The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel (Winternight Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

Let me put this within a context that might resonate better. So, imagine if I opined that all Muslims are terrorists and that anyone who isn't heterosexual is evil and less deserving of compassion and love. How fast would it take you to flag this review?This book went from a story premised on Russian folklore to one that not only degrades Christians, but it also characterizes them as duplicitous and malevolent.Look, real-life comprises layers and nuances and not one group is completely good or bad, but to malign, for instance, an entire race because of prejudice and/or ignorance is not acceptable to me; not unless such is required to advance the story. And quite frankly, I don't believe that Arden adequately justifies this plot device; which makes it seem like a self-indulgent, deliberate, and malicious subversion of Orthodox Christianity.In the end, and by juxtaposing mysticism with Orthodoxy in a "good v bad" battle (with Christianity being all bad), Arden allowed her personal bias and prejudice interfere with the organic flow of what could have been a rather enthralling read. And I couldn't help but wonder if she would have dared insinuate this sort of drivel about the Ottoman Empire, or Islam for that matter.

I think I was misled by many of the reviews and reviewers here.The book started off relatively strong, with a strong dose of seeming historical realism and a touch of magic realism and elements of Russian folk lore.However, as the novel progressed it became more cliched, following a standard "young adult" template, in my opinion.This is definitely "chick lit" (I know this term can be offensive, but I believe it's true and applicable, in this case. I suspect the overwhelming number of readers and reviewers here are female). Morozko, who starts out as a mysterious elemental force, becomes, by the end, a kind of young adult female fantasy figure--a kind of combination Mr. Rochester, Heathcliff, and distant but attractive generic "bad boy"--and at the very end, even a kind of banal "Laurel and Hardy" partner in crime.Vasya's time in Morozko's "house" has a "Nutcracker"-ish flavor to me--the young girl's fantasy of the "snow prince." Again, a very "chick lit"-ish trope.The final climax was anticlimactic for me, and the final emotions, words, and actions seemed not fully earned to me, and sometimes devolved into pulp fiction cliches.I wished for more and I wished for better, at the end. Probably won't proceed to the second book.P.S. And if one more character spoke with "asperity," I was planning to rip that word out of my dictionary. And if Morozko "raised his eyebrow" one more time, I was going to send him to a waxing salon.

This is the second retelling of the Russian fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful” to appear in recent months. The other one, Sarah Porter’s Vassa in the Night, sticks much closer to the original story, even though it is set in modern Brooklyn (where witch Baba Yaga runs a convenience store chain). This one, although it retains the overall feeling of a fairy tale, doesn’t follow the specific plot of the Vasilisa tale very much. On the other hand, it makes real the environment in which the original tale probably developed: Medieval (1300s) Russia, especially its heavily forested, bitterly cold northern portion. I learned interesting details of the way people coped with that environment, such as sleeping on top of the big family oven to stay warm.There are two main conflicts in the story. One is between two brothers, both spirits of Winter and Death, but one relatively benign and the other essentially evil. The other, which I found the more interesting of the two, was the conflict between the traditional pagan beliefs of the Northern people, featuring different spirits that guard homes, horses, forest, and more, and the relatively new and monotheistic Christianity, here presented (in the form of charismatic priest Father Konstantin) as primarily a religion of fear. The contrast is vividly presented in the difference between Vasya (Vasilisa) and her stepmother, Anna Ivanovna, the only two characters who can see the spirits: Vasya finds most of them friendly and treats them with kindness and respect, but to Anna, obsessed with the new religion, they are all demons.The story focuses on Vasya’s learning how to deal with both of these conflicts and their consequences as she grows to maturity, but it also develops a third, somewhat less obvious conflict: between Vasya’s independent personality, as free and nature-oriented as those of the spirits she befriends, and the very limited range of roles and behavior considered acceptable for women of her time and place, even those who, like herself, belong to a basically loving and relatively well-to-do family. She earns her fairy-tale ending, but I wondered what she would have done if she had not had magic to help her.

I thought I would love this book, but honestly, it was work to finish it. I was looking for a pleasurable read and instead found the storyline so confusing and the characters so hard to understand. I’m not sure what the point was. I kept reading to the end, but I wish I had stopped reading it much sooner and spent my time on a true pleasureable read. I don’t understand the hype that surrounds this book at all.

The Bear and The Nightingale tells the story of Vasya, a young girl growing up in a remote village in Northern Russia, on the edge of the wilderness. Her nanny, Dunya, tells magical stories to the whole family around a blazing oven, stories of frost-demons and other spirits; though for Vasya, these are more than just stories, for she is gifted with the Sight. However, when Vasya's father remarries and brings her new step-mother Anna home, life begins to change for Vasya; and the arrival of a new priest in the village signals further change, but worse still a rising threat of danger. A danger that it seems only Vasya can save them all from.This is an entrancing story, which swept me up from the very first chapter. It is a wonderful blend of historical fiction, set during the times when Rus was still under the dominance of the Golden Horde, and mythical folklore, with an adult fairy-tale like feel. The wintry setting is completely captivating, making it the perfect read for dark nights; Arden's writing beautifully descriptive and lyrical.The story unfolds slowly, with layers that gradually reveal themselves. It is a story about the clash of two cultures and belief systems, a story of the confined lives of women at the time and a girl who doesn't conform, a story of family ties and the daily struggles of a harsh way of life, and of course it is a story of magic. All these themes are wonderfully entwined together, with characters that resonate from the pages, even the more secondary ones such as Vasya's brother Sasha.Some readers might feel uncomfortable with the portrayal of Christian beliefs in the story, however, personally, I didn't see the book as anti-Christian; and certainly there are Christian characters who are well portrayed such as Sasha, who goes to be a monk. However, the story does show how religion can be used in the wrong way, e.g.to muster fear. I personally thought that the character of Father Konstantin was very well portrayed; he was shown as a complex individual, who despite his beliefs, was also fighting certain desires, and clearly also revelled in the power he wielded over people through his position. Ultimately his vulnerabilities lead him to fall under false influence; and it is that false influence which is the true darkness at work in the story. I liked the complex relationship between Konstantin and Vasya; how is he both tempted by her, and also demonises her. I also liked the symbolism behind the Bear in the story; how his power feeds on people's fear.I loved all the little household spirits; I think the Domovoi and Vazila were my favourites; and I was fascinated to read up further on Russia folklore, as I was previously completely unfamiliar with any of it. The character of Morozko, the Winter-King or frost-demon I thought was very intriguing; and I am interested in where Arden plans to go with him. There is the hint of possible romance, and yet one gets the feeling that Morozko is concealing quite a lot from Vasya. As this is the first of a trilogy, I was certainly left with unanswered questions related to Vasya's heritage and it's future significance.There is plenty more I could say about the story and its various characters, which is testament to just how much I enjoyed it. The Bear and the Nightingale, for me, is one of those rare reads, that you know will stay with you for a long time; a book that encapsulates the magic and art of story-telling. I only hope the sequel will live up to expectations!

It’s a long, long time since I’ve read a fairytale but when I saw this book and read the synopsis I felt intrigued and wanted to learn more.The Bear and The Nightingale is a grown up version of a fairytale set in Russia dealing with loss, grief, family struggles, forbidden love with a wonderful mystery of mythology and unknown magical creatures.I have to admit it did take me a little while to get into the story but once I reminded myself of the particular genre I was reading my mindset saw the words differently. Once I got my head into the characters and the raw struggle of survival in a very cold Russian countryside I was spellbound. The magical creatures, that only few can see, fascinated me and I was eager for more. I felt like the creatures were there for moralistic reasons and were the villager’s guardians. The dark scenes were dramatic and traumatic and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages. I could almost picture the scenes played out in a big blockbuster movie! There is a forbidden love that someone is fighting desperately with their conscious and with a higher power. I adored this novel, its good to step out of your comfort zone and read something a little out of the ordinary. This book and it’s story would look impressive with a big movie budget bringing all the characters and creatures to life, a blockbuster in the making. 5/5*

"The Bear and the Nightingale" by Katherine Arden was a random purchase on line for me. I picked it because it was in front of my nose and because someone's write-up mentioned Russian folk lore which I wanted to learn more about.I'm really glad I bought it "sight unseen" as I would almost certainly not have invested in it had I encountered it in a bookshop: the publisher must have had something in mind with the cover and the blurb on the back and inside the cover, but they would not have sold me the book which would have been a shame because they are not representative of the story and I would have missed out on a real treat.The story is a robust mix of folk tales that escape from the fireside and roam the woods, even sneaking back into the house when the family aren't careful enough. The domoviye are a real part of people's lives and blend naturally with the developing Christianity provided no one tries to push the boundaries too hard. And the harsh winters give rise naturally to stories of ice and snow incarnate."The Bear and the Nightingale" is a stunning debut novel. Katherine Arden has a well judged turn of phrase and moves the plot on at just the right pace. The historic setting is credible and the characters believable so that when something steps out of the world of folk myths neither the people in the story nor the reader are in the least bit surprised.If I was to pick one fault it would be with the editor who let a few small things slip past: not large enough to cause any real damage, but noticeable nonetheless.

I decided to go into this book without knowing an awful lot, which in this case I believe to have been the best way. All the way up until its release I had been seeing glowing reviews for Arden’s debut, so the instant I could get a hold of it, I did.And what happened?I was whisked away to winter in medieval Russia, and swept up in a magical and enchanting tale.The Bear and the Nightingale tells the story of Pytor Vladimirovich and his family. When his wife Marina dies during child birth, he is left a young new daughter Vasya, who his wife before her death hoped would be gifted with the magical birth right held by her bloodline. Vasya grows up to be headstrong young women with a wandering nature and a special connection to the wilderness, who can see and talk to household spirits. When a priest comes to her village with a mission to ‘save’ and invokes fear into her people, the villagers begin to abandon their spirits and guardians whom in tradition have always left offerings for, not knowing they are putting themselves in danger from malicious forces, and setting into motion a series of events that Vasya has to face if she wants to protect her people.Told in a fairy-tale style, it is a wonderfully layered novel that seamlessly weaves in rich Russian folklore, history and myth. Though a slow but necessary start, it begins with the backstory of the family before Vasya, introducing you to the secondary characters that are just as well written and distinctive, and a set up for what’s to come. This novel is more character-driven than by plot and it is told from multiple perspectives from almost every character you meet. I did feel at some points there were lots of characters suddenly cropping up which made it difficult to keep up with and remember who they were, especially as each had multiple names, yet this is something that gets easier as you go along.The writing is so deeply atmospheric. It felt unbelievably authentic, so much so that at points I physically felt cold. It really captures the feeling of being in the middle of a harsh winter in Russia, with so much uncertainty and tension present. It definitely felt fitting when I was curled up reading this by the fire with a hot drink.One thing I especially admire about this book is how Arden has managed to write Russian legends into the story, and for them to be understandable and enjoyable to read about by people like me who are completely new to them. I never felt lost when reading, and now I have an interest in learning more of them, which I say is a job well done if you make me want to know more about something!The reason I couldn’t give this a higher rating was due to feeling it lacked detail in lot of places, and that there were many aspects of the plot that seemed to be forgotten about or not explained further, which honestly bugged me quite a bit. I now know that there are two more books following on from this, so I hope that they will pick up on these things. The ending, although satisfying enough, seemed very rushed and abrupt, and I just felt because it took so long to get to it, and so many things had happened, it should’ve had more time, but saying that I still thoroughly enjoyed it.The Bear and The Nightingale is an ambitious debut, that is richly imagined and an enchanting read.

Being an avid fantasy novel reader and having seen all the 5 star reviews, I was keen to try this book. However, I found it very slow to start and then it never really got going. There wasn't really much of a story I'm afraid. I would have liked to see the relationship with the frost demon explored further instead of such a lengthy scene setting. Perhaps this will happen in the next two books but I can't face plodding through any more of it.I found the use of Russian names a blocker to the story line. Particularly the necessity to use 2 names for each person. Which is a Christian name, which is a surname? I spent more time trying to pronounce the names than understanding the story.There were a few continuity errors and the language was repetitive in places.Sadly, this 'fantasy' novel was just not 'magical' for me.