It took me a while to understand the Russian words and who all of the characters but it was so worth learning. The story has such a fresh and new feel to it despite being rooted around old lore and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

It is rare gift that some writers have that can so pull the reader into the world the writer creates, that you have to grudgingly shake yourself back into reality when exiting the story and begin coping with withdrawal. Who knew medieval Russian history, culture, and fairy tales could be combined into so intoxicating a spell. Add to that an exceptional facility with prose that never shocks you from your suspension of belief, and you have Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy. The Bear and the Nightingale started the journey hooking me completely. The Girl in the Tower continues the tale and is even more brilliant. I have already set a "reminder to self" to look for the next installment due August 14th 2018. Bravo, Katherine, and thank you for a really great read!

I felt completely immersed in a fairy tale world while reading the Bear and the Nightengale, albeit a very convincing fairy tale. I loved the characters and cried when Pyotr came to rescue his children. Loved it!

Shauna the book store babe is absolutely right: this book would be great for fans of Uprooted by Naomi Novik. 

 

It's a laboriously slow fantasy. If you're not interested in the family or the tales being slowly weaved around them, it'll feel as unending as the Russian winter. 

 

Age Gap Romance: It's not the extreme hate to love as Uprooted, but it's an older non-mortal guy who doesn't start out as a romance interest at all. He starts off as creepy as The Dragon, but more mysterious than malevolent. 

 

It's core is about a young witch, born unto the old ways and follows her gut/heart on getting shit done and how to do them. She wants to fight and climb and explore but is held back by sexism and this new religion. 

 

She reminds me a bit of Tiffany Aching by Terry Pratchett, but Pratchett is in his own realm, with far more biting humor and a completely different tone. 

 

But it’s a good time for young witches. See also: The Bone Witch and The Labyrinth Lost. 

 

Sadly, I’d recommend all the books mentioned more than Bear & Nightingale. I didn’t realize it was a series until I saw the promos for the next book on Bookish First. I wasn’t excited or really cared, until I read the preview. Now, I’m curious. Now I’d like to read the next one. It’s not the highest priority, but it’s on there. 

 

Not amazing, but not bad.

Great instant classic that blues the lines of folk tale and fantasy.. I kept hearing about this book from friends and now I see why

In this gorgeous blend of Russian Folklore and narrative, Vasilisa is perhaps the most unlikely of heroines. Raised by an aging nurse and her older siblings after the passing of her mother, Vasya has always stood apart from others. Quick and sly as a fox, with a wild streak that includes often “borrowing” her brother Alyosha’s clothes and running wild in the forest near her father’s home. For years, few can reign the seemingly “mad” daughter of Pyotr Vladimirovich in for long, not even her father. After much deep thought, Pyotr packs up his tribute and his eldest sons Sasha and Kolya to travel to Moscow to find a new wife for himself and a husband for his daughter Olga.

This was possibly one of the most important moments in the early parts of the novel. During this trip, Pyotr is held as a guest of the Grand Prince of Moscow who happens to be his brother-in-law from his first wife. Though he truly doesn’t wish to get married again, he understands that his youngest needs a mother and thus begins the parallels to many of the stories that Dunya entertained the family with during the winter nights. Anna Ivanovna is the daughter of the Grand Prince from a previous marriage and considered “mad” by many to the point that her stepmother wishes to be rid of her. Though Anna longed to go to a convent, the Grand Prince is persuaded to marry her to Pyotr with the agreement that Olga will marry one of the cousins of his young son. It’s an unsteady marriage, with Anna’s unwillingness to believe in the household spirits and declaring that the rest of the village must stop paying tribute to them as well.

Seven years after Anna arrives, the village receives a new priest in the form of Father Constantine. Sent to the lands of Pyotr for fear he might sway the crowds of Moscow against the newly appointed Grand Prince, Constantine takes a dark interest in Vasya. Determining her to be in need of saving when she fails to show fear to his preachings on damnation and her insolence of being outspoken and refusing to act like a proper lady; Constantine beings to sway the village into a sense of panic and fear. Following his arrival many finally do away with any sort of offering towards their household spirits and the ones in Vasya’s home are only sustained by Vasya herself offering tribute.

The story progresses fairly quickly after Constantine’s arrival, with Vasya becoming more and more of a Witch in the villagers’ eyes. Her rudeness to the priest, her outspoken attitude and her newfound skills of riding horses bareback without saddle or bridle cause fear. Meanwhile, a promise her father made during his trip to Moscow seven years prior begins to reassert itself. Having met with Morozko, the Winter King or Death, Pyotr promises to gift Vasilisa a pendant in exchange for his son Kolya’s life. Now, Dunya who has held onto the talisman for seven years is fearful to give it to Vasya, knowing that it will potentially sell her to the Winter King. During this, Anna is trying desperately to rid herself of Vasya as well since she’s realized that Constantine is far more interested in her step-daughter instead of her. Forces of old and new evil conspire to rid the lands of Vasya so the Old Bear can awaken and break his chains to feast upon the souls of men. Only a miracle and some magic can help Vasya and her unlikely band of misfit spirits can help rebind the threat and keep him from destroying everything.

Originally I received an ARC version of this book from NetGalley, however time conspired against me and I ended up falling behind on actually reading the book at the time. Since my return to getting books from Audible, I decided that I’d grab the audio version of this tale since it had been on my read list for a while. I must say I wasn’t disappointed with my choice, the story is well written with the sprinkling of history and fantasy blending together in a harmonious marriage. Arden introduces readers to a wider spectrum of fairy tales and creatures that they might not know outside of Eastern Europe and Russia itself. The book is read by Kathleen Gati, who does a wonderful job bringing the story to life. I’ll admit I enjoyed more than I might have reading it to myself as Gati’s pronunciations of the names and varying tones for characters truly brought the production to life.

I am looking forward to the second book in this series, The Girl in the Tower. I do have an ARC of this from NetGalley and hopefully will find the time to read it before it’s release in December.

I am sorry, I could not find my way into this book. I am sure that someone else liked it though.

The Bear and the Nightingale will definitely take you for a ride. The world that Ms. Arden creates is pure magic. I don't read a lot of fantasy but I was intrigued by this book. I'm glad I decided to read it! Can't wait to read the rest of the series

"The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Trilogy #1)" by Katherine Arden

This beautiful story takes place in fourteenth century medieval Russia. Katherine Arden's debut novel is a mystical, magical intricately woven tapestry of wood sprites and demons, worship of pagan gods against deity Christianity beliefs and good versus evil. Vasilisa Petronova, known as Vasya, is born shortly before her mother, Marina, dies. Her nursemaid, Dunya, takes care of the family until her father eventually remarries. Dunya is a wise, worldly old woman who tells the children tales of household sprites, pagan gods and demons by the fireplace at night. The villagers befriend the magical creatures by leaving offerings of bread crusts and a little milk on the hearth. The spirits, in turn, protect the land, the village and the forests from evil.

Her father, Pyotr, travels to Moscow and marries Anna, the essential fairy-tale wicked stepmother. She forbids the family from performing the evening offering ritual. Anna sends to Moscow for a village priest. Konstantin Nikonvitch tells the villagers they have been cursed by God because of their offerings and pagan beliefs. The people stop leaving the offerings and as a result, they are no longer protected from famine, fire, death, crop failure and misfortune stalks the village.

Vashy has inherited the gift of second sight from her mother and grandmother. She can see and talk to the mythical spirits and understands they are hungry and suffering. Vashy tries to help, but she is only a seven year old child child against a creepy, lustful priest, her stepmother and the rest of the village. The brave, but wild girl grows into a young noblewoman but she feels more at home in the forest or seeking comfort in the barn with the animals. Her stepmother determines the rebellious stepdaughter should be prepared for marriage or failing that, a convent.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this wonderful fairytale-like story, I felt as if I had stepped back in time. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, "The Girl in the Tower".

ARC received from the publisher thru NetGalley.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/33210595-peggy-geiger">View all my reviews</a>

In the depths of rural Russia, winter comes early and stays late. Vasilisa is the daughter of the local landowner and her mother is royalty. She dies in childbirth having Vasilisa so she is raised by the nurse/housekeeper. From her, she learns all the old tales of folklore and about all the benevolent creatures that guard those who feed and accommodate them.

Vasilisa's father goes to the capital to find another wife. On his journey home, he encounters a man who saves him from danger and gives him a necklace for his beautiful daughter. The father is unsure if this is something he wants to do but feels trapped. On his return with his new wife, life becomes different and unhappy for Vasilisa. Her new stepmother is very religious and brings in a stern priest who declares that everyone is doomed unless they give up their old superstitions. She also tries to tame Vasilisa who is a tomboy, roaming the forests and riding horses like a man.

The priest is determined to break Vasilisa as she is the source of strength for those who oppose him. Much of his determination is his intense attraction to her, which he turns into a belief that she has trapped him with magic. He declares her evil but when the evil figures of the past come to take the entire village, only Visilisa may have the strength and knowledge to save her family and friends.

This is a debut novel that introduces a stunning new talent. Arden's book weaves an enchanting tale full of Russian folklore, good and evil, lust and love. The villains are bloodcurdling and life is hard. Visilisa is a strong woman who refuses to be tamed but who is willing to do anything for the family she loves. This book is recommended for fantasy and literary fiction readers.

THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE is a captivating, edgy tale of growing up and finding one's self and beliefs. It has been recommended for fans of Uprooted (by Naomi Novik), but I thought fans of Wintesong (by S. Jae-Jones) would also enjoy this as well. There's the same coming-of-age heroine and a supernatural "hero", though Wintersong is a tad darker and more intense. More than a romance though, both of these stories chronicle the heroines' journey into self-actualization. Needless to say, I enjoyed both books thoroughly and wouldn't hesitate to recommend either one.

I was held enthralled by the possibility of a romance between Vasya and Morozko, the frost-demon. It's a mere possibility here; nothing truly happens, except what Vasya could do for Morozko. In her youth and courage, she possessed a magic that spirits/demons/gods need to "survive"--belief. At a time when Christianity entered her country and there's the push-pull between the old gods and believing in the one God among the people, that Vasya could see these spirits/demons (she possessed second sight) is the basis of that belief. Actually, the people have found a certain harmony in the worship of both kinds of gods; it's just that in the book, they're being pushed to remove the old gods thoroughly, which led to the main conflict in the story. If you're like me and you don't much like books with religious themes, don't worry, there's not much of sermons and such (only when the priest Konstantin is on the scene, which is not a lot); there are, however, the cute domovoi, the prophesying bannik and other household spirits, as well as the white mare and her rider, the intriguing frost-demon, Morozko the winter-king.

The worldbuilding is superb and immerses me thoroughly in the story, and I didn't even mind the slow build up (we are after all treated to snippets from Vasya's birth to her growing up years) because the author has lots of interesting things to show us during that time. That the story is told from multiple points of view only made it more intriguing and gave it a depth that wouldn't have been possible if told only from Vasya's point of view.

THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE is the first in the intriguing Winternight Trilogy. Can't wait to read more of Vasya's adventures and, dare I say, more of the mysterious Morozko!

Atmospheric, meticulously researched, and utterly lush, THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE is a pastoral fairytale akin to UPROOTED or DEATHLESS,. With a compelling heroine and and interesting look at the clash between Christian religion and old world superstition in the bitter cold Russian north, Arden weaves a masterful book pulling from Russian folktales to create a story all her own.

The cover, gorgeous. The writing, exquisite. The characters, fleshed out and felt real. The storyline, made sense. So why only three stars?

Because I'm tired of Christianity/Christians being the bad guys. It's a rather central plot point of the book, so it can't be ignored. If that doesn't bother you, then you will most likely love this book, because the author has amazing writing chops. Everything worked for me except that. Which is a shame, because the place felt real, the characters were interesting and I wanted to learn more. If I were a character in this book, I would most likely be Anna. Which saddens me, because who wants to be the bad guy, even if it's due to a huge misunderstanding?

So 3, written well, but not quite the right book for me, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Del Rey for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Loved this book and have recommended it to several people at the store.

I really enjoyed this magical dark fairy tale, THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE, which takes place in the time before Russia was Russia, also known as Rus. Rus is a dark place with limited food, but lots of icy cold that is home to creatures of the night including demons, vampires, and elves.

I want to thank the publisher, author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Magical and effervescent, this book enthralled me from the first page to the last. Highly recommended.

What a stunning novel. Atmospheric and enthralling, I couldn't put this down. Though it is a little slow to start, it reads much like listening to a tale while sitting around a fire. It's reminiscent of many tales of old. Those fairy tales that you grow up with that turn children into believers and dreamers. Beautiful. Highly recommended.

Lovely, atmospheric, evocative fairy tale. I enjoyed every word.

I could not get into this book I was lost on the first chapter so this was DNf for me