Genre: Russian Historical Fantasy
Date Published: January 2017
Publisher: Del Rey
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 323 pages/11 hours 50 minutes
Goodreads | Audible
Synopsis: A magical debut novel for readers of Naomi Novik's Uprooted, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, and Neil Gaiman's myth-rich fantasies, The Bear and the Nightingale spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent with a gorgeous voice.
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.
My Rating:
★★★ 1/2
.....For being a pleasant surprise
My Thoughts:
Funny story around my reading this book. I never would have picked up this read if it hadn't been for a Renaissance Fair my husband and I visited in Vermont back in June. We bought tickets and drove up there from Connecticut as a fun little weekend trip for our 5-year wedding anniversary. Apparently, as a bonus, they were handing out free copies of two different books at the entrance, and this book was one of them! I figured "why not? It might be good"
Turns out it was pretty good! I was surprised by how much I liked it; I guess I was coming in with low expectations because I had never heard of the author and the other free book was a Star Wars novel. But the book surprised me, and I found myself having fun reading this Russian-based historical fantasy. I really liked the inclusion of 13th-century fairy tale folklore; for myself, I always enjoy learning something new and interesting while I'm reading a story, and this novel had plenty of information about this one part of the world that I know very little about.
I also enjoyed the story. It had a nice slow build that maintained my interest. I wouldn't say it was the most exciting fantasy novel, but this book benefited from a slower pace and quieter build, because it maintained that fairy tale quality.
I also liked the female protagonist; she is frequently described as "ugly", with a strong will and plenty of courage. She doesn't let people walk all over her, nor does she change her habits or behavior to make people like her more. Of course, Katherine Arden had to make sure that her main character could still fit in the culture and society that she was using for her novel, but Vasilisa's strength is still very present.
Overall, this is a good historical fantasy. I enjoyed it, and I'm thinking of actually purchasing a copy of this novel as well as its sequel at Barnes & Noble (the author is a Vermont resident, so why not support a local author?)
If you're looking for a fairy tale story, this one definitely qualifies. Enjoy!
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