***3.5 #TeamVasya Stars***
Russia, fairytales coming to life, a life or death situation and a strong female lead?
Yup, couldn’t pass up checking The Bear and The Nightingale out and it was a rich, enchanting story that does such a wonderful job at blending fantasy and reality and bringing to life old world Rus that it will make you reconsider all that you know and think you know.
Vasya is at the center of this storm and I adored her. She is independent and rebellious, but not to the point where she truly does catastrophic harm. She simply knows her mind and doesn’t want to be locked in with all of the other ‘girls’. But underneath all of that is a generous and compassionate heart that takes care of those around her and craves the freedom to live life on her own terms.
The synopsis hits most of the high points of the story and each step of the journey is well thought out and the various storylines woven together well. The world that Ms. Arden has created is lush and detailed. Every nook and cranny of life is explored and each character is well developed. I loved how the ‘old world’ collided with the ‘new world’ and watching how each person dealt with the things that shouldn’t be, but were.
Now although I did enjoy the book, my one issue with it, and the reason for a 3.5 star rating instead of a 4 star, was the pacing. As I’ve stated, the world building is well done and I loved how thorough the author was with it as well as giving each character their due, but it caused the story to drag on in spots and had me wanting to either skim the pages or outright skip ahead. I didn’t and I’m happy I didn’t go that route, but it was a bit of a trial.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and though the main storyline is resolved, the ending leaves things open for more books, which was confirmed by the author on Goodreads, so I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen next!
~ Copy received from the publisher via NetGalley ~
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.
And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.
As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.
Book Summary
Genre: Fantasy
Published By: Random House Group ~ Ballantine
Release Date: January 10th, 2016
Pages: 336
Series:
ISBN: 1101885939
Born in Austin, Texas, Katherine Arden spent a year of high school in Rennes, France. Following her acceptance to Middlebury College in Vermont, she deferred enrollment for a year in order to live and study in Moscow. At Middlebury, she specialized in French and Russian literature. After receiving her BA, she moved to Maui, Hawaii, working every kind of odd job imaginable, from grant writing and making crêpes to guiding horse trips. Currently she lives in Vermont, but really, you never know.
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