The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #3) by Katherine Arden

Genre: Fantasy; Magical Realism; Fairy Tale Retelling

Pages: 430

‘Frost-demons have no interest in mortal girls wed to mortal men. In the stories, they only come for the wild maiden.’

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.

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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…

4 Stars

This is a magical story set in remote Russia about fairytales. Let me tell you –it is darn-near perfect. There were definitely things that rubbed me the wrong way, but this takes place hundreds of years ago, so the way this is handled makes historical sense. Keep that in mind, however, when you pick this up.

I typically don’t add synopses to my reviews, but I wanted to provide a self-made one here to show you how much world building and atmosphere is kept in the details.

Vasya is the center of our story – a stubborn, rebellious young girl who loves to roam the forest and wants to travel the world. Her modern views on freedom and equality are often challenged by her family and her village – many of the townsfolk believing she is a witch. The town and Russia are undergoing an interesting transition – a shift between old and new, and the uncertainty and questioning and fear and doubt that comes along with it. A shift from the old beliefs and magic to a belief in Christianity.

 

Potential Spoiler

Among these changes, the village starts spiraling into disarray – crops stop growing, the dead have risen, and the land is revolting.

 

The Good

1. The atmosphere of this book. I don’t really know how else to explain this, but it’s simultaneously magical and eerie. This book is thick with atmosphere. The mood of this is unlike any other book I’ve read. A thousand stars for this.

2. The setting, again, is outstandingly beautiful. Rural Russia. A small village that gets pounded with snow every winter. The woods where things don’t always make sense. And the world building, both fantastical and physical, was impeccable.

3. The subtle, but present, political background story. I imagine this will come into play more in the upcoming novels. Even if it doesn’t, it’s interesting to see how the political climate affects our main characters. I’m sure a history buff would appreciate this.

4. The characters. The good ones and the bad ones alike are engaging. Vasya is a main character you can get behind – who pushes the limits of her gender role during this era. She isn’t quiet, or reserved, or content. She is abnormal and she owns it. She is feisty the way only someone her age can be (I believe the oldest we see her as in this book is 14 or 16). She doesn’t want to be married, nor have children. She wants to see the world and explore. And she resonates so well within me. And she’s not the only one either – everyone in this book is unique and authentic. I even love the development of our villains, and how we can clearly see into their delusions and hurtful minds.

5. The conversation about and the discussion between the “old ways” and religion. I loved the implications that this novel made. Love it. But that could definitely be a trigger to folks who are more religious than I.

Difficult to read, potential triggers, but historically accurate:

1. There is definitely a lot of sexism towards almost everything. That is something you definitely want to be aware of before diving into this novel. While this is definitely challenged by certain characters in the book, it is something that has to be dealt with. While this is historically accurate, it is nevertheless infuriating (but maybe that’s the point).

2. Along the same lines is the age that all children are expected to marry. Girls are especially young when they are expected to wed. It is, again, historically and culturally accurate but still unpleasant.

3. The creepy preacher is probably unfortunately something that still rings true today. But he is definitely delusional and definitely creepy. He is a predator – even if he doesn’t act on it, as he certainly has the thoughts of one. So this is difficult and creepy to read about.

The Not-so-Great (because there wasn’t really anything bad about this)

1. The biggest drawback for this beautifully written novel that it is slow – it is a slow burn. Between the language and understanding a culture that is unfamiliar to most readers, this is definitely slower than what I am used to reading. Which I don’t think has to take away from the novel as long as you’re aware of it before you start. Also, the atmosphere and the fantastical elements will keep you engaged while you’re reading, so the slowness didn’t deter me too much. It did help create this large amount of anticipation for the climax of this novel, which is exciting in its own right!

2. Lack of diversity. Let’s be honest – this takes place in a small town in the middle of Russia hundreds of years ago. If there was any racial diversity, I would have called it tokenism. LGBTQ+ could have been included, but if this weren’t one of Vasya’s family members, I would also call it tokenism. I think Arden took a different path in terms of diversity – she really pushed the discussion of gender roles for both males and females. Between Vasya and her softer, religiously focused brother, they push the barriers of their gender roles. This felt genuine and authentic to the story without feeling like tokenism.

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Overall, I would call this book enchanted – a book about fairy tales that is a fairy tale in its own right. I would call this an adult magical-realism fantasy, as the topics and pace match those of an adult book.

Triggers: Child abuse (think many kinds), mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual assault, gore, death, murder, etc.