An immensely satisfying conclusion to a fantastic trilogy. This third installment sees Vasya come more fully into her power, with all the mystical, moody atmosphere that Arden delivers so well. The vein of Russian folklore that pulsates through the narrative remains as rich and captivating as any modern entry in the fractured-fairytale genre.

This is the final installment to the Winternight Trilogy. They have all been fantastic re-imagining of folklore but this one sent the series out with a bang! I admit to having to go back and re-read the ending of the 2nd book. I needed to remember where things left off. And this book jumps right in to the story.

Vasya is still battling the man made religions over her beloved earthly gods. The whole book is a struggle between the new and the old. Amongst all the battles and the blood shed are mixed up feelings about leaving the old ways and conforming to the new. Vasya is a champion for blending the two. It takes her most of the book and some unusual allies to get there. But in the end, peace comes to Rus and the wild creatures and the Christian priests are content to share the land.

Now, would I wish for a little bit more----yessss! Vasya and her Frost King---I wanted to see what their HEA looked like. He is silent most of the book since it is summer time. I missed him and Vasya together. We get hints what their life may be like but I would love to see them again in the future. Vasya's family---really would like to see her niece grow up and respect the old ways. And I had hoped to see them all move on and heal.

I am happy with the ending, but the colorful world building of this author just makes me want more. The first books were based more on the fairy tale. This one is definitely based more on the historical figures battling for power in Russia. Great bit of history with a fairy tale re-telling of the facts. Loved the whole series!

I have loved this series so far, and I was looking forward to this book for months. Although I thought Winter of the Witch was very well written, I had to skip large sections. The darkness and violence felt more intense than in the previous books. I doubt everyone would be as affected as I was. (There are some violent mobs and almost-burnings.)

Overall, Katherine Arden is an exceptional writer and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

I wish I’d had enough time to go back to the beginning of Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy to reread the first two novels before going into the upcoming final novel, The Winter of the Witch… but I also wouldn’t have been patient enough to do that with my preview copy just waiting to be read. I’ll have to settle for rereading all three in a row with the series’ end in mind. While I’m often left a little disappointed by the end of a series, whether it’s the execution or the simple fact it’s over, The Winter of the Witch is too satisfying to even be too disappointed there won’t be more.

This final installment picks up the action precisely where The Girl in the Tower left off, with the aftermath of the fire in Moscow and Father Konstantin looking to find an outlet for the frustrating contradictions growing in his faith—and he quickly locates a suitable target in Vasya. Riling up the people of Moscow who want vengeance for their own losses and suffering, Father Konstantin turns the mob to the terem where Vasya, her sister, and her sister’s children and ladies are recovering from their own ordeal. Vasya turns herself over to save the others, but there are other forces at work seeking to spare her, leaving her to pursue a greater purpose in the larger battles being fought—between the new religion and the older pagan traditions, between the principalities of Russia and the Tatar threat…

One of the things that has most impressed me about this series is the way Arden handled the thematic threads throughout, each of which reaches a definite and satisfying (at least for me) conclusion by the end of The Winter of the Witch. For the most part, the final word comes not to the one or the other, but to finding and striking the right balance—and how easy it is to overlook balance as a solution when you allow yourself to be blinded by the personal and the emotions that go with it. Vasya’s conflict with Konstantin nearly kills her several times but she finally learns what he never does, that it is impossible to be entirely pure or entirely evil, but that everyone is a mixture of both in varying degrees. And that the same is the case beyond their human world. Forgiveness too becomes a key factor in finding balance because it is with the assistance of forgiveness that the seesawing of vengeance can be stopped.

I think one of the most satisfying aspects of this novel was the way it built towards the resolution, even as it wrapped up various other threads of conflict along the way. The pacing was beautifully managed as each task, each stage of the story built upon the last, rising to the final confrontation. Vasya’s development in this book in particular similarly builds. Her experiences in the previous two novels aid her with subsequent revelations here that show just how much she’s grown and matured since we first met her. But the novel and series aren’t only about her growth; they’re also about how she pushes those around her in their beliefs and understanding, how she inspires and unites even while she stands apart and often alone.

The Winter of the Witch will be available tomorrow, January 8, 2019.

With each book in the trilogy it just keeps getting better and better. Arden has such staying power within each fairytale she delivers a phenomenon that proves her creativity in imagination of her story telling ability. We pick up right where “The Girl in the Tower” left off, spring time has arrived in the aftermath of the fire and everyone is venerable and, in a panic, which provide Konstantin an opportunity to prey upon the country. What I love so much about this book is how Arden showed such raw emotions of the protagonist doubts and something I don’t see in many books which is the real fear, from the characters. Vasya being completely scared for her own life and suffering through PTSD as she overcomes many challenges. She wasn't just fearless as you find in almost every hero/heroin story but, Vasya was scared as she should be.
I also enjoy little metaphor I got out of this fairy tale when Vasya goes through midnight and she has encounters with the chyerti. Understand their fear of being forgotten I felt was a parallel to nature and our planet being forsaken. if we don't remember that nature and animals are living things like us, they become extinct and we human beings lose our faith in humanity that binds us all together.
Vasya really goes through it in this book, I thought the last book was hard for her but this one takes the cake. She is physically and spiritually broken yet she holds to her faith that is so inspiring. Vaysa is too much of an outsider that thought her journey her family finally except that she belongs among her own tribe and they even starts to see in Marya how alike she is with Vasya and to be happier and safer they must live in a place where their uniqueness isn’t seen as a threat but as a blessing.
The winter-King and the Bear are two side of the same coin and they elevated the fairytale just perfectly. I love how Vasya wield them into her command. She learned how to play the game by using their strength and by stroking their desire as well as getting their respect. Vasya truly made winter hers as she embraces herself as a witch who learned to use the power from within to save.
I truly loved Arden story telling style and everything she put into this trilogy was just a phenomenon.

The Winter of the Witch is the third book in the Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden. It picks up where book two left off. Things are chaotic in Moscow and people are looking for someone to blame for all that has befallen them. The people focus on Vasya and blame her for their ills. She finds herself fighting for her life.

Vasya journeys on the Midnight Road where it is always midnight and it is more than a time, it is a destination. The chyerti, the Russian folkloric spirits, are drawn to her. Some want to help, some are less beneficial or downright dangerous. She crosses paths with Baba Yaga and learns something important about herself in the process. As the book goes on, the spirits both large (think Morozko) and smaller (ex. Ded Grib) become more and more important.

Dmitrii tries to send tribute to the Tatars. But it fails and the Tatars will march toward Moscow. Dmitrii finds himself in the position that he must raise an army to meet them. Vasya will play a key part here as well.

The best way to read this book is as a follow up to the first two. This is not a standalone. You would definitely lose something if you tried to read it by itself.

I enjoyed seeing Vasya continue to evolve as a character. Even Morozko doesn't remain the same as he was in the first book.

The book is excellently written. I liked the first book a lot. The second one I didn't enjoy quite as much, but still it was good. The third book? Excellent! It draws it all together and sews up the plot points in a satisfactory way. The afterword tells which points are actually historical and which are more fantasy.

Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's well written. It ties things together and the characters grow and change. I continue to enjoy the way the old religion honoring the chyerti is paralleled to the new religion as it was historically. If you've read the first two books in this trilogy, you must read this one as well. If you haven't read any of them yet but are a fan of fantasy with a base in both history and folklore, then do read this trilogy. I look forward to seeing what else Katherine Arden has in store.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Katherine Arden’s stunning Winternight Trilogy comes to a masterful conclusion in The Winter of the Witch, where Vasya comes to terms with her heritage and does her best to both avert…and then start…a war.

I read The Bear and the Nightingale last year. The ebook was $1.99 on Kindle and that’s how I get a lot of my books now. But I absolutely fell in love with the story, the language, the characters, and the imagery brought forth in this fairy tale fantasy set in medieval Russia. I knew the second book (The Girl in the Tower) was coming out not long after, but I have so many books to read that I completely forgot about it. It wasn’t until I got the opportunity for an advance copy of The Winter of the Witch that I remembered I hadn’t read the second book yet. I quickly rectified that so that I could read the third installment as soon as possible.

The Winter of the Witch has a different feel than the first two books, but it’s no less compelling of a story. The Bear and the Nightingale, set it the northern part of Russia, in a small village which still held some of the old traditions, had an ethereal quality to it that started to diminish as Vasya came south in The Girl in the Tower. The Winter of the Witch loses some of that fairy tale aspect, which is ironic, as in this book Vasya finally realizes her true potential. The book opens with Father Konstantin rounding a mob to accuse her of being a witch, and her essentially discovering that she has the ability to perform magic, yet some of the magic is gone from the story. This is a much more political story, with Vasya treading a delicate balance as she tries to avert a war along with attempting to save the chyerti.

This book ruined me. I’ve mentioned in other reviews that I tend to do most of my reading on the subway, and I found myself sobbing several times while reading this book, which can be pretty embarrassing. It’s a fairly normal occurrence for me, so I’m used to it, but I am honestly glad that I decided to finish this last night in the privacy of my own home. The ending absolutely destroyed me – loud, ugly crying.

The Winter of the Witch is action-packed pretty much from start to finish. Whereas the first two books focused a lot on character development and establishing the setting, at this point in the story we have met basically all of the important players, so the action starts immediately, and I mean that literally. Arden’s writing is lyrical, almost poetic, and I was enthralled from start to finish. This is a fitting and satisfying conclusion to Vasya’s story.

Vasya is just beginning to understand what she is truly capable of. She must quickly come to terms with her power to find a way to save her family and all of Russia from mortal men that have been seduced by evil.

Branded as a witch by a mob stirred into a religious frenzy by Father Konstantin Nikonovich, she somehow survives a trial by fire but loses something far more precious to her than her own life. Her unbearable sorrow gives her the strength to embark on what everyone tells her is an impossible quest -
A journey straight through Midnight to find the only one who can help deliver them all.

“But -” the Bear went on. “My brother thinks that men and chyerti can share this world. These same men that are spreading like sickness, rattling their church-bells, forgetting us. My brother is a fool. If men are unchecked, one day there will be no chyerti, no road through Midnight, no wonder in the world at all.”

The winter-king has been imprisoned in a village far away and has lost his memory of both Vasya and their special bond. But in helping Morozko remember who he is, she surrenders both her body and soul.

Together, they travel through the seasons and prepare for a battle that they know is coming. With so much at stake – family and country, men and magic, love and loss – how can one brave girl stand between destiny and the devil?

“Will you not tell me your secret?” he asked.
“What secret?” retorted Vasya, laboring to keep her voice steady. His hands were motionless, but his glance still traced the lines of her body. “I already told you. My people have need of you.”
He shook his head, raised his eyes to hers. “No, there is something more. Something there in your face every time you look at me.”
As I could, I loved you.
“My secrets are mine, Gosudar,” said Vasya sharply. “We sacrifices may take things to the grave as well as anyone else.”
He lifted a brow. “I have never met a maiden who looked less like she meant to die.”

The Winter of the Witch is the kind of finale that I, as a devout fan of the Winternight Trilogy, have been dreaming about! Once again, Katherine Arden’s signature poignant prose and vivid imagery held me spellbound from the very first page. But it is the surprising strength of Vasya that makes this book so unforgettable.

Both her steely determination through heartbreak and her ability to trust in her tender heart establish her as a heroine well deserving of such a title. And her story will stay me for a long time to come…

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2019/01/08/audio-the-winter-of-the-witch-by-katherine-arden/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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4.5 hearts
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I was excited and terrified to see what would happen to Vasya next.  In <strong>The Girl and the Tower</strong>, we see her decide to make her own way in the world, not wanting to be locked in to the traditional female role of a wife or nun. She learns a lot and enjoys her varied and widened view of the world.

Unfortunately, the world is not ready for her. There are always people who hate anyone different or things they don't understand.  She finds she has much more to learn. And there are always greedy men who want power and control.  War comes to Russia. Vasya struggles, working incredibly hard to help Russia and the magical world to succeed and live together.  It is a viscous, bloody, brutal battle, where not everyone survives. Vasya also has to deal with politics, egos and misinformation which are somewhat new concepts. Even with her mistakes, and everyone makes mistakes, I am proud of Vasya's courage, determination and selfless commitments.

<blockquote>"I missed you so," she said to the horse, hot tears sliding into his black mane.

<em>I am sure of it</em>, said Solovey, nosing her. He shook his mane looking superior. <em>But I am here now. You are the warden of the lake now? It has not had a mistress for a long time. I am glad it is you. But you should have had me. You would have done it all a great deal better if I'd been there.</em>

"I am sure of it," said Vasya, and she made a broken sound that was almost a laugh.</blockquote>

Here's an <a href="https://www.unboundworlds.com/2018/10/katherine-arden-russian-fairy-tales-trilogy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>interview</strong></a> of the author at <strong>Unbound Worlds</strong> talking about writing and finishing this <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/198489-winternight-trilogy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Winternight Trilogy</strong></em></a>.  I've listened to all three on audio and loved them all.  Arden does an amazing job of creating this fantastical world.  Highly recommended.

<h4><strong>Narration:</strong></h4>
Kathleen Gati continues to impress me with her magical performance of this tale.  Both the male and female voices were comfortable.  Her voice gives a slight accent which feels like a hint of the era and region.  It was all clear and easy to understand, even at 1.5x speed.

<strong>Listen to a clip:</strong>

https://soundcloud.com/penguin-audio/the-winter-of-the-witch-by
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I cannot tell you how much this meant to my heart and soul. It was everything I wanted and more. The story as a whole rearranged me. For whatever you loved about THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE and THE GIRL IN THE TOWER, THE WINTER OF THE WITCH combines all of those traits and then amplifies them to such satisfying results. I closed the book with tears in my eyes with the fullest heart I could imagine after reading a good book.

The character arcs take interesting turns in this novel. The reader learns more about the mysterious Morozko and his brother, Medved. You follow along with the Petrovna family and realize just how attached to them you are. Vasya is, as ever, a strong, determined, and capable young woman, and in this novel she’s attempting to make peace between the old world and the new.

Arden teaches some really beautiful lessons about coexisting, and it strikes a particular chord in this day and age. Like the previous two books, the exploration of religion and paganism is fascinating to say the least. It’s a beautiful blend of folklore and the real world, with real Russian history behind it.

This book is my favorite of the bunch because of the way the characters grow, the nonstop, heart pounding action, the twists and turns, and the stunning writing to go along with it all. Arden is a marvel and I can’t wait to read what she publishes next.

If wintery scenes, Russian history, romance, woodland creatures, fairytales, action, and feminist ideals are your thing, then you absolutely must read this book.

5/5 stars and a forever favorite of mine.

I just finished The Winter of the Witch early this morning. Yes, I stayed up until 1 am reading this book because it was just that good. I was fortunate enough to get an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley. This book took me a little less than a month to finish. The reason for that is because I never wanted the book to end. I savored this book like it was decadent cheesecake. It truly was beautiful.

Katherine Arden has a way with creating characters that you become invested in. You meet old characters and some new ones. Each character is fleshed out and it's fascinating to see how they all have changed for the better or worse in this novel.

The plot is unique and had quite a few twists and turns. I loved how I never knew what was going to happen. It takes a true storyteller to create something so different and so compelling. I laughed, I cried, and I never wanted it to end.

If I could give this infinite stars I would. This was spectacular. If you haven't read the others in this series, you're missing out. This has quickly become my favorite fantasy series.

Okay, so, I didn't really think this series could get any better after the incredible first two installments.

We're all wrong sometimes.

Somehow TWOTW managed to be even better than the already fantabulous first two books. I don't wanna be spoilery...but there's a scene early on with Konstantin and a Certain Someone that I literally just. Well. I highlighted basically all of it. And it had some of my favorite lines from any book ever.

There was a point in this book where I thought everything had been resolved, and didn't understand why my kindle still showed like 65%...but trust. It. Was not done. It was nowhere NEAR done.

This book is staggeringly good. I've been recommending it to everyone I know on twitter and insta. If you know me, you know that's high praise. I only freak out this much about The Secret History and The Traitor Baru Cormorant. And HERE I AM. A new obsession.

One day,,,one day I will write as well as Katherine Arden. (soft sob)

Please note: As requested on the Digital Review Copy and the paper review copy (Keep the Secrets or Beware the Bear) of this book, I held reviews until release day. As promised to the publicist, I am offering a giveaway of "The Bear and the Nightingale" on my blog, appended to this review.

5 Stars and more, if I could give them.

"Magic is forgetting the world was ever other than you willed it."

Readers of my blog are quite familiar with my great love for Russian folklore and my love of the Winternight trilogy. Katherine Arden has managed to take some of the most famous characters of classic Russian folktales and deepen them while stripping them of many of the tropes, particularly female gender constraints, that plague classic fairy, and folktales.

Vasya has never desired a conventional life for herself, and after the conclusion of The Girl in the Tower, finds even greater challenges lie ahead after she is labeled a witch and blamed for burning part of Moscow. Picking up immediately after the conclusion of that second book, The Winter of the Witch finds Arden continuing to deftly mix Russian folklore and the medieval history of Rus' in a way that reflects the delicate coexistence of faith and pagan culture in Russia. The tension between the Byzantine-influenced Orthodox Russian faith and paganism, between family and personal freedom, is perfectly captured in Vasya as she bridges the worlds of humans and chyerti.

"I was born to be in between— do you think I don't know it?"

This book opens with utter heartbreak but moves on, while never forgetting what has been lost, at a harrowing pace toward a resolution that is satisfying, and even at times exhilarating. Arden never lets her reader down- the complexity of relationships and the story she has interwoven with real Russian history are beautifully rendered.

A triumphant capstone to the trilogy.

I received a Digital Review Copy from Del Rey, along with a paper review copy, in exchange for an honest review.

I'm just so sad that it's over! This was an incredible trilogy, and I will not soon forget Vasya. I was enthralled from the beginning, and each book was increasingly better. The Winter of the Witch took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Although I was completely torn apart by the end, I feel all the better for letting this story enrich my life. This was a powerful story that I recommend to all of my friends. I look forward to seeing what else Katherine Arden writes in the future.

I absolutely loved this book! Ever since I finished The Girl in the Tower, I have been eager to read the next chapter in Vasya's story. I went into this book with incredibly high expectations and I have to say that this book was even better than I could have hoped for. There is just something magical about this trilogy. This was a book that I found almost impossible to set aside. I just had to know how things would work out for Vasya, her family, and all of Russia. I found that this story was really able to touch me emotionally and I had a fantastic time reading it.

The Winter of the Witch is the final book in the Winternight trilogy which really must be read in order. This book does pick up shortly after the events of the previous book by throwing the reader right back into the action. If I had to find one thing to criticize about this book, it would be that this book does not take the time to refresh the reader's memory of the events from the previous installments. Since it has been over a year since I read the previous book, it did take me a moment or two to really remember the details regarding what had been happening with Vasya.

Vasya is a wonderful character and I have found it a joy to watch her develop and really find herself over the course of the trilogy. She seems to be ready to take on the world in this book. She is strong and has proven herself worthy of being a leader. She is also compassionate and mourns the ones she has lost and works to protect others often at her own risk. She does expect others with power to also do what needs to be done even if it comes with significant risk and does not hold back her opinion when she thinks that they are not doing enough.

This book was exciting. I worried about the safety of Vasya and the other characters quite often since there are a lot of dangerous situations in the book. Vasya has really embraced her powers by the end of the book and I had a great time seeing everything she was capable of doing. I also loved all of the magical creatures that were a part of Vasya's world. The Winter King, the Bear, Midnight, and even a mushroom king all played important and sometimes surprising roles in this wonderful story.

I thought that the writing was beautiful. I felt like I was carried away by the words as I read this book. There was a wonderful flow to the story and I think that the writing added to the overall beauty of the story. This story made me feel a lot of things. I was nervous and worried about the characters at times and smiled in joy when things worked out. I felt pain when things went horribly wrong and had tears of joy when things went oh so right. The story is dark and it is often violent but it was always beautiful.

I would highly recommend this trilogy to others. I was swept away by this dark fairytale of a story and loved every moment of it. I must say that this book brought everything to a fantastic conclusion and the ending was even better than I could have hoped. This is a trilogy that I plan to revisit many times in the future. I can't wait to see what Katherine Arden writes next!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Del Ray via NetGalley.

“Her only choices were fire or darkness or the devil in between.” Chapter 4

It all began with a skinny girl named Vasya, who could see the unseen, through which she made both friends and enemies, among them a one-eyed Bear, a Nightingale and a Winter King. In The Winter of the Witch, Katherine Arden ends her brilliant trilogy in a a tense, edge-of-the seat-battle that will keep readers up long into the night tearing through the chapters as they ride along on Vasya’s last quest.

Arden’s first book in the series set an incredible precedent in her writing earning her a reputation for a well-spun tale with engaging characters and a perfectly paced plot. She has not disappointed in either of her follow up novels. The Winter of the Witch picks up right where The Girl in the Tower ended, and continues the story arc as Vasya struggles to straddle two worlds: among the chyerti as her true self, and among her family in Rus, where she is known and despised as a witch. Seeking to ensure her family is safe, Vasya is soon caught in a plot against her by the returning character Konstantin Nikonovich, who has sided with the Bear in an effort to destroy her. In order to win her own freedom to exist as well as the protection of her family, Vasya must find a way to unite the two worlds, or risk losing both. A truly enjoyable tale perfect for winter reading and impossible to put down. Looking forward to reading more of Arden’s work in the future!

My thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Actual Rating 5 stars

I loved this book and the previous two. This trilogy is the only rival to my favorite book trilogy The Cobweb Bride. I must admit that at this moment in time these two trilogies are tied for the best books of all time. Very rarely do I come across a series that combines all elements of books that I love in equal parts without overdoing one area or another. Needless to say I love this trilogy. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, and I loved the beautiful prose and writing style.

Characters

Vasya:

Vasya is one of the most feminist characters I have read about. Her unwillingness to conform to what society wanted her to do was inspiring and amazing to read about. I truly loved watching her grow. I must admit that there were times I wanted to cry for Vasya and her struggles that she went through in order to grow into the woman she needed to be to unit her worlds. I truly enjoyed her watching her relationships with all the other characters develop and change over the course of the three novels. I can only hope that I have the opportunity to read more novels with main characters like Vasya.

Morozko:

Morozko is was an amazing character. His personality was well rounded and complex. At times I viewed him as a dangerous demon that could destroy everything around him and at other times I viewed him as a character who was lost and didn't know what way to turn or what to do in order to ensure his kinds survival. Over the course of the three novels you can truly see his character change and develop into a more relatable entity. Not to mention I loved watching the complex and confusing romance blossom and transform between Vasya and Morozko.

Olga:
I must admit that while reading The Girl in the Tower I was unsure of Olga. I struggled to understand her hesitance to invite Vasya in. But as time went on and I saw her change and I saw why she feared what Vasya’s appearance meant for her family I came to understand her and like her better. I found that Olga was strong in her own way and did all she could to help out without endangering her children and this in it self is a unique and admirable quality that I must commend. By the end of The Winter of the Witch I found that admired Olga and her silent strength in the face of danger.

Sasha:

Sasha was a difficult character for me to understand at first. His reluctance to believe that what Vasya was doing was for the greater good had me questioning his character. But just like Olga as time went on came to admire him. I admired his dedication to his religion even though he came to see and experience older darker religion that resided in his country. I also greatly admired his dedication to his country and his family even though he was unsure at first. Finally I must commend his bravery in all things he did.

Solovey:

Aside from Vasya, Solovey was my favorite character in the entire series. I absolutely loved his quiet strength, his love for Vasya, and his bravery in the face of incredible danger. There is absolutely nothing I wouldn't do to save and protect Solovey from danger and harm. I must admit that I cried for him and mourned the pain he went through and I must admit that I feared for the conclusion to his character arc but in the end I was greatly pleased with what came to pass.

Konstantin:

I pitied Konstantin, I pitied his loss of religion and his loss of purpose. With that being said I also found him to be a horribly manipulative character and for that I hated him. But in the end he was only human and all he sought was a purpose and in he end what he thought was his “purpose” was his downfall.

Medved:

I never thought I would like Medved but after finishing this book I found that I could stand him and in some ways I understood why he did what he did. Medved was by far one of the most complex villains I have ever had the pleasure of reading about.

Secondary characters:

I loved all the other characters in this novel such as Baba Yaga, the Firebird, and Midnight. All of the characters Katherine Arden crafted were unique and amazing in their own right. Every single secondary character had a story and a purpose in the novel.

Plot

I LOVED the plot of this novel. The plot was complex and had depth. It wasn't bland or flat. Every secondary plot had a purpose and contributed to the overall plot of the story. I loved the Russian folklore, I adored the use of prose, and I was amazed by the interweaving plot lines and how perfectly they came together to create this masterpiece. Like I said earlier I this book is a rival for my all time favorite trilogy and it is all because of Katherine Arden’s amazing ability to create an amazing and intriguing story line that was able to hold me in rapture for three books and characters that had me crying, laughing, and feeling every emotion they felt.

I can not begin to express how amazing this book was with my limited ability to express my thoughts in words. All I can say is that if you enjoy an amazing fantasy novel with great storylines and characters I beg you to pick up this trilogy and read it so that you can experience the beauty of this cold and savage landscape and the amazing people and fantastic creatures that reside in it.

All the heart eyes for this one. I loved Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower. This is a fitting end to a great trilogy. Vasya finds herself at the center of a war that is much larger than it seems. She has to truly find herself and her powers to help the ones that she loves. There are so many good characters, a fascinating world and a plot that keeps you guessing. Even if you are not “into” fantasy books, please just pick up this trilogy and give it a try.

Winter of the Witch is the third and final book in the Winternight Trilogy, and brings a conclusion to Vasilisa’s story which began in The Bear and the Nightingale and continued in The Girl in the Tower. This book picks up right where the previous book ended. Right from the beginning, it grabbed me by my emotions and never let go. I bawled my eyes out in this one. I didn’t even realize that I had become so attached to the characters. And with her characters is where I really feel that Arden excels. They are all so multifaceted and complex. They are true to themselves and their design, yet develop and grow so much over the series.

I can’t remember the last time I have been left as distraught as I was with this book. When I finished this book, I was left with the overwhelming feeling of loss and didn't know how to recover. I wanted more of the world, of the story, of the characters. While the ending was perfect and I wouldn't wish for that to be ruined, I emotionally needed more. 

What I particularly loved about this book was the return to the fairy tale feel of the first novel, where Vasya is out in the wilderness encountering the spirits of medieval Russia in the hidden battle of old versus new. The introduction of new characters, including the cutest little mushroom spirit, added to the richness of the world without detracting from the story.

I don't say this often, but this is easily one of my favorite series. Winter of the Witch was finally released today, so I will be purchasing the entire trilogy and will give it a place of honor on my bookshelf. 

*I would like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

First of all, I would like to thank Random House Publishing for sending me an eARC of this fantastic book! I absolutely devoured this book in (almost) one sitting. I love all of the Russian influences for this fantastic book along with magical realism. It is truly one of my new favorite series that I will certainly be rereading sometime. From the characters to the storyline, (especially the horse element :)) this book is the perfect fantasy series for anyone looking for a mystical ride through Russian folklore.