The Bear and the Nightingale is a marvelous trip into an ancient Russia where magic is a part of everyday life Todd McCaffrey, author of The Dragon Books

There are no monsters in the world, and no saints. Only infinite shades woven into the same tapestry, light and dark. One man's monster is another man's beloved. The wise know that." The Winternight Trilogy is one of the most magical out there and left us totally enchanted. Creating a Deluxe Set for these books is something that we have wanted to do for a while now, and we’re so thrilled we’ve been able to make this happen. The character growth was top notch. I didn’t think my admiration for Vasya could grow, but it did. This girl went through SO MUCH during this book alone, she’s truly a hero of the ages. At the second book, orphan Vasilisa starts her tremendously dangerous journey with her new partner in crime, a witty beauty, loyal friend, her horse Solovey. She disguises herself in boy’s clothes, cutting her hair, riding adroitly on the horse, alone, heartbroken, exhausted, had seen more things for her own age. She starts to gather the pieces from her past and she encounters with her cousin Dimitrii, brother Sasha and sister Olga. Her brother questions her motives and doesn’t give away her lie and introduces her as his brother Vasilii.I have been running through the dark, trying to save all who have need of me. I have done good and I have done evil, but I am neither. I am only myself.”

I sometimes found it hard with the numerous names that can be used for the same person, and I’m also not big on the romance between her and the Winter King but I love the magical creatures and the plot so that wins overall. But this is only of testament of the strong writing and characters. The book is pure magic, whimsical and atmospheric, and it perfectly captures the spirit of the original fairy tales. Beware the forest,” she added, following Vasya to the door. “It does not take kindly to strangers.” Where Konstantin has nightmares, and Medved helps him to deal with them. Language: English Words: 3,732 Chapters: 1/1 Comments: 1 Kudos: 23 Bookmarks: 2 Hits: 220In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church. The Winternight Trilogy became the first out of ten priority series I planned to start and finish in 2022, and I don’t regret this decision. I entered this series expecting an atmospheric trilogy that would make me feel the cold of winter through the text, and I got what I wanted on that front. But I got so much more out of the trilogy. A compelling story about a witch, a brother, a prince, a frost demon, a chaos spirit, a horse, and more. I don’t usually enjoy reading historical fantasy novels, but I can certainly recommend The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden. It’s not a secret that I loved the first two books in this magical trilogy with the burning fire of a thousand suns. So you can imagine how much I needed this book in my hands, and also how stressful a thing it is to embark into the last book of a series that has settled so deeply into ones bones.

It is not for men and women to presume what the Lord wishes. That way lies evil, when men put themselves too high, saying, I know what God wants, for it is also what I want. 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. Come on. No one is universally beautiful or ugly, people have preferences, and I find it hard to believe that everyone who meets Vasya will: first, find her ugly, second, say it out loud, and third, somehow get attracted to her anyway.

New in Series

If The Bear and the Nightingale was a fairytale about a girl caught in the middle of a battle between two old gods, The Girl in the Tower is a coming-of-age story about a young woman figuring out what she wants from life. Vasya is a child no longer a child but not quite an adult, despite what some creepy boyars think. She has a lot of big decisions to make, and she’ll have to live with the consequences for the rest of her life, no matter how short that happens to be. After reading this I want to ditch all of my reading plans and just read this trilogy all over again! I loved this rambling from you 😉 I've owned this book since it released on January 8, but I've been reluctant to start it. Partly because it was the final book, and partly because I was worried it wouldn't be as good as I'd been hoping it would be. But Arden didn't let me down. This finale was every bit as gorgeous and magical as the first two books.

I still remember reading The Bear and the Nightingale and reaching the part where the rusalka nicely offers to eat Konstantin and Vasya stops her. I was screaming at Vasya to just step aside and let her do it. And then, as Konstantin’s future actions lead to so much suffering and so many lives lost, I kept thinking how it would have been the right decision. Then comes The Girl in the Tower, he causes even more trouble, and I grow even madder than he didn’t find his final resting place in a rusalka’s stomach years ago. And then comes this book, and my hatred for him manages to grow even more. But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods. . . But that's neither here nor there because Vasya is about to get her ass burnt up by that shitty priest and his idiotic peasant followers. Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing! Fairy tale lovers, if you’re going to read one fantasy book this winter, let this be it.... beautiful debut www.bookish.comAnd if you were wondering, yes, paganism still exists, otherwise, how would I be able to run naked in the rain and make bloody sacrifices occasionally?