As a historian, Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy remain my standard for novels to be used in the classroom. She deftly balances fantasy with historical events and sharp attention to cultural detail. If only more fantasies set in historical chronologies/geographies were this well researched! Following Vasya on her journey has been such a privilege. Her Russia and its deep magical roots continued to expand in The Winter of the Witch. The emotional beats of the book strike you to the core, whether love or loss. The Winter of the Witch is a fulfilling and satisfying finale to a fantastic trilogy.

I love this trilogy. The third book was nonstop action and magic and I thought it was a very fitting and well done end to the trilogy. I want more of this world!

The Winter of the Witch is the third book of the Winter Night trilogy. This book is beautiful. My favorite thing about the trilogy is the lyrical fairy tale atmosphere of the stories. It's a fascinating and complex story with richly drawn characters who feel so alive. I love this book and the trilogy. You must read it now! Fans will not be disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Love these books! They are hauntingly beautiful and never fail to please. Perfect book to read during the arctic vortex!! :)

3.5 Stars. A solid ending to an amazing series. I really hate books about war and battle, which is most of the second half of this book, hence my lower score than the rest of the series. I've enjoyed watching Vasilisa grow through out the series and is really one of the great heroines of current literature.

Katherine Arden brings home a strong ending to her Winternight trilogy. In this book, Vasya must find allies from among the chyerty, or "devils" as they are roughly translated into English", in a developing war of Rus against the Mongol Empire.

The beginning of this book is rough to read. There is a lot of violence, and Vasya is quite traumatized by the time she lands in Midnight, which for the supernatural is a place as much as it's a time. Vasya is more grown up in this book. She decides that she must go her own way and find her own solutions to problems, leveraging her connection with the supernatural. Instead of being a pawn of the Winter Demon and the Bear, she uses them both for her own ends.

This is a darker book than either of the others, and I wouldn't have called either previous book sweetness and light. Vasya struggles with coming too close to madness because magic is the ability to know that things are a certain way, whether they are in reality or not. Strength of will makes what she knows is true come to pass in reality. This is obviously a dangerous game to play, and it's easy to lose track of reality as you exert your will upon it. Vasya's sister Olga is grieving the loss of her newborn and blaming Vasya for it. Olga is a lonely figure in this book, cloistered away from having true agency. Vasya's brother Sasha has a larger part in this book. He feels like he can't quite be a true monk because the world keeps drawing him back into it. All of the siblings feel alone and out of place.

I was expecting Konstantin, the priest who cannot live with what he sees and seeks faith in all the wrong places, to be the main antagonist for this book. I was surprised at how his conflict with Vasya ended, and it made the pacing of the book feel a bit off. The true end of the book was a big battle scene, and that ending and the pacing issue I mentioned above kept the book from being a 5 for me.

But I think that Katherine Arden has grown a lot as a writer. She has the knack for getting me as a reader to really feel for her characters. I also loved her horse characters. She can write supernatural creatures that are intriguing, dangerous and wild. She may be done with Russian fairy tales for now, but I'm ready to read whatever she does next.

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on 1/17/19:

BOOK REPORT for The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden

Cover Story: Montell Jordan
BFF Charm: Platinum Edition
Swoonworthy Scale: 10
Talky Talk: Simply The Best
Bonus Factors: Witches, Magical Creatures, Fantastical Journeys
Anti-Bonus Factors: Violence Against Women, Character Death
Factor: TEABS
Relationship Status: Goin’ To The Chapel

Careful, Sweetie: spoilers! This is the third book in the Winternight series, so if you haven’t read The Bear and the Nightingale or The Girl in the Tower, you should probably hop back in the TARDIS and go curl up in the library by the pool with the first book before continuing.

Cover Story: Montell Jordan

It is so hard to choose a favorite cover from this series. Each one tells such a unique story. We went from a sleepy winter cabin to a woman, in charge of her own destiny, standing before an army. It’s only fitting that the Firebird is also represented, and her bright colors are sublime.

The Deal:

Vasya’s night has gone from bad to worse. After defeating Kasyan and inadvertently setting half of Moscow aflame (and then calling in the winter-king to come and put it out), all she wants is a moment to regroup and be with her family. But Konstantin, that sham of a priest with a gilded tongue, knows her fiery secret and is determined to make Vasya pay. He gathers a mob to burn Vasya at the stake for being a witch who cursed the city. To free her, Morozko makes a desperate deal with the devil—or, in this case, with a Bear…

Now is the time when futures will be decided. The Grand Prince and all of Rus’ have been called to join the Tartar army or die for their insubordination. The chyerti face extinction as the Christian priests urge people away from their pagan beliefs, but the Bear would stir up pure chaos and turn men to madness to keep that from happening. And to her surprise, Vasya is somehow thrust in the middle of it all, holding the power to bring everything together…or destroy it for good.

BFF Charm: Platinum Edition

As her new official platinum-status best friend, let me be the first to give Vasya a freaking hug, because Lord knows the girl needs one. Nothing like an attempted burning at the stake to make someone turn against their fellow man, but lucky for them, Vasya is a better person than all of those jerks in Moscow. Somehow, despite her anxiety and terror, she still wants to save her people. I love the woman who that little girl from the first book has grown up to be: resilient and brave, powerful yet still learning, kind but not naïve.

Swoonworthy Scale: 10

I don’t want to spoil too much about how and where Morozko and Vasya reunite, but let’s just say the title of this random Celine Dion song is very apt, in a metaphorical and yet quite literal sense (I promise that’s less creepy than it sounds).

I have found myself notoriously picky with my swoon, (I rarely feel a book is worthy of a 10, and I even struggled a bit typing out those numbers above) and I won’t say this is my favorite romance ever, BUT something about an ageless frost-demon learning to love and a girl who needs someone to believe in her, both helping each other be better people—I was there for it all with a silly grin on my face. The tone of the romance fit the story perfectly and there was just enough of it that it enhanced the plot instead of stymied it, and that’s why this is a 10.

Talky Talk: Simply The Best

THAT is how you end a series! Each book of the Winternight trilogy has been so distinct, but the entire journey has such a cohesive, epic, and timeless quality. I eagerly fell back into the magic as soon as it began, and every note was spot-on and satisfying. Arden even managed to make me pity Konstantin, and I was over here before the book started with popcorn in hand, ready to voyeuristically gloat in his comeuppance. Sometimes you come away from a book on such a high you question yourself when everything settles down. Was that really that good of a story? Am I being overly generous? But my answers are damn straight and hell no, in that order. I can totally see how this type of series won’t be for everyone (different strokes ‘n all), but, man, those people are missing out.

Bonus Factor: Witches

In my last book report, I was curious about what kinds of magic Vasya would do. Aptly titled The Winter of the Witch, it’s safe to say we learn even more about her powers. As an avid fantasy reader, I’ve seen my share of magical constructs and their limitations, but the concept of being able to simply forget things haven’t always been what you want them to be (and thus making them so) was pretty clever and inventive.

Bonus Factor: Magical Creatures

I wouldn’t normally put birds and horses together to create a magical creature whose spiritual essence is a bird, but who generally prefers to hang around as a horse, but I gotta say, I dig it. (But before you say “Pegasus”, that’s definitely not what these horsies are.)

There’s also an adorable mushroom-chyerti who is the perfect amount of Disney sidekick that I wanted to squish (cute aggression is real y’all).

Bonus Factor: Fantastical Journeys

To find Morozko and to get away from, you know, a murdery mob, Vasya enters the Midnight road. It’s a kaleidoscope of distant lands and times, and every few yards or so you can find yourself in a brand new place. But if you fall asleep in a night that isn’t your own, you may return to find years have gone by—or worse, you’ll never return at all. Delightfully creepy!

Anti-Bonus Factor: Violence Against Women

Once you’re branded a witch (or, let’s be real, basically anything “other”), you are less than human. Vasya is beaten and tortured before she even steps foot on the pyre, and it’s tough to read of the disgusting depths we humans can sink to.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Character Death

I am torn between warning you about one particular death and not wanting to ruin the story for you. Let’s just say there were multiple points where I sobbed.

Factor: TEABS

Pleeeease don’t be over! I am le sad! Whatever shall I look forward to now? In the author’s note, Arden talks about how she began this book on the beaches of Hawaii when she was just twenty-three (Google informs me that she was born in 1987—excellent year, if I say so myself) so to finally see this published and done is the culmination of almost a decade of work and love. I selfishly hope that we will see more of Vasya’s world (perhaps with more of Marya’s story, she says with desperation) but as long as Arden has other fantastic stories rattling around her noggin, I will be (mostly) content with just three excellent books from this series.

Relationship Status: Goin’ To The Chapel

Book, you’ve put a ring on it and I’ve set the date. We are going to be together for a LONG, long time.

“‘I am a witch,’ said Vasya. Blood was running down her hand now, spoiling her grip. 'I have plucked snowdrops at Midwinter, died at my own choosing, and wept for a nightingale. Now I am beyond prophecy.’ She caught his knife on the crosspiece of hers, hilt to hilt. 'I have crossed three times nine realms to find you, my lord. And I find you at play, forgetful.’”

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Random House/Del Rey. There are spoilers ahead for The Bear & the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower. Trigger warnings: death, suicide, blood, violence, violence against women, animal death.

After the fire in Moscow, its people are looking for someone to blame. Accused of being a witch, Vasya flees into the unseen world of the chyerti for help, but she can’t abandon her family or her country. War is imminent after the machinations of Kaschei the Deathless and the Bear, and Vasya may be the only one who can bring her people and the chyerti together against a formidable new opponent. If she can convince them that there is room in the world for both the new religion and the old ways, they may save themselves; if not, her beloved Rus’ will fall to the Tatars.

I might have read these books too closely together because I’m having trouble untangling my thoughts about them. In part, it’s because my feelings are so strongly mixed. There are things I enjoy about the Winternight trilogy and things I find difficult about it. I was angry through the beginning of The Winter of the Witch, which seems to be my predominant emotion throughout much of the series, through no fault of Arden’s. I’m angry about the horror and oppression that Vasya (and women in general) face, angry that the qualities that “make a good man” make her a witch as a woman, and angry that Konstantin is still around using religion to justify horrible things. I think we should be angry about these things, but it makes for difficult reading–and that isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes we need books to make us uncomfortable.

The anger abated somewhat as Vasya finally begins to find her place among the chyerti and discover her power. It’s the most overtly magical of all the books, and that’s one of the aspects I enjoy most about Arden’s world. It’s beautiful and deadly and mysterious (and I love a smol Grandfather Mushroom). Vasya’s character development over the course of the series and this novel in particular is very well done, and we see her come fully into her own power, though not without struggle, limitations, and self-doubt. She remains an excellent main character and the driving force of the books. I also enjoyed seeing her relationships develop, both with her brother Sasha (and a little with Olga) and Morozko and the Bear. If you’re a romance fan, it’s the slowest of slow burns with Morozko (can you call it a slow burn when he’s a Frost demon?), but her relationship with the Bear is almost more compelling. What was a mostly flat villain in The Bear & the Nightingale is given more dimension, so that he’s more morally gray than outright evil. His dialogue is an often jarring contrast from the formality of Vasya and Morozko’s speech, but he also brings some much-needed grim humor to the book.

Like TBATN, the structure is a little odd. The Girl in the Tower comes closest to having a traditional plot arc, even if it was somewhat lacking in closure (which makes sense, since TWOTW picks up where it left off). The book starts almost immediately with dramatic action, and what seems like the main conflict with the Bear peaks near the middle of the book. Then it slowly ramps up to a second major and final conflict. That’s a lot of tension for one book to hold, and I’m a little weary just thinking about it. My overall sense is that the story works better as a whole than as any individual book; there are a lot of connections, parallels, and plot continuations from TBATN, with TGITT just… you know, that other thing that happened in the middle. It’s a powerful conclusion, and the whole series merits re-reading to really get a grasp of all its nuances. I’ll be happy to revisit it in a couple years, but likely not sooner. Given the threads left open with Baba Yaga and Marya, I’d be surprised if Arden doesn’t write more of Vasya’s story or, at the very least, continue to expand on the universe.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Thank you for the early copy!

Once again this series does not disappoint. I recommend checking out this well-written adult fantasy series.

Just -- magical. Absolutely, totally, and completely magical. I've never read a trilogy more intricate and fascinating than Winternight. The prose/descriptions are so achingly beautiful. The Winter of the Witch is SO good that I can't even find the right words to describe how its made me feel. Bravo, Katherine Arden.

This final book of the Winternight trilogy was just as enchanting as the others. Based on Russian folklore, the story weaves magic around history and gives us a brave heroine who is smart and empathetic. The ending was fitting and watertight. I am looking forward to more from this author in the future.

”If you spend too much time alone in the dark, you will forget that you are more than the witch of the wood, you will forget to come back into the light.”

Vasilisa Petrovna’s journey began in The Bear in the Nightingale, where she was introduced to the other world that lives just beyond the eyes of the mortals and the devils and chyerti that inhabit that world. Her journey continued in The Girl in the Tower, where she was fighting not only for her survival, but also for the lives of the people in Rus’. Her journey ends on a fitting note, where she’s able to bring men and devils together to save the country she loves and the people within, but also the shadows that lurk in the oven hearths and in the spaces between trees. Her entire journey has been fraught with danger, and it was truly a pleasure to watch her grow and change, find some peace and fit into the space in the world that’s been carved out just for her.

First I needed men to help me defeat a devil, she thought. Now I will need devils to help me defeat men.

While the previous two books have been rife with bloodshed and threats of war, The Winter of the Witch finally brings the imminent battle to the forefront. The Tatars have made their way to Russia’s front door, and it all concludes with the battle at Kulikovo. As with any war, there’s always going to be loss, and there isn’t one character who walks away from this battle without feeling the heavy weight of it. That’s not the only battle that’s being fought, as the war of faiths is still very much a point of contention between Christians and Pagans, with Vasya at the center of it all fighting for the Domovoi and the chyerti, the folklore and fables that make up the second world she’s a part of.

”This is the price of my aid: Swear to me you will not condemn witches to burn. Swear to me you will not condemn those who leave offerings in their oven-mouths. Let our people have both their faiths.”

And the romance. Oh, the romance! I’ve been waiting not so patiently for this from the very beginning and not only was it everything I wished for, it was so much more. From the beginning, the relationship between Morozko and Vasya has been incredibly complicated and multi-faceted, but there’s always been a healthy dose of respect for one another. And a spark lying just beneath the surface, fighting and failing to break it.

”Why are you afraid?”, she asked him.
His hand dropped. She did not think he would answer. When he did, it was so low she barely caught the words. “Love is for those who know the griefs of time, for it goes hand in hand with loss. An eternity, so burdened, would be a torment. And yet—“ He broke off, drew breath. “Yet what else to call it, this terror and this joy?”

I was so apprehensive to start this book — not for any reason except I didn’t want this series to come to an end. But all things must. I don’t often reread books or series, but this trilogy is going to make it to that coveted list. And while I’m sad to see it end, Katherine Arden’s brilliance knows no bounds and I’m sure whatever she brings next will be just as phenomenal as this trilogy.


*eARC received via NetGalley.

I have loved this entire series. I think the author has a fantastic style and great character development. This was a fantastic way to wrap up the trilogy. I can't wait to see what else Katherine Arden writes.

In The Winter of the Witch, the conclusion to the Winternight Trilogy, we follow Vasya as she works to save her beloved Russia, Morozko, and the family she holds dear. Loss amplifies the hope as Vasya forges her own path. While it lacked some of the magic I felt while reading The Bear and the Nightingale, it creates different magic. That is the strength of Vasya and Arden's writing as both grow throughout the triology. As with my earlier reviews in this series, I'm not sure what to write without giving away something I found delightful to discover while reading. I recommend reading all three books in one long wonderful weekend so the arcs and threads and magic are strongest.

The Winter of the Witch is the third book in the series, The Bear and the Nightingale. I have enjoyed the series, although there were a few things I could do with out.. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I enjoy the way author Katherine Arden writes, the way she weaves her words. But there were a few things I didn't care for.

The story picks up where The Girl in the Tower left off.  A growing mob wants Vasya dead, endangering Vasya's sister Olga and her family. So Vasya faces the peril head on, and goes into Midnight. Meanwhile, Russia  is on the brink of war, the bear is again lose, and Morozko is trapped.

The ending was satisfying. 

Sensitive Reader warning: Some language, nudity, and some sensuality.  (the b word, Vasya gets naked a few times, such as  a scene were she is drying her clothes, and there's a mostly fade to black sex scene in the bathhouse.)

What the other books in this series lack for me - namely, glacially slow beginnings and not enough focus on main character Vasilisa - are blown away by this entry. The Winter of the Witch is simply the best of the series, and potentially one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. Following the action immediately from The Girl in the Tower (the weakest entry for me), the first couple of chapters will leave the reader's heart broken and their breath stolen away in the night like the Winter King stole maidens in all the old tales. The hero's journey is front and center here - the hero must be torn before being built back into what is needed to save the day. It was a real pleasure to see Vasya come into her own through this journey, find her place in the world, and smash the patriarchy in the process. I will be recommending this series, and this title in particular, to anyone who enjoys fantasies with complex world-building and strong female protagonists.

The perfect finale to this trilogy. Arden continues to succeed in her world building and creating a story that feels both fresh, but is rooted in traditional Russian mythology and history. I appreciated the growth of all of the main characters as well as the plot development. This one, perhaps more than the others, felt more plot-driven as Vassa completed her journey. I cannot wait to see what Arden writes next.

Wow, what an emotional experience! There were so many feels in The Winter of the Witch. Two sections especially that actually made me cry, which is very rare for me. I strenuously avoid books that I think might make me cry. But I had to know how Vasya and Morozko’s (and Solovey’s) story ended, so I kept reading. Tears were streaming down my face at one point, but I kept reading. The story is that compelling. Also intense.

There were so many things I appreciated about this third and final installment in the Winternight trilogy. I loved that we got extra time with Sasha. I loved that we got more information about Vasya and Sasha’s ancestors (and I agree with a friend who would love a prequel novel that explores the great great grandmother’s origin story). I liked seeing more clearly how magic worked in their world, and learning more about the magic lands and the beautiful horse/ birds. I loved seeing Vasya and Morozko’s relationship mature. But I especially loved seeing Vasya come into her own, to find her identity and role as a woman and a descendant of witches and a witch herself. To find what she alone could do to help both the worlds she loved, and to do it whether others approved or not.

Things I didn’t love, aside from all the sad feels? There were some pretty brutal parts. Not so much that it’s gruesomely described, but there’s enough detail to have a very unpleasant visual, especially of all the dark sides of city life in that era–disease, mob violence, etc. These aren’t things that reflect poorly on the writing or the book itself. I’m just a lightweight, and didn’t love them, well-written and essential to the story though they were. Also, Vasya was impetuous and made a lot of emotional decisions on impulse. I don’t love this behavior in characters, but it was very consistently in character for the chaotic yet strong beauty that was Vasilisa Petrovna.

Despite all the tears, I think the story was just as it should be. Through all the painful and wonderful twists and turns, I think it was the best possible culmination of the various story threads, and the right resolution for each of the primary characters. I may be curious to know more about Vasya’s family past and present, and the magical world, but otherwise I’m left satisfied. Satisfied in the fierce, beautiful woman Vasya becomes, and the way she carves a place for herself in a world that has resisted her at every step.

Should you read this? Yes, definitely, if you don’t mind all the feels, and you can appreciate a stellar fantasy novel. But only after reading the first two books. I’m not sure that this book could stand alone, and even if it could, you would lose out on much of the emotion of the story line. This is a story that, like the Harry Potter books, has built slowly, over the three books, intricately weaving in various elements and characters, building to a crescendo of feelings and destiny, and as a result creating a beautiful story mosaic that would do iconographers proud.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this story, even though I didn’t get it finished before publication date.

ok. this one is really hard to rate. i really liked the bear and the nightingale, but struggled with the second book, mainly because it had been like a year since i'd read the first one.. and now this one, another year later. my memory is awful and this series has so many different characters and creatures and different names for things that i just couldn't keep them all separate, couldn't remember them all. on one hand, i wish i had known the bear and the nightingale was going to be a series so i could have waited for them to be all out, my memory does a lot better when the books are closer together... but on the other hand, 3 years ago my taste in books was completely different to what it is now. if all 3 books were out now (well, they are but you know what i mean), i wouldn't be as quick to pick them up. so what i'm saying is, i wish they were all out 3 years ago ;)

my favourite part of this book - this series - is the winter king, the love story. so i wish he was in it a bit more.

i did like this one more than the second one, it was easier to read and flowed just a bit better. but i still struggled because it would change POVs to people i didn't care about, or because i would struggle to remember which character/creature was which. but at times, it was delightful and magical so it was worth it.. i just wish those parts were more often than the confusing parts (but again, that's just me and my memory).

i was very very very sad about a death and totally spoiled it for myself early on that everything would be okay because i just couldn't handle that sorry not sorry #noregerts.

The Winter of the Witch confirms Katherine Arden's status as one of the best fantasy authors to emerge in the past few years. It's a brilliant and wonderfully written conclusion to her trilogy and to Vasilisa's journey. And what a journey it's been and how this book broke me and put me back together again! Simply amazing.