The Bear and the Nightingale

Books | Fiction / Fantasy / Action & Adventure

3.9

(5.0K)

Katherine Arden

Katherine Arden’s bestselling debut novel spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent with a gorgeous voice. “A beautiful deep-winter story, full of magic and monsters and the sharp edges of growing up.”—Naomi Novik, bestselling author of UprootedWinter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil. Then Vasya’s widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Fiercely devout, Vasya’s stepmother forbids her family from honoring their household spirits, but Vasya fears what this may bring. And indeed, misfortune begins to stalk the village. But Vasya’s stepmother only grows harsher, determined to remake the village to her liking and to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for marriage or a convent. As the village’s defenses weaken and evil from the forest creeps nearer, Vasilisa must call upon dangerous gifts she has long concealed—to protect her family from a threat sprung to life from her nurse’s most frightening tales.Praise for The Bear and the Nightingale“Arden’s debut novel has the cadence of a beautiful fairy tale but is darker and more lyrical.”—The Washington Post“Vasya [is] a clever, stalwart girl determined to forge her own path in a time when women had few choices.”—The Christian Science Monitor“Stunning . . . will enchant readers from the first page. . . . with an irresistible heroine who wants only to be free of the bonds placed on her gender and claim her own fate.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Utterly bewitching . . . a lush narrative . . . an immersive, earthy story of folk magic, faith, and hubris, peopled with vivid, dynamic characters, particularly clever, brave Vasya, who outsmarts men and demons alike to save her family.”—Booklist (starred review) “An extraordinary retelling of a very old tale . . . The Bear and the Nightingale is a wonderfully layered novel of family and the harsh wonders of deep winter magic.”—Robin Hobb

Fantasy

Romance

Magic

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More Details:

Author

Katherine Arden

Pages

336

Publisher

Random House Worlds

Published Date

2017-01-10

ISBN

1101885947 9781101885949

Ratings

Google: 2

Community ReviewsSee all

"a great book for a winter read with a slow intentional start and beautiful world building. looking forward to reading the rest of the series. "

kelsey

"The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden 4/5 ✨ I liked the book and will continue the series. I think coming into this as I did reading a few chapters and then putting it down was the right choice. It gave it a slow cozy feel and my only gripe was the climax of the story to me was anticlimactic. "

Sarah

"So good! Magical and mythical and everything you could want in a winter fantasy. It's a very cozy read, perfect for a fireside tale. "

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Elise Meyers

"I am late to the game here. Watching booktube, booktok, and whatever else, I have seen The Bear and the Nightingale mentioned many times. With good reason apparently. It is very rare to get this level of detail and commitment from an author. The Russian folklore and history was very rich and enticing. The character development and world building, just as full and vibrant. Still I will say it slows down the progress of the story but as for me I didn't mind it too much. In my opinion, it was worth the slow steady pace. We get to watch Vasilisa grow from a child to a woman. A relatable and very real woman. She was wild, scared at times, courageous in others, spoiled, sweet. This book also reminded me of Daughter of the Forest but a lot less cruel. Still it is about a child and the feeling of helplessness is always prevalent. From everything I've heard I was a little disappointed at first. The book was dark and eerie but not as whimsical as I'd hoped. This is where I remind you the wait was worth it. There are things in the shadows we cannot see that are brought to light in the latter half. I found the story to be enchanting and the cold barren landscape to be a must winter read by the fire. Not trying to turn this into a religious debate but ever since I have started reading more and becoming more educated in different cultures, blind faith has become very worrisome to me. Following beings with no proof and mostly for their own means, well it makes for a hard to beat villainous character. Even though I enjoyed this so much it still left with a lot to be desired. Information mostly. I put the seires aside for a month but still it kept getting under my skin urging me to continue. So I think I'll delve back into this haunting atmosphere in hopes that it will loosen its claws once I'm done but it's very doubtful."

Ashley

"This was such a great book! I loved Vasya with her wild, free spirit. I loved how she still had her two siblings who still loved her through the tough times. I liked learning about the different Russian folklore/tales throughout the story. It did have some gruesome moments, but it didn't go into real fine detail; which is fine by me! There were also sad moments in it as well that just hurt my heart. The ending was really good, and I plan on reading the next book in the series soon! 5/5 🌟 "

Paige

"Beautiful story. Top tier world building and awesome for fairy tale lovers! "

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Courtney Campbell

"Could be a stand alone "

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✮ nikkie ✮

"Little frog. I love that. The world is full of wonder and through Vasilisa we are privy to what others cannot see. Where some see demons, others see nature, and most see nothing at all. The relationship between Vasilisa and her stepsister is beautifully refreshing. And the personification of Winter...excellent. "

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E Hinkes

"I just finished this book and loved it! It's the first in a fantasy trilogy. There is a gifted girl, a whacked out priest, a sexy version of Death, an evil stepmother, a horrible devil, cute little demons and some exciting horse riding!What is not to love?"

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Collette Deschamps

"⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 (This review will contain #spoilers) I just don’t know with this book. It truthfully bored me to sleep several times within the first 30%. I understand that this book is character driven, but I feel like a lot of what was introduced to us could have been condensed/cut down. There were key moments in Vasya’s childhood that I think could have been outlined in a more interesting way. I guess I just didn’t know what I was supposed to be paying attention to, until it started becoming more clear after the 30% mark. There’s a lot thrown your way with Vasya’s family that didn’t seem relevant. Additionally, I don’t know anything about Russian culture, so several words missing from the glossary proved to be confusing and made the story hard to follow along with. Several Russian names tripped me up too, I wish we had a glossary of characters, because I couldn’t tell who was who sometimes, especially in regards to the royalty. Most of this story is just… seasons passing, until Vasya deals with Konstantin’s BS. Nothing major happens before then, just immensely slow plot building. This book really saved itself for me around the 60-70% mark, when we get more Morozko and more magic/little forest creatures and talking horses. I feel like the Bear was reaaaaaally hyped up, though, only to get put back in tree jail just like that. Is that it?? Is he going to remain a threat? I have more questions than answers at this point, but I’ll hold my tongue until I finish the second book in this series. I hope this one has more magic and action rather than boring cold winters in the Russian wilderness."

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Kaju Katli

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