Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Der Bär und die Nachtigall by Katherine Arden

17 reviews

ewitsmich's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved this book! Such rich and vibrant folklore is in good hands. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Child death, Sexual violence, Blood, and Kidnapping

dragonaion's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The title and cover are delightfully deceptive and are not for the faint of heart. Arden writes this in an excellent story book pattern, giving a natural cadence and bounce if you read it aloud, but this is absolutely a brilliant story for adults that will give nightmares to children. Filled with complex themes, this is an excellent blend of historical fiction and fantasy that had me at the edge of my seat and desperately turning the pages. One moment you are naturally shivering with the main characters in winter (I had to turn the fireplace on a number of times) and as they mention the household spirits you can almost imagine the ones next to you while you read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, and Classism

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

The story takes place in a realistic Russian village and appropriately shows the hardships of winter, how women were treated in such a time, and the clash of Christian religion with pagan beliefs.

thebankofbooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

colorcrystals's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Animal cruelty and Fire/Fire injury

erebus53's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

I picked up this one as a book club read and it lives up to the writeups I read on it. Set in Russia it tells the story of a girl who has The Sight, who catches the attentions of the two Lords of Winter and Storms. (Definitely a similar flavour to Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver)

It's a nuanced story that illustrates the tensions between Russian Orthodox Christianity and the practice of tending household gods, and also the tensions between the traditional roles of women and the desires of the main character to have her own freedom.

The harsh climate of the setting creates a hostile environment, that makes people getting on with one another even more intrinsic to survival. It also increases the perceived risk of either, not being God-fearing, or severing ties with the old gods that have protected the people so far.

Also cool spooky freehold havens are fun, and spiritual presences that have more than one form make  for dream logic that really pulled me into the story.
I shall follow up on this read as it's only the first book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

shadereads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body shaming

Minor: Child abuse and Fire/Fire injury

saskiajva's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

It was definitely an interesting book and i am curious about the next one! I do think there are some things the author can hone; i wasn’t a fan of the political or marriage plot lines as it didn’t really capture my interest, and I would love to see some higher stakes. I highly recommend googling the creatures discussed while you read as it adds a lot to the book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Forced institutionalization

thereadinghammock's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

What a rich lore-heavy narrative tapestry this story turned out to be. I'm SO glad I listened to the audiobook versus reading physical or digital, as I think all the names and Russian phrases would have tripped me up as a reader and detracted from my enjoyment of the overall story. But as a listener, I loved Kathleen Gati's delivery of each character and distinguishing between spoken dialogue and narrative story with the use of accents and other modular voice changes.

I loved the integration of traditional Russian folklore. The house spirits, the forest sprites, the monsters. I appreciated how the village began with such a lovely integration of the Old Ways and Christianity, sharing reverence for both in equal measure. Yes, the village still side-eyed the idea of a witch, but everyone still left offerings for their Domovoy and the Vasila, out of respect.

Vasyia simultaneously wise beyond her years and a petulant child in the way only a teenage girl made to grow up a bit too fast must be. Alyosha was such a wonderful brother, and though he may not have fully understood what was going on, was ride-or-die for his sister and wanted nothing more than to keep her safe. Anna and Father Constantine were characters I loved to hate, but also felt for the struggles they went through as their own hopes and dreams were dashed by the will of another.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Animal death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

mmefish's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-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? Yes

5.0

It's hard to believe that Katherine Arden is not Russian (or just Slavic) because of how authentic this book feels — it is clear she's very knowledgeable on the subject. Well integrated myths and Russian terms brought back memories from my childhood, while masterfully crafted 14th century Rus' landscapes made me want to read more Slavic-inspired fantasy. 
And to think that it's a debut novel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury

laurenw's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death