. I loved how it was written. I loved the story and the characters. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.

Every so often a book comes along that is so good it just blows your mind. In 2014 it was Red Rising, 2015 was Uprooted, in 2016 it was Nevernight and I know it's early to say this but for 2017 it's The Bear and the Nightingale. These are the kinds of books that I actually get anxious about writing reviews for because I know I'll never be able to do them justice. They're the books that I end up buying multiple copies of, books that I walk around bookshops surreptitiously moving them into more prominent places on the shelves and books I start physically handing to random strangers. Basically if you're going to buy one book a year based on my recommendations these are the ones I would push at you.

This is the story of Vasya, the youngest daughter of Pyotr and Marina Vladimirovich. Her mother died just after giving birth to her but Vasya is doted on by her older brothers and sister and she has a wild streak a mile wide. Vasya is a quite a tomboy who would rather spend her time running in the forest or in the stable looking after the horses than indoors learning to cook and sew, she also inherited her mother's second sight and spends her time communicating with the guardians and spirits who look after the land. She isn't afraid of the strange creatures she finds, in fact she befriends most of them and does her best to help them stay alive when the rest of her village start to turn away from them. As Vasya gets older her father begins to worry that she'll never find a husband if she doesn't start to act like a proper young lady so he remarries hoping his new wife will be a good influence. Unfortunately things don't quite work out as planned and when another new arrival appears in the village things just go from bad to worse.

The Bear and the Nightingale is part historical fiction, part fantasy and all magical fairytale. It's beautifully written and highly atmospheric, the perfect book to read on a cold winter's night when you're wrapped up snuggly by an open fire and sipping from a mug of hot chocolate. Katherine Arden weaves a tale so evocative that you'll feel like the world around you is blanketed in snow and you'll be half tempted to leave out an offering of bread and honey for the hearth-spirits in your kitchen. There are so many things I want to say about this book but I find myself lost for words, it really is just the kind of lush story that you have to read for yourself to fully appreciate. I was utterly obsessed when I was reading this, I didn't want to put it down for a minute and I'm already anticipating a reread before the sequel comes out. It's hard to believe that this is actually a debut novel but Katherine Arden has earned a spot on my auto-buy list and I can't wait to see where she takes Vasya's story next.

Source: Received from Del Rey in exchange for an honest review

The Bear and the Nightingale is Katherine Arden's debut novel from Del Ray Books. It may seem bold to say that this novel will be one of my top ten reads of 2017 (especially considering it was the novel I was reading as the new year began) but I am 100% confident that this will be one of the best books I read this year. I devoured every luscious page and adored it's mixture of history and folklore.

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church.


But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods...



In the harsh Russian countryside, Vasilisa (Vasya) grows up refusing to fit in like the other girls. Instead of brushing her hair, she runs through the woods, instead of wanting to become a wife, she'd rather stay true to herself and be a spinster if necessary. Her father allows her to live as she pleases, probably because she was the last child to be born before his wife passed away (and the fact she ran too fast for anyone to catch). Brought up on fairy tales and folklore Vasilisa sees nothing strange in talking to the wood spirits and other creatures that protect her home and the village, oblivious to the fact that others cannot see them.

When a new priest is brought to the village he crushes the villages traditions with fear and threats of damnation but as the village stops their offerings to the creatures that protect them, the creatures become dangerously weak just as an old evil is regaining it's strength.

If the words 'fairy tale' leave you imagining a twee, overtly happy land then please think again. While brimming with magic and wonder The Bear and the Nightingale also holds some incredibly dark moments, including a haunting chapter where the dead rise and come home begging for warmth and shelter.

If, like me, you have a love for the work of Neil Gaiman, or adored The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey and The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan then this novel is utterly unmissable. Good fantasy has the ability to introduce you to new worlds, great fantasy immerses you in those worlds and leaves it under your skin like a perfect memory you want to return to again and again, this is exactly what The Bear and the Nightingale achieves. I'm over the moon that this is the first in a trilogy as I can't wait to return to Vasya's world.

This book is pure magic, fairy tales wound within a story with the hard realism of life in the Russian wilderness, a truly wonderful combination. Long hard winters that last almost the whole year, lack of food and tales told around the stove to keep warm, snuggle together and sleep, But what if some of the creatures out of these stories were real. Only to be seen by those that had the gift to see and the courage to embrace it. There was one such child, Vasya,  whose mother gladly gave her own life so she could be born. This is her journey a feisty imp of a girl that was more of a wild child of the woods then the daughter of a wealthy and respected man. A child that was wise, curious and kind with the creatures she saw and talked to, but these creatures were well cared for with gifts of food and drink left by the villages too, until one day it stopped.................

This is a fairy tale book for adults, it isn't a book that you want to predict the end, it is one that you want to relish every second and hold on to every word because it is such a fabulous book to read. It seems an impossible thought that this is actually the debut novel, the whole thing is just so darn good that there is nothing I could possibly fault. The descriptions of the harsh Russian landscape and woods are vividly clear in my mind as are the extremely varied array of imp like beings and demons. I fell in love with this tale and I am so delighted to find out that there is going to be a further 2 novels in this series. Superb! 

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for which I have chosen to review.

It took me a while to get into this (not helped by the complicated and changing Russian names) but once I did I was completely engrossed.
Beautiful writing especially evocative in the cold and snow, complex and interesting characters and a wonderful mix of mysticism and fantasy.
Looking forward to more from this author.

It’s a long, long time since I’ve read a fairytale but when I saw this book and read the synopsis I felt intrigued and wanted to learn more.

The Bear and The Nightingale is a grown up version of a fairytale set in Russia dealing with loss, grief, family struggles, forbidden love with a wonderful mystery of mythology and unknown magical creatures.

I have to admit it did take me a little while to get into the story but once I reminded myself of the particular genre I was reading my mindset saw the words differently. Once I got my head into the characters and the raw struggle of survival in a very cold Russian countryside I was spellbound. The magical creatures, that only few can see, fascinated me and I was eager for more. I felt like the creatures were there for moralistic reasons and were the villager’s guardians. The dark scenes were dramatic and traumatic and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages. I could almost picture the scenes played out in a big blockbuster movie! There is a forbidden love that someone is fighting desperately with their conscious and with a higher power. I adored this novel, its good to step out of your comfort zone and read something a little out of the ordinary. This book and it’s story would look impressive with a big movie budget bringing all the characters and creatures to life, a blockbuster in the making. 5/5*

The Bear and the Nightingale was a beautifully written novel and an impressive book to start off Katherine Arden's career as an author. It was very reminiscent of Uprooted by Naomi Novik, although that book had more focus on the relationship between the protagonist and the mage and this was more focused on the protagonist Vasya and her family.

The world building was fabulous and atmospheric; Arden's words painting a wonderfully vivid picture of an alternate Russia with a heavy fairy tale influence. It was clear that the author had done some research into the setting while also inputting her own twist. While this world building was very good, unfortunately it did also contribute to a somewhat slow pace, which is the only reason that I can think of that made this book fall slightly short of the "incredible" rating.

I must admit at first, I found it quite difficult to keep track of the many characters, especially because the nicknames were quite confusing (but as I understand it, the way that actual Russian nicknames work). As the book rolled on, it was much easier to get a better grasp on them, especially because the characters were quite well rounded. In particular Vasya and the various interplaying relationships within her family were of interest, with most of the focus of the book being on these characters rather than the plot (which was relatively slow going until the last part of the novel).

The Bear and the Nightingale is definitely a book that I can recommend. It seems that it is the first in a trilogy, and I am most certainly looking forward to the rest in the series.

Ratings
Overall: 9/10
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 4/5

DNF at 30%

I feel incredibly guilty that my first read of 2017 ended up being one I won't be finishing, even more so because I was provided an e-copy of it for review.

The setting suits the themes and ideas of the story perfectly, but it lacked any magical essence for me. Snowy forests have a sort of fantasy behind them just in the concept, but I didn't feel the connection to it. I've seen a lot of people describe this book as atmospheric, but that descriptor resides not in the language and largely in the concept, which for me was not strong enough to carry the story. For me to have enjoyed it more there had to be either incredibly vivid langauge, a powerfully compelling plot, or engaging charaters, and The Bear and the Nightingale (in my view) had strengths in none of these things.

I was also not a fan of the perspective on women shared by many of the characters, specifically the men. With lines like "he kissed her until defiance turned to passion" and "the work of women was to bear children" had me a little uneasy, especially with how much lines like these were repeated with nobody putting them into question. BUT I completely acknowledge that these views were part of the era the book is set, and perhaps it would have helped if I actually finished the book.

I had largely assumed from the cover and the description that this would be an incredibly atmpospheric and beautifully written book, so it fell short of my expectations. In no way do I think this is a bad book or would I tell anyone not to read it. But the story simply could not hold my attention for long enough for me to choose to continue it.

EXPECTATIONS: A friend of mine has recommended this book to me on Goodreads and it ended up being on my 2017 Most Anticipated Releases list and of course when I received an ARC of it I was well let's say I was doing more than just a happy dance.

THE WORLD: So before I went into this book I already knew to expect Russian Fairytales, therefore the world was not a big surprise to me. It is set in Ivan the Fair times of Russia, pretty much not long after Russia or Rus how they call it in the book has become Christian. Therefore, all the old gods, the pagan ones have been banned. We get a bit of the two worlds here as the main story takes place in remote village which is two weeks away from Moscow by horse, as well as we also get to travel to Moscow itself once in the beginning when the father of main character needs to remarry. But I do not want to spoil too much here so I am just going to tell you that if you are a lover of magic and magical creatures this is a book for you. I truly enjoyed all the pagan gods and creatures, even more than usual I must say.


CHARACTERS: So we have really many characters in this book and me trying to name them all would be a blood bath because the author used Russian names as well as hundred deminutives and I am not good at remembering the spelling of them. But I will try my best. So our main character is named Vasilisa which is easy enough except for the fact that she is called many deminutives, but main one was Vasya. So our Vasya is different, she is a lastborn of the lord Pyotr of the village and also the reason her mother Marina died after birth. But Vasya is different not just in this, she is also wild and uncontrollable and at some point it might even get a little bit annoying how she does what she likes even it is times when women listened to their fathers and husbands. But eventually Vasya starts to grow on you, you starts to feel for her, especially when uydyrs start coming. Oh you don't know what uydyr is? Well I didn't either before I read this book, but don't worry for every Russian word there is a translation and explanation at the end of the book,  sorta dictionary in a way. Anyways, as I mentioned there are more characters way more in this book. But I think worth mentioning the most are Dunya, Pyotr, Alyosha, Anna Ivanovna, Konstantin and Morozko (yes I had to google their names). So because Marina, Vasya's mother has died during child birth Dunya her nanny pretty much becomes a mother to Vasya. I mean she is a nanny in general, she raised Marina, then Marina's children and then Irina which is a child of Anna Ivanovna and Pyotr. I know all these names are very confusing right now and frankly it was even confusing for me because the families in this book or main family is huge! I still cannot differentiate between full names of oldest brothers. Anyways, so how much can I really tell you here? Well Anna Ivanovna is a wicked mad stepmother and Pyotr is her husband and father of all the children. He is also a lord but to be honest he felt a really weak man to me. I mean he loved his daughter but he pretty much did anything Anna told him. And Anna was really evil. I still don't really get why she suddenly became this evil and jealous and yeah pretty much a stepmother of ever Russian fairytale. She was mad but lovely in the beginning so what happened was not clear. But probably most evil person in this book is Konstantin. He is a priest full of glory who is sent to the village to pretty much be gone from Moscow. I really really disliked Konstantin, I think he was a perfect villain in a way but at the same time he represented Christianity so it was I must say a bit weird. In general the take on religion in this book...You can feel that the author was bias. We all like old pagan tales and I am not religious at all but even I felt there was something deeper here. So yes, that is a lot of names and very little description but if you do end up reading this book you will understand why it is this way.

LOVE: As many Fairytales love was not in the centre. Frankly, it kinda felt like old Rus had no love at all. As a man it is important you have money and as a woman it is important to breed healthy sons. That's pretty much it. Even when it comes to religion, you must fear the God and repel for your sins. No love mentioned there either.


PLUS: I really really and I cannot emphasize enough how much enjoyed the scary part of this book. It took extremely long for this book to get going and the ending was not the greatest but the part where Vasya is sitting with domovoi and uydyr is walking outside, just brilliant!

MINUS: As I just mentioned it took extremely long for the book to start going. You pretty much need to read about 60 percent of the book before something really happens. But I kinda get it, with all different culture and confusing names I guess you need long to start to understand and get to know the characters. However, this use of Russian worlds...it was authentic I agree but on the other hand I felt it was way too much. I get the names and locations but there were so many unnecessary words used too. Like there are two or three words of daughter in Russian and the only change is one letter...and they are always used instead of simple daughter. I mean okay some words felt natural but others...for me personally it was a huge overload. If I wanted every tenth word to be Russian wouldn't I just pick a book in Russian and learn the language? Sure it was not a type of a fiasco as with the Book Thief where German phrases were used that were just well nobody ever used them in reality or Raven Boys where Latin is written by Google Translator but really, too much is too much even if you do write it correctly.

OVERALL: I enjoyed it but I cannot help but fell a bit disappointed. I just expected more I guess. But if you like Russian literature or fairytales I do highly recommend The Bear and The Nightingale. After all, it is very different to what we usually see on bestsellers shelves today. Personal rating 3.5/5 stars.

Rating 4.5/5

I have loved fairytales since I was a child, so I was really excited to read The Bear and the Nightingale when I heard about it, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. What really makes it stand out is that unlike a lot of the retellings it isn’t stories that are universally known, which makes it quite unique. Since the story is based on Russian fairytales that I am unfamiliar with, it meant that it was all completely new to me and I loved finding out about the chyerty and Morozko.

The writing is extremely expressive and manages to craft this amazing setting so keenly that I had no trouble picturing it. Its atmospheric and magical quality really helps to keep you engrossed in the story. It is quite a slow read but not in the sense that you have to drag your way through it, rather that the world we are transported to is rich in description, and that time has been taken so that it feels utterly authentic. As it is a time period and a culture that I am not familiar with I welcomed these depictions, but can see that perhaps for others it could seem too much.

The author has created some remarkable characters in this novel. I adored Vasya how she is strong and spirited, even though through the characterization of the other women you know it is not acceptable for her to be so. Despite the trials that she must endure she always remains loyal to her family and her village, even when they do not act the same way toward her.

I felt really connected to her family and their struggles and loved the relationships between Vasya, her siblings and Dunya, their nurse. The spirits and the winter king also had interesting personas, I liked that even though Vasya could only see the spirits, they were written as if they were also part of the family. I enjoyed the duality of hearing the stories by the characters of the winter king and then how he is portrayed as a character himself.

The one thing I did have difficultly with was a lot of the Russian terms, and the names. Each of the characters has their name and then the name that they are affectionately called by their family, it did get a little confusing at first but eventually I managed. There is a glossary at the back of the book but I felt that maybe this could have been included before, to make it easier to pick up the meanings of words.

I also felt that it ended a little abruptly, that there was more to explore, maybe it was just because I didn’t want it to end. Since finishing it though I have discovered that it is the first in a series, which I am thrilled to hear.

The Bear and the Nightingale is a spectacular and wondrous read, full of incredible characters and superb writing. If you enjoy fairytales then this is one you definitely don’t want to miss.