I have long had a love hate relationship with conclusions to trilogies. Yes they answer questions to answers that we are begging for but they also signal the end of an adventure of sorts. An adventure that you have been on for several years and you don't want to end. Thus is the case for the winter of the witch. This book is filled with fantastic places and magic and mythology and does not disappoint. Not even for a moment.

The conclusion to the Winternight Trilogy is 100 times better than the sequel. The Vasya I loved in the first book is back along with the magical creatures of medieval Russia.

I do not normally read fantasy books but this series is an exception to the rule. I read the Bear and the Nightingale last summer and loved it, so picking up the next two in the series was a no brainer. This one is a fast action war of the worlds conclusion, answering many questions of lineage of the characters. We continue on with Vasya, Sasha, the Bear, and the Winter King. A lot of fighting, witchery and magic.
The writing is excellent with great character and magical character development, and a well thought out storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and highly recommend, big 5*****’s.
I was given an advanced copy from Random House Publishing through Net Galley for my honest review, I would give this one a high 5****’s. Excellent read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley. Thank you! All quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the final publication.

BLURB: Vasya travels through a realm of Midnight, encounters creatures of nightmares, and makes deals with devils in order to save the realm of monsters and men.

This lovely series has finally come to a close (so sad!) After loving The Girl in the Tower, my expectations skyrocketed for this final installment. There were several aspects that I loved, but there were some aspects that I didn't like and feel a need to discuss. My reaction to this entire series, despite its entrancing qualities, has been a roller-coaster. {book: The Bear and the Nightingale] was sort of a miss for me, but The Girl In The Tower swept me away. {book:The Winter of the Witch] sits somewhere in-between.

Note: It is difficult to review the final book in a series without there being some spoilers. If you haven’t read The Bear and the Nightingale or {book: The Girl in the Tower] yet, proceed at your own risk!

With that being said, The Winter of the Witch brims with Slavic lore. I can't say that I've read a book (besides Juliette Mariller's works) with such a variety of creatures, and so thoughtfully placed within the story. I think one would need to be a historian of some sort to fit all of the pieces together. It is without the shadow of a doubt that this entire series is well written. Every time I read a book from this series, I felt as though I stepped into a window and was entirely absorbed into the setting. I could see the desolation and destruction between the rivaling sides, hear the whispers of otherworldly creatures, and feel the wintry chill settling underneath my skin. Despite this fact, there were also points and feelings that were misplaced throughout this read.
Things that I liked:
They are the most marvelous things in all the world, the horses of this land.

Ok, so this is by far not the most important point, but I’m going to start this list off with: HORSES!

Okay, more than that, the lore! I love so very much that so many important characters are horses. I didn’t realize until later in this series that horses in Slavic lore are their own kind of “mythical” creature, often being able to talk and have magical powers. Considering that the Nightingale, the Fire Bird, the raven, along with other symbolic birds take on the form of horses, I thought it made these characters all the more interesting.

Two other characters I found to be very interesting was how the two brothers’, Morozko and Medved, stories interacted. I had a difficult time grasping the Bear’s character in The Bear and the Nightingale. I felt that his maliciousness was confusing and not fully explained. Well, his story makes much more sense after reading this final installment. Not only that, I felt as though his character was finally viewable as a whole, instead of in bits and pieces. (As I stated in my review for The Bear and the Nightingale, I think I was the problem, and not necessarily the book.) As I stated above, this book has so much folklore. It was really interesting reading it, and learning about new folklore that has been around for a very long time. The way that lore intertwined with historical events is simply stunning.

Things that I didn't like:

Morally, I can't agree that I'm happy with the way Vasya's character ended up. Yes, I am well aware that this is fantasy. I totally understand that. But to be honest, I’m rating this book higher than I morally should because I know that it is, in fact, fantasy. However, when it mentions several times over that Vasya's soul is damned, I can't sit back and say, "Ahh, it's fantasy." I have issues with this fact. Also, this book, this entire series, makes an effort to point out “Christianity” (loosely termed as there are many denominations with little specification given as to the exact beliefs the priests/monks represented) vs. paganism. If religion had been left completely out of it, I wouldn’t find it as necessary to mention.

Sergei lifted his hand and made the sign of the cross. “In the name of the Father,” he said.
Astonishingly, the dead things froze. Even the Bear stilled at the sound of that voice. Somewhere in the dark, a bell began to ring.
A touch of fear showed even in the winter-king’s eyes.
The lightning flashed again, illuminating Konstantin’s face, which had gone slack with horrified wonder. Vasya thought, He believed there was nothing more in this world than devils and his own will.
Sergei’s praying was quiet, measured. But his cut through the hammering rain, and every word echoed clearly around the dooryard.
The dead still didn’t move.
“Be at peace,” finished Sergei. “Do not trouble the living world again.”
And, impossibly, all the dead crumpled to earth. Morozko breathed out a single, shattered breath. The powers of the younger world had spoken.

There have been a lot of bad things done in history in the name of religion, in the name of Christianity. This is one point that I think this series captures well. HOWEVER, I think it also gives the religion exemplified a bad name because of Konstantin’s actions and decisions. While there are other priests present, (Sasha, Vasya’s sister) aho are good, their actions are completely shadowed by the bad Konstantin does. Once Konstantin travels down this destructive path, it gives the notion that religion is fake and/or the religious are corrupt and hypocrites. (I mean, isn’t this the “go to” blame game that people like to use against people who identify as Christians nowdays?) Honestly, I felt like this book, while retaining some of its original intentions, became more of a tool for propaganda.

I wanted to point out that a person, if they identify with a religion or not, have the choice to follow its teachings or to make their own decisions. Whether those choices are morally correct or not, it is their choice. This is why religion gets a bad name, because people who have the ability to sin are its representatives. They try and strive to follow the rules laid out to them, but will never be perfect because it's not possible.

The “relationship between Morozko and Vasya is downright odd. While they obviously like one another, Vasya certainly likes him more--but I don’t understand why she likes him. Morozko is a demon who doesn’t have human emotions...or emotions that are not really comparable to humans? Due to this, there is an odd tension between the two. At a several points, they are caught bickering with one another, and it just feels awkward unmerited. I kept thinking, why do you like one another, again? For a short while, I even fancied the idea that Vasya would end up with Oleg instead of Morozko. Their issues with one another is never really discussed or finalized at the end of the book. They bicker, and…that’s that.

Which leads right into the next point: Vasya's feministic characteristics. First things first: I don’t like the mentality that women don’t need men, or men are idiots, or men are not capable of leading, or…[fill in the blank]. I don’t agree with feminism and how it is identified today. A LOT of these notions shine their unhealthy light through Vasya and Morozko’s relationship.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting read in regards to the lore. I didn’t always agree with how characters were portrayed, and felt that there was some misrepresentation going on. This was a difficult review for me to write, as the more I wrote, the more I recognized that I had issues with. I get what the author was trying to do here, in bringing the world of chyerti and world of Christianity together. She even stated it in her Author's Note:

"And perhaps, beneath the battle recorded by history, there was fought another, between holy men and chyerti, over how they were to coexist in this land of theirs. Who knows? But the concept of dvoeveriye, dual faith, persisted in Russia up until the Revolution. Orthodoxy coexisted with paganism in peace. Who is to say that wasn't the work of a girl with strange gifts and green eyes? Who is to say, in the end, that the three guardians of Russia are not a witch, a frost-demon, and a chaos-spirit?"

Again, I know this is a fantasy, and I'm not trying to discredit that. However, for people reading this book, it may give them a negative view on certain aspects that weren't represented as they should be.

Vulgarity: Some.
Sexual content: (view spoiler)
Violence: Quite a bit.

My Rating: ★★★½

Several years ago I picked up the book The Bear and the Nightingale by Katharine Arden which I greatly enjoyed and wished there was a sequel. It turns out the book was the first in the Winternight Trilogy. So, I read The Girl in the Tower when it was published and just finished The Winter of the Witch.
I had greatly enjoyed the previous books and was really looking forward to the concluding volume of this series and the adventures of Vasya. Immediately, I noticed The Winter of the Witch is much darker in tone than the previous ones. As the title suggests, this volume really focuses on the main character's identity as a witch and the chyerti (translated devils or spirits). The juxtaposition of this darker magic or pagan influence and the strong role of the orthodox church feels odd at times, but given the time period of the book is fairly accurate. This combination also creates a story that does not fall entirely into the fantasy genre or the historical genre, but is a pleasing mix.

Finishing the book, I found it was an overall satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Readers truly do follow the main character's development over the course of the entire series. As such, I almost want to go back and re-read the entire series in succession in order to follow the arc of the character development and story line better. I'm certain re-reading would also allow readers to catch details that help to fill in the larger story as well which would cause some of the "a-ha's" in the final book to make more sense. As such, I recommend that readers read the entire series. S Reading a single volume, and particularly to read the concluding volume by itself, would not be a satisfying experience as it is definitely not a stand-alone novel. I do look forward to reading future books by author Katherine Arden.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book The Winter of the Witch via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

What is it about?

Book 3 takes place immediately after the events in book 2. The people of Moscow, under Father Konstantin’s influence, are not pleased with Vasya’s interference and seek to punish her for being a witch. But that’s just the beginning! War is coming to Moscow…

Was it good?

I went into this book without reading the blurb and was surprised by the misadventures Vasya found herself part of. I had imagined this book would be quite different, but I was NOT disappointed by the story that was told. You should know, however, that most of this book seems to take place in the Summer so the title is a bit of a misnomer.

The book was beautiful and I felt immediately pulled back into Vasya’s world. Her actions and reasons were really believable, if misguided, and she really learned more about herself, her powers, her allies and her enemies.

I really enjoyed this book and I loved this series as a whole and highly recommend it to anyone with interests in historical fantasy, folk tales, fairytales, witches, and magic.

This story wraps around you like warm comfort but keeps you up at night with the promise of adventure and what -ifs. This has the type of magic that makes you fall in love with star studded mid nights and dares you be brave in the face of the impossible. It's rich and enchanting. It's bewitching and if you couldn't tell, I LOVED IT. The Winter of the Witch weaves magic and realism into a memorizing tapestry of pure wonder that will hold you hostage until the bittersweet end.

The passion and the whirlwind of emotions bleed right off the pages. The chaos of it all will fire you up from the inside out with love, with excitement, with irresistible curiosity but also with grief and wildness and desperation. I laughed, I cried and I devoured this in one sitting I loved Vasya, Morozoko is EVERYTHING and the surprises in store will put you on your toes. No joke.

This book left me emotionally wrung out and with a savage book hangover. But I loved every minute and every page and was sad to see it come to an end. This was an amazing story that I know will stay with me for years and years to come. Fingers crossed there will soon be more from this talented author. Maybe even a spin off? There are definitely possibilities!

Vasya is a heroine to end all heroines. #GirlPower #StrongWoman #Epic Vasya will not let you down. Morozoko and Bear, Midnight and so many others come back for one epic showdown that you don't want to miss. All I can say is find a cozy spot and settle in. It going to be one hell of a ride and trust me, you'll find this one hard to put down. I'm off to re-read the whole trilogy once again :)

The Winter of the Witch concludes Katherine Arden's debut Winternight Trilogy. The narrative thrusts the reader back into the action, picking up immediately where The Girl in the Tower left off, with Moscow in flames, and a crowd riled up by Father Konstantin, hellbent on burning our protagonist at the stake for being a witch and the one responsible for burning Moscow--both of which, ofc, are true. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, the book follows Vasya desperate flight from Moscow into her grandmothers country, Midnight, where she will learn more about magic, the unseen world, and her own heritage than she has before.

As with the previous books I love Arden's deft had at weaving together elements of fantasy and fairytale alongside a strong historical foundations. While the characters have become her own creations, they exist in a narrative framework solidly bolstered with historical detail. I think this series is still an excellent crossover between the two genres for readers looking either to get into historical fiction or fantasy fiction.

That being said, there is a LOT crammed into a relatively short space of time in this book and I feel as though the focused is torn between two plotlines, one which starts and ends halfway through the book and another that picks up at that halfway point and abruptly carries us through to a quick ending. Honestly, I wonder if this book shouldn't have been split into 2 novels, one to explore Plot A in midnight and to deal with Father Konstantin and the Bear, and a fourth novel to deal with the Tarters' march on Moscow. As it is, everything just felt rushed. Either that, or this book probably should have been another 200 pgs to give the character space to learn everything she's meant to learn while also giving the historical events time to unfold. The author herself mentions that the timeline has been condensed for the sake of the novel. And i'm afraid it shows.

On top of all this, there's a pivotal emotional plot thread we've been following since the first book that is consummated here in the third but because there's so little time and so much ground to cover, it's given very little time for the reader to revel in something happening that they've been waiting for. it happens and then it's basically brushed under the rug by a plot galloping along at breakneck speed.

I think Arden has a lot of potential as a writer, and I will surely check out future books from her. I think Winter of the Witch is simply the victim of being rushed. Alas.

I received an ARC of this story via netgalley, all opinions are my own.

The Winternight Trilogy is one of my favorite series of the last few years, and Vasya is a fantastic heroine: kind, brave, flawed, unapologetically herself. The Winter of the Witch was a good conclusion to the story; it's action-packed and full of strange magic (the land of Midnight is fascinating).

However, the pacing of this third book felt off from the first two. The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower felt more methodical, building slowly and through great detail and character development to a climactic finale. The Winter of the Witch felt like non-stop strife, confusion and battles, with little room for the lovely details that made the first two books come to life. This rushed pace left some loose ends, too: <spoiler>How did the chyerti feel about Vasya controlling Medved and Polunochnitsa? How did the chyerti overall feel about fighting the battle, and were any of them killed? Can the other Rus' see the chyerti now? Will Morozko be able to visit Vasya at the lake, even when it's not winter? What about Marya?</spoiler>

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Winter of the Witch!

A forceful and distinctive voice!

I cant help but see this series as if looking into a fantastical snowglobe, that upon closer inspection takes you into the very heart of a Russian winter forest. Stepping inside opens you up to a magical, yet fearsome otherworld tale that inhabits your dreams and nightmares complete with a feisty heroine and a daemon king. Creatures out of folklore, some benign, others not so! A struggle for supremacy reigns on various levels all intrucibly linked.
There is so much to think on at the conclusion of this series. The Winter of the Witch draws all together to a grand finale.
The chyert called Medved, the Bear has slipped his bindings. An uneasy truce is in the offing, Lady Midnight pays a call and the world as Vasya knows it turns.
Three thoughts leap into awareness for me:
The illuminating creativity of Arden whose woven fact and fiction into a magical world that sparkles with life and fills the reader with dread and wonder.
The struggle between pagan and Christian and how Arden has forged the two understandings and belief systems together that raises many other questions.
The very humaness of the story: one we can exclaim at, rage at, feel compassion with and cry for.
Arden's author's note adds to this conversation, ending with:
"Who is to say, in the end, that the three guardians of Russia are not a witch, a frost-demon, and a chaos-spirit?
I find it fitting."
Whimsically, so do I! A fitting note for a magnificent fantasy saga that captivates. Bravo!

A NetGalley ARC

A satisfying conclusion to a journey both familiar and new to a western reader. The beginning of this volume is excessively violent, in my opinion, and clashes somewhat with the entire rest of the trilogy. Otherwise, the characters, action, legendary, magic, and prose are everything a modern fantasy reader could need.

Medieval Russia comes to life in Katherine Arden’s WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY, which began in Lesnaya Zemlya, a small village in northern Rus’ in The Bear and the Nightingale and continued in The Girl in the Tower. Vasilisa (Vasya) is a young woman with the rare ability to see and speak with the natural spirits or chyerti of the hearth, stables, and lands and waters of Rus’. Vasya has gained the attention and respect of the winter-king Morozko, god of death, who has helped her along the way as she fought and bound the demonic Bear, traveled from Lesnaya Zemlya to Moscow, and undertook a dangerous masquerade as a boy while fighting to protect Moscow and her family from both an evil sorcerer and the Mongol invaders.

The Winter of the Witch begins in the aftermath of a huge fire that burned much of Moscow. The distraught people of Moscow are whipped into a rage by Vasya’s nemesis, the priest Konstantin, who blames Vasya for the fire (with some justice). Vasya is captured by a mob and nearly burned to death as a witch. Though she escapes, a tragic loss leaves her reeling, and now a terrible price has been paid on her behalf. The Bear is on the loose again, pulling Konstantin into his plans for war and chaos, and Morozko has disappeared into some hidden prison. The vast Tatar armies, the Golden Horde, are still on the move against Moscow, and Vasya has perilous journeys to make through magical midnight lands as she tries to save her country and the humans and spirits that she loves. Vasya has gained in personal strength and magical power from her beginnings in the village of Lesnaya Zemlya, but she still makes some serious mistakes along the way.

In the WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY, Arden has proved herself particularly adept at weaving together folklore and actual history. The Winter of the Witch focuses on the events leading up to the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, but puts a fantastical spin on it. As the country lurches toward war, Vasya is guided into the midnight realm of Polunochnitsa, or Lady Midnight, where she meets not only one of her ancestors ― a famous Russian folklore character in her own right ― but the mythical firebird, Pozhar (whose other form is a golden mare), and a delightfully opinionated mushroom spirit that Vasya called Ded Grib (Grandfather Mushroom). Pozhar and Ded Grib represent the high and the lowly among the chyerti, whom Vasya is trying to protect along with the humans who inhabit Russia. Even Medved, the fearsome Bear who played such a terrifying role in The Bear and the Nightingale, becomes more understandable and sympathetic, or at least much more entertaining as a character. It’s a nice reminder that even villains have some positive characteristics.

He spoke of Russia. Not of Muscovy, or Tver, or Vladimir, the principalities of the sons of Kiev, but of Russia itself, of its skies and its soil, its people and its pride.

She listened in rapt silence, eyes vast and filled like cups with shadow. “That is what we are fighting for,” said Sasha. “Not for Moscow, or even Dmitrii; not for the sake of any of her squabbling princes. But for the land that bore us, man and devil alike.”

The tensions between Christianity and the old pagan ways, humans vs. chyerti, are ultimately resolved in a way that I hadn’t expected, but that I found profoundly moving, and Arden’s writing style is entrancing. The Winter of the Witch is not just the coming-of-age story of a girl with magical powers, or a romance, though it has both of those elements; it deals with larger themes, like love of country, individual worth, self-sacrifice, and cooperation with those who are different. The WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY was a wonderful series from beginning to end, and I give it my highest recommendation.

The worst thing about The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden  is that it means the series is over. I could read another trilogy about Vasya and Morozko even though this book clearly wraps up the conflicts that began in the Bear and the Nightingale.  Now, before I wind up spoiling something, I’ll get on with my review.

The strongest features of The Winter of the Witch are definitely the characters and world building.

I love how Vasya resists the gender roles of her time, how she grows into herself and figures out who she really is. Her persistence, pain, wildness, courage, and dedication are tangible things. I loved struggling and succeeding and navigating a myriad of complicated relationships through her point of view. Morozko was my second favorite character, perhaps made more intriguing by the fact that readers really did not get to see much from his point of view. The others were okay, but every time the narrative shifted to them, I just wanted to get back to Vasya.

I did find myself annoyed at the way the book shifted point of view. This varies from reader to reader, but I prefer to read from one point of view for a whole chapter and get annoyed when scene breaks indicate a switch in point of view. On more than one occasion, I found myself rereading to remind myself which character’s eyes the world was being filtered through.

The world building was fantastic. I was smelling, tasting, touching, seeing, and hearing right along with the characters. And it wasn’t boring or overwhelming. Every detail Arden chose to focus on was relevant and added to the tone or mood of the scene. I loved that the magic system and creatures were based off of actual myths, and that some of the characters were named after people who actually existed and fought in a battle the one in the book was based off of.

One downside of historically accurate fiction is that it is often loaded with sexism and misogyny the contemporary world is struggling to shake. Throughout this trilogy, were there was no shortage of sexist men treating woman like inferior beings or objects. However, I was happy  that there were less of those in this book and that Vasya had earned the respect of men who previously looked down on her.

As much as I enjoy escaping to worlds without sexism, to worlds where gender isn’t a rigid binary thing people are judged by, I do believe there is plenty of room for those books to co-exist with novels like this that don’t censor the shitty parts of history. Historical fantasy has it’s value too. It makes me appreciate how far society has come.I’ll certainly miss Vasya, Morozko, and their complex, slow burn romance, but I’ll look forward to reading whatever Arden writes next.

This arc was provided to me for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

It feels like I have been waiting forever to find out how Vasya’s story ends and I gotta say it did not disappoint. Katherine Arden knows exactly how to tell a beautiful enriching story. There were scenes that literally stole my breath away and let's be honest, broke my heart. Within the first few chapters, I found myself crying because Katherine Arden is that good!

The Winter of the Witch picks up right where we left off, with Moscow in trouble and on the brink of war. With a few whispers, Vasya is blamed and must run, all while trying to save her homeland and the people she loves. Caught between two worlds, Vasya must make drastic choices that could alter her heart and home forever.

Where does one start when they loved everything about this book? I think I have made it pretty obvious in my other reviews for this trilogy just how much I love and appreciate Vasya. She is a beautiful protagonist to this story. Her choices are still questionable but I love how confident in each choice she was. She has grown into such a strong loyal character over the course of these books. Morozko, the beautiful Night King is by far one of the best aspects of this book. His character development is beautiful and amazing. Their slow-burn romance was one of the best I have ever read. Pozhar and Solovey, my precious babies, I will forever love how whimsical and stubborn you both were.

I am extremely sad this series is over, but it had such a satisfying ending. I hate saying goodbye to characters and stories, but I have a feeling this is one I will keep coming back to. This world is too precious to never return to. And I recommend this trilogy to everyone. Absolutely everyone, especially if you love slow burns, folklore, and a badass protagonist.

I just got done reading this series, and I am so sad that Vasya's story has come to an end! This series was amazing.

If I could only say one thing about this series, I would definitely borrow the sentiment that stuck out to me most when I was reading other reviews of this book:

This is why I read.

This book was unique and inspiring and funny and sad and insightful and creative, and a whole lot of other things, all wound up into one amazing work of fiction.

If you have not read the first 2 books, I recommend starting with my review of The Bear and the Nightengale (book #1) or The Girl in the Tower (book #2).

This book starts off right where The Girl in the Tower ended. Dmitri still doesn't understand Vasya and tries to offer to marry her off within the first few pages of this book. Her siblings know the truth now, though, even though I'm not sure how much of it they believe.

I absolutely loved this book! It was a perfect way to wrap up an awesome trilogy.

I loved the unique premise for these books. I have never read any books that incorporated Russian folklore and fairytales. I loved learning about them and a little bit about Russian history.

In my reviews of TB&TN and TGitT, I ranted about my appreciation for the author's use of the Russian language and thanked her for adding a section about Russian names and language and their use throughout the book. I will not rant again, but "ditto." 😄

I still 💜💜💜 Vasya! She would be a total badass in today's society, but in her time, her level of badassery was completely unheard of in a woman. I love that no matter what, she doesn't back down and do what society expects of her, despite pretty much everyone around her trying to marry her off or send her to a convent. Thankfully, this book has less of that.

I also 💜 the chyerti! I wish I could find some fan art to post of them. While I've liked the domovoi since the first book, I also really liked the mushroom chyerti in this book!

The only thing I would have liked better would have been to read the whole trilogy at one time, instead of having to wait for up to a year for each subsequent book. GOOD NEWS: If you haven't read any of the series yet, you can do that now, since they have all been released now!

I liked the way the author ended this book, but oh boy did it have me bawling, as did several other parts in the book.

If you haven't started reading this series yet, GO DO IT NOW! What are you waiting for?

The stirring, much-anticipated conclusion to Arden’s Winternight Trilogy is here. My thanks go to Net Galley and Random House Ballantine for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

The scene opens on a charred palace. The Tatars have attacked the Russians and been driven off; an attempt to dethrone Grand Prince Dmitrii has been averted, but all that is left to defend stands in ruin in the late winter snow. Arden is one of the deftest word smiths to emerge this century, and the tableau laid before us is stark and resonant; at the same time, the suspense is palpable, because readers aren’t that deeply concerned about the Grand Prince. We want to know where Varya is.

Varya—Vasilisa Petrovna-- is a badass warrior that communes with the chyerti, which are Russian folk spirits; these specialize in particular realms, with some guarding the home, others the forest, the river, and so forth. All of these are presented with historical accuracy, according to the author’s note (as well as my occasional perfunctory Google search.)

Speaking of which: those that have read the first two volumes, The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, know that there are a tremendous number of specialized terms in Arden’s writing. There are words for types of clothing, domiciles, spirits, and all sorts of things. Although there is a serviceable glossary at the back of the book, I found it very useful to read digitally, because definitions, images and so forth could be called up literally at the touch of my fingertips. If you read the first two volumes in paper and found yourself either skipping a lot of words—which you can do, but your mental movie won’t be as rich—or flipping around in the book looking for things, consider shifting to the digital version for the last volume.

This begs the question: can we read this book as a stand-alone novel?

No. No you cannot.

Moving on, characters we know are gradually reintroduced like a slow drum roll, and then finally, here she is! I love this character. Vasya is unforgettable, and she defies every stinking stereotype. So many authors feel the need to compensate for creating a strong female character by making her tiny, or physically beautiful, or both. Vasya is neither. Her nose is long, her mouth is wide, and as if these features weren’t sufficient, she gets burned, beaten and starved in the course of her adventures. When she chooses to masquerade as a male, she can pass.

I grew so attached to this character during the first two volumes that I held my breath—would it be possible to see her all the way through all three volumes without having her fall in love or have a roll in the hay? And so here, I am a wee bit disappointed, because the answer is no, but almost. Nevertheless, her romantic life is never allowed to define her or alter the course of her plans, which is a considerable consolation.

Tragically, Vasya’s magnificent horse, Solovey, is killed early in the story, and I had to wonder about this; I decided that it had to happen to show us that Vasya is able to do great things without her horse to swoop in and save her, but that theory is shot to hell in the second half of the book.

On the other hand, new characters are introduced, and although I love Ded Grib, the mushroom spirit, and I find the Bear vastly amusing, my favorite is Vasya’s great-grandmother.

Vasya’s mission is to save Rus’ from the Tatars, and to persuade its leaders that Christianity and chyerti can coexist. The book (and the trilogy) ends with the Battle of Kulikovo, which happened in real life. The ending is beautifully rendered, moving, and deeply satisfying.

A surprising amount of this engaging story has historical basis, and Arden gives a concise but specific explanation at the end.

Those that have waited for the conclusion to this excellent series need wait no longer; those that haven’t read it yet should get the entire trilogy. It’s a wonderful place to get lost, providing the ultimate in escapist fiction.

Recommended to feminists, and to all that love excellent historical fiction.

In Winter of the Witch, Arden’s sweeping, Russian fairytale comes to an end. At the end of the last book, a great battle between the sorcerer and Vasya gave the evil priest, Konstantin, the leverage he needed to turn the mob against her. Vasya survives his attempts on her life, only to find the Bear (the spirit of chaos and summer, and the villain of the first book) roams the world once more. With the help of the Winter-King Morozko and the spirits of Russia, Vasya must work to save her family and all of Rus from the Bear’s machinations.
In this installment, Vasya finally comes into the promise of power and the true independence that has been hinted at since book one. There’s also, fans will be happy to note, more romance with the Winter King in store.
The two previous novels captured my attention because the blended an engaging fantasy story with plenty of factual information about the culture and mythology of Russia, a country that many Western readers are not generally taught much about in school. For instance, one thing I learned was about ovens and their importance in Russian culture for their ability to heat homes, create food, and provide a safe space for the elderly, young, or sick to stay. In that way, this installment did not disappoint, incorporating historical battles into the fictional war between the Bear and his brother. Overall, this was a very satisfying conclusion to an excellent trilogy. Thanks to Netgalley and to Ballantine for the advance review copy!

I have enjoyed this series from the start because it sweeps you away into the time of Russia’s transition between old religions and new with all the conflicts and difficulties that involves. Arden brings the chyerti, old peoples, to life while balancing questions of faith, magic, and personhood in a grand adventure with both darkness and amazing discovery. It encompasses a world between times and a battle much bigger than all but a few could realize.

The Winter of the Witch is no exception. It is the perfect culmination of what came before and offers both a harder road and a better solution than I anticipated, leaving me with regrets only because it is the final book in the series. For those of you who wait until a series is complete, now’s your chance to explore a culturally enthralling tale with deep questions to ponder. I cling to a slight hope, though, of a companion novel as Vasya has more adventures ahead of her.

This book contains two intertwined arcs, but the first ends long before the book does. It could have made for a satisfying conclusion all on its own, but when the second arc takes command of the book, it brings the story to a stronger, deeper end stretching all the way back to The Bear and the Nightingale.

The story centers on Vasya as did the previous ones, but she is much more than the wild girl she begins the series as or the witch the Muscovites believe her to be. The chyerti know. They see her potential even when she’s blind to it, but she’s not so blind that she refuses to see when the world depends on her waking up to her role.

Nor is she the only complex character. Whether human or not, the characters live by their own rules, beliefs, and expectations. Some are ghosts, others mushrooms, but they have their own lives. Seeing Vasya navigate between them and her own expectations is fascinating. Her efforts don’t come without a cost though, and sometimes she’s not the one called to pay it. This is a novel where actions have consequences. Power does not equal blamelessness with the cost in madness or regret at the very least.

There are many powerful moments in the book, often around the complexity of the characters, whether it’s the mad priest revealing his doubts and grief in art capable of swaying the Bear, or the gift Vasya gives to Morozko, the Winter King, and what he offers her in the end.

The narrative is one of learning and growing in acceptance. It clashes with both devil stories, and the purity of those who follow the new god and cast down the old. It raises questions about those rules that come from humanity not divine and yet are enforced as though from a greater source. This is not a binary world but one that recognizes good and evil in all things with none innately one or the other. Everything has the ability to choose between the two. It’s beautiful and far from easy as the characters struggle with that ability when circumstances pull them to one side or the other. There’s the same uneasy relationship between old and new traditions with some able to recognize it while others attempt to paint their opponents on either side as evil and never look further.

It’s not just the message that draws me though. The events work out through careful seeding, sometimes allowing me to predict and other times surprising me but in an “of course” sort of way. This speaks to the immersion where the logic of the world is so stable it avoids the easy solution for the right one and makes that choice real to the reader as much as the characters.

Reading the afterword, it’s fascinating to see how Arden blended actual events into the story so seamlessly. This feels like the real answer to questions still being debated by historians. I’m glad I didn’t know the history beforehand because anticipation, good and bad, would have stripped away some of the tension.

Also, since I noted the issues with many POVs in my last review, I need to say Arden similarly uses many perspectives, but they work to tie the different happenings together, building the web in which they’re all entangled, rather than abandoning the other characters.

The book brought me to tears, both of joy and loss. It’s not a simple, or comfortable, read, but that’s only true because the characters came to life and made their grief or wonder my own. I’ll miss the time I spent in this Russia, but I leave it satisfied both in the story and the state the characters have achieved.

P.S. I received this copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy has come to its conclusion and it is a strong finish.

The Bear and the Nightingale was a great start to the series, but I felt like that book could have stood on its own as a presentation of a Russian fairy tale and did not need to go on any further. As such, I was ready to stop at that book. I'm glad that I didn't.

Throughout the series, the reader is introduced to the main character, Vasilisa Petrovna, and her supporting cast which includes her family on various levels/generations along with the denizens of a magical world. One of the greatest strengths of the series is that it not only introduces the cast, everyone gets developed and goes through a personal growth. I felt like everyone had their own story that weaved in and out of Vasya's own story. Vasya has a strong relationship with Morozko, the winter-king, but this is only an element of the overall epic.

I grew close to many of the supporting cast and I felt the emotional resonance as they felt loss. Vasya's close companion, Solovey, is a strong favorite throughout the series, but it is a returning character from the first book that became a new favorite this time around as he seemed to steal the scene with every line he was given.

The writer also deftly handles the conflict between magical world and the human world along with the conflict between the Moscovite people and the Tatars. Armies and alliances are built reasonably. It is interesting to see a war being fought on multiple fronts, seen and unseen. Vasya grows from a small village girl to a leader and force to be reckon with.

It is the Winter of Witch, but the witch conquers far more.

“I have plucked snowdrops at Midwinter, died at my own choosing, and wept for a nightingale. Now I am beyond prophecy.”

This is a hard review for me to write, because I think my heart doesn’t want to admit that this series is finally over. But it is, and this concluding book was everything I wanted. I cried, I felt gutted, I got my heart broken, but somehow Katherine Arden healed the pieces back together.

Where do I even begin to tell you what this story is about without spoiling anything with a review about the final book. This is a book about the bonds of family, blood and found, and doing whatever it takes to protect the ones you love. This is a book about religion and the beautiful and terrible things people are willing to do in the name of it. This is a book about all the different pieces that make a person, and how it is okay to love them all even if others won’t. But this is ultimately a book about a girl becoming the hero of her own story every single time, no matter who or what tries to block her path.

“There are no monsters in the world, and no saints. Only infinite shades woven into the same tapestry, light and dark.”

But I suppose The Bear and the Nightingale is a Russian inspired fantasy that stars a family living on the edge of the unforgiving Russian wilderness. And our main character grew up on fairy tales, but always hungered for more. And she soon realizes that maybe there was some truth in those tales, and she encounters a frost-demon named Morozko who makes magic a reality before her very eyes.

This story picks up right after the events of The Girl in the Tower in Moscow, and Konstantin Nikonvich’s vengeance knows no bounds. And a bear demon named Medved is happy to aid with the chaos in any way they possibly can. We also get to see Marya, Olga, Sasha, and Dmitrii on very different journeys through this pain and heartbreak. But we also get to see Vasya learn new things about herself and her ancestors, while even venturing into a new land unlike any other. And I truly think this concluding novel was damn close to perfection.

“You denied both the winter-king and his brother, didn’t you? You made yourself a third power in their war.”

Following Vasya, seeing her go to battle for Russia, go to battle for her family, go to battle for herself, has been a journey like none other that I’ve ever experienced while reading. Katherine Arden pulls from a lot of historical events and themes, but I’m convinced that this equal parts harrowing and heartening fairytale that she crafted is the real timeline that happened. I’ll be completely honest, this is a hard review to write, and not because it’s the last book in a series, but because I am in awe of what a damn masterpiece this entire story is. It doesn't even feel real that I have this story in my hands, that I get to read it, I get to love it, I get to experience this beautiful tale that feels so whimsical but so real. The actual blessings.

“Magic is forgetting the world was ever other than as you willed it.”

Overall, this is just one of my favorite trilogies of all time, and I think it always will be. This story just truly has every element that I’m in love with in literature; lyrical writing, winter setting, fae folks of all varieties, strong sibling bonds, heart wrenching romance, and girls becoming the hero of their story. Katherine Arden and this trilogy is a gift from a higher power and I can’t wait to see what she does next.