A review by hobbit_at_heart
The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden
5.0
Okay, but the way this story gripped me from the get-go. I just...it left me nearly speechless.
It is a fairly slow burn at the start, but as the story progresses, it leads with a lot of inquisition for the reader. It's almost as if each sentence leaves the reader with more for wanting. That's the kind of stuff I'm here for as a reader. Curiosity and the want to know of 'what the heck is going on here? What's going on with Vasya? Why the heck is this priest such a turd?' kept me reading; I couldn't put it down, and when I did, I desperately looked forward to being able to pick it back up again.
The Russian lore being a main baseline for the story is absolutely wonderful. As someone who didn't know a single thing about Russian fairy tales or anything, I adored this aspect.
Vasya is such a wonderful character. You grow to love her. You grow to hate the priest. The step-mother becomes...a thing (trying to avoid spoilers is so hard!).
The ending caught me in unexpected tears. I think it was more out of surprise of the ending itself, and I hadn't expected it to end the way it did. It was SUCH a beautiful story.
I HIGHLY recommend!!
It is a fairly slow burn at the start, but as the story progresses, it leads with a lot of inquisition for the reader. It's almost as if each sentence leaves the reader with more for wanting. That's the kind of stuff I'm here for as a reader. Curiosity and the want to know of 'what the heck is going on here? What's going on with Vasya? Why the heck is this priest such a turd?' kept me reading; I couldn't put it down, and when I did, I desperately looked forward to being able to pick it back up again.
The Russian lore being a main baseline for the story is absolutely wonderful. As someone who didn't know a single thing about Russian fairy tales or anything, I adored this aspect.
Vasya is such a wonderful character. You grow to love her. You grow to hate the priest. The step-mother becomes...a thing (trying to avoid spoilers is so hard!).
The ending caught me in unexpected tears. I think it was more out of surprise of the ending itself, and I hadn't expected it to end the way it did. It was SUCH a beautiful story.
I HIGHLY recommend!!