Vasya is born in northern Russia, she is the daughter of the noble head of the village. Vasya is different, in her there is an old magic, and since childhood she is able to see the spirits around the village, both the guardian and the evil ones.

Life is happy, but the change is near: Vasya's father, a widow, marries a noble woman who fears constantly the evil spirits, and in the village comes a new priest, young and ambitious.

The evil spirit, bound to the forest since years back, tries to exploit these changes in the town; Vasya ends up to be almost the only one to fight the evil to come.

The Bear and The Nightingale has the features of a fairy tale, but deals with strong themes: the traditional culture that is forgotten and lost in favour of new traditions, the suggestions that bring people to change their beliefs, the uncontrolled ambition that does not care for humanity and reason.

The novel is wonderful, adventurous and compelling, the story keeps constantly the reader in suspense, the characters are alive and the setting in the frosted Russia is wonderfully crafted. I'm enthusiast there is the possibility of a follow-up novel, and I absolutely suggest to read this installment.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me the copy necessary to write this review.

A beautiful, pastoral fairy tale set in a fantasy version of medieval Russia.

Narrated in lyrical prose and third-person past tense, Arden weaves a tale no less compelling for its slow, gradual development. Like all the best fairy tales, the author draws on the setting - a village in the northern woods of Rus' - to create an atmosphere that promises magic and suggests many horrors.

Atmosphere is the key word here: The Bear and the Nightingale captures that feeling of uncertainty and superstition. The characters are somewhere between the old and the new; believing in modern religion but still deeply tied to the stories of old - the creatures that hide in the dark, the demons lurking in corners, the spirits living in the woods.

The protagonist is Vasya, a feisty, stubborn girl who always manages to find her way into adventure and, often, trouble. Quick-witted and rebellious, it's hard not to fall in love with her instantly. There's a sense throughout that she is at one with nature, belonging to the very setting of the novel - the wild, rugged landscape of her youth. She is most at home when running and playing in the woods.

When her father remarries and brings Vasya's intense and devout new stepmother back to their village, the safety of everyone is threatened. Her stepmother refuses to appease the creatures of the forest and darkness creeps ever closer. It is Vasya - and her own strange gifts - who is the family's only chance against the evil spirits at work.

A haunting story; one so deeply atmospheric that you can almost feel the cold air on your skin as you're reading.

At the edge of the wilderness of Northern Russia where the winds blow cold and snow falls for many months, a stranger with piercing blue eyes gives a new father with the a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain. Unsure of its meaning the father hides the gift away and his daughter Vasyagrows up a wild and willful child. Then mysterious forces threatens the happiness of their village. Vaysa discovers that she maybe the only one able to keep the darkness at bay.

I found this quite an enchanting tale inspired by Russian fairy tales. A great debut novel.

I would liketo thank NetGalley, Random House UK Endbury Publishing and the author Katherine Arden for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.