Title: The Bear and the NightingaleAuthor: Katherine Arden
Page Count: 312
Rating: A+++
Keywords: Russia, Family, Magic, Spirits, Fate
Genre: Fiction
Younger Readers: Material is not crass by any means, though does have an older tone to it.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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.
My Review:
I am going to keep this brief as to not spoil too much. Trust me, it's better to go into this one only knowing a little bit about the story.
I almost passed this book by when I was scanning the shelves at the store, but luckily my boyfriend read the synopsis and immediately told me that I had to read it. Even without my preexisting fascination with Russia, this book was absolutely amazing. It was enchanting, gorgeous, and completely unexpected.
After two months of not being able to finish a book, I tore through the pages of this one. Within twenty-four hours I had devoured the entire thing. It is easily one of my all time favorite books. Katherine Arden weaves an amazing tale that feels far more expansive than its 312 pages and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future.
Watching Vasilisa grow up throughout this book was great fun and she is easily one of the best strong female characters that I have ever read. Never does it feel like the archetype is being pushed too far. She is independent and the portrayal of her wild spirit is beautifully done.
If you love historical fiction, magic, fairy tales, and sweeping stories, this is definitely the book for you.
