The Bear and the Nightingale Book Review
“I would walk into the jaws of hell itself, if it were a path of my own choosing. I would rather die tomorrow in the forest than live a hundred years of the life appointed me.”
- The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden*
Vasilisa is the daughter of a lower Russian lord living on the edge of a forest far from the bustling capital. In the sleepy village, folk cater to both the old gods and the new. Duty and family loyalty are the law of the land but rebellious, young Vasilisa spends her days running through the forest and her evenings listening to the fairytales of her beloved nanny.
When her mother, the descendant of a witch, passes away and her father remarries a devout Christian, Vasilia’s life changes forever. Her stepmother bans the worship of the old gods and the spirits who protect the homestead begin to wither away as the more sinister spirits begin to move in.
Vasilia, faced with the choice between marrying a man or joining convent, she runs away the forest she knows so well. There she meets Morozko, the blue-eyed frost demon. Together, they must find a way to save the village from the evil unleashed when the old ways were left behind.
This book took me a minute to get into. It’s a bit of a slow start - which is understandable for the first book in a fantasy trilogy - but slow starts usually result in me getting bored and moving on or I just stop reading all together. I am so glad I stuck it out because when this story takes off, it really takes off.
The mix of Russian folklore and magic set to a coming-of-age story is just perfect. Vasilisa is smart, kind, and strong. She is the feminist hero the world of fantasy books has been missing.
If you love stories of medieval magic, women who are owned by no man, and fairytales, you will love this book. I highly recommend checking out this series. Just be careful that you don’t fall into a rabbit hole of researching Russian folk lore. You’re going to want to know everything.
What are you reading lately? Tell me all about it in the comments below.
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