Reviews with content warning for Death - The Winter of the Witch

"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 Bear

I like that Vasya is a heroine that is sometimes hard to root for.

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noragoudie's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This finale to the series was a masterpiece. I cried real tears during the last few pages. What a beautiful and moving story! Katherine Arden wove a world of magic that was enchanting and not contrived in any way. I love this series and will miss it dearly!

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valpyre's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

i love ded grib. i would die for ded grib.

cws for animal death, child death, suicide.

god, this was such a bittersweet experience. it was a stunning conclusion to a trilogy i never wanted to end. i'm still thinking about vasya and what adventures she will be going on after this -- taking care of the lake, going to the sea, perhaps even back to her childhood home.

i cried a lot at the start of this, understandably. the grief and despair and panic that saturated much of the first half of the book was palpable for me -- i was agonized over the loss and also that vasya just had such little time to grieve. and then when she was safe at the lake, ded grib's eventual and steadfast faith in vasya had me in my feels.

vasya coming into her magic was so satisfying -- i was so curious throughout the first two books as to when that would happen. also learning and getting some answers as to vasya's heritage was so fun, even if tragic.

konstantin had me feeling actual rage -- this guy sucks! i did think his and the bear's relationship was very interesting though. when i saw i was only about halfway through the book at a very climactic moment with the bear, i was so intrigued. i like that the relationship with the bear and morozko (and the rest of the chyerti) wasn't just good vs. evil. i think the story was stronger for it.

also, vasya and morozko. i love them, i want so much more of them. i so enjoy how much they care for each other and it's not easy, and they both feel so complicated about it, but they feel it deeply, and they always find their way back to each other.

arden's writing, as always, captivated me. the details of the world never truly overwhelmed me, and i've always admired how she weaves and holds the more magical parts effortlessly with a society more familiar (at least to me) to a reader. the dry humour throughout the book was also a delight.

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