Scan barcode
readingoverbreathing's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thankfully, though still a bit fuzzy, those recollections did slowly come back to me as I reoriented myself in this world. I did find the first half rather frustrating — Vasya is missing for the first 100 pages, and then we get vaulted into the past to see what she had been up to in the meantime. I didn't at all understand the point of this; simply moving back and forth between perspectives would, I think, have been perfectly adequate here. But once the group emerges out of the woods, with the initial threat seemingly conquered and still half the book to go, the intrigue really picked up, and so did my interest in the story.
Arden's writing is truly lovely, lush and descriptive, and really does make this seem like you're reading a fairytale. But I think because of that fairytale framework, there is very little here that feels original. The characters are all barely disguised stereotypes, and while the world of spirits and demons that only Vasya can see is interesting, it's nothing I haven't come across before. I remember a lot more of the domovoi and other spirits in the first book; while they do play some part in the plot here, there was not as much interaction with them as I would have liked. The generic, snowy Russian setting of these books is certainly atmospheric, but, again, just not original.
I did enjoy this, so I am willing to still give it four stars, but to be honest, I am just not invested enough to continue any further with this series. The end to this installment was dramatic and definitive enough that I feel pretty satisfied to go no further. I would definitely, however, be interested in exploring more of Arden's work outside of this series and seeing if she has developed her creativity to live up to the exquisite flow of her writing.
Graphic: Child death and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape, Violence, Vomit, and Trafficking
andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
After the events of the 1st #book, Vasya made a life-changing decision on how she wants to live her life. In this installment, we get to see soo much more of medieval Russia, and I can only say that was what I needed all along!☺️
CW : death, slavery, horror (supernatural), extreme discrepancy between genders, traumatic birth, loss of children, violent and humiliating outing of a person
This time I'll try to be more concise with my thoughts as this is a sequel.
In terms of setting and atmosphere, Katherine Arden does a fantastic job in transporting you in that era. You can feel the winter's harshest snow storm, see the forests alongside Vasya and the others, the frozen rivers used for travel and, definitely, you are walking Moscow 's dirt streets between horses, carts and merchants while women and children stay out of harm's way.
Now...themes and action : the story follows the footsteps left by the author in the first book...we get to see a heavier accent on customs, gender and society, how important was religion in those times and what role it took when people are faced with hard times, and lastly, the complex political playground that was Russia then.
I'm very happy to say that the political aspect drives A LOT of this book while always being weaved with Vasya's struggle to find herself and what she wants.
Perfect transition engaged😙👉 my favorite characters continue to be Vasya, and members of her family! A close second to our MC is Morozko!🥰 I absolutely loved their scenes full of meaning both towards their relationship and us! I feel like I come to learn peace with them🧐
Kasyan...now...this was an interesting character...his story balanced political, mythical and day to day aspects☺️...I was very happy to especially see the role he played in Vasya journey to accept her role in her family.
Sasha and Maryam were great, I both understood and got frustrated with Olya..not to mention...grieved with her, and, finally, I was left unsatisfied with Konstantin's involvement...don't get me wrong...what happened felt just right...only I wanted more.
That's it! 👉 go read the book!
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, and Classism
olivia_piepmeier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, and War
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
lisa_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I started to love Vasya as the main character even more. I feel like she had so much more personality and drive in this book. Also I generally really love the 'girl dresses up as a boy in order to be taken seriously' trope - especially when she then comments on the things that come so easy to her just because of that small change, as well as all the things she would never have been allowed to do otherwise.
The end was a great conclusion to the story of this book. I realised that even though the story is a continuation of the first book, every book could really stand on it's own as well. They are clearly connected and part of a series, but they all tell their own stories that just happen to the same cast of charaters. I am really excited for 'The Winter of the Witch' and I really hope Katherine Arden will write more mythology retellings because she is truly doing such an amazing job!
I really like reading the Glossary at the end as well as her own reflecton upon the book. In this one she even gives secondary sources for further research into the base myths and storys of the books.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
nebulasaurus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
sarahaf712's review against another edition
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Content warning: birth; stillbirthgrimviolins's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Vomit, and War
leilapeach's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail