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The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Trilogy, #1)

Katherine Arden

Start date: March 21, 2018

Finish date: April 17, 2018

Discussion: Book Discussions

Discussion leader: RJ - Slayer of Trolls

Why we're reading this: Group contemporary discussion March 2017
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What Members Thought

Nov 14, 2017 Carrie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, vampire, demons, winter, russia, folktales, folklore

I think I loved this even more the second time around.

42 likes · Like · see review

Mar 31, 2018 Tani rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, female-author, historical-fantasy, 2018-novels, sff-2018, sff-ladies-2018, sff-explorer-2018

Time for me to dance the mixed feelings waltz again... The hype is big on this one, and I was definitely looking forward to listening to it, as I'd heard the audiobook is quite lovely. (It definitely is, for the record.) And yet, I find myself not as enthused as I thought I would be.

The book started really strongly for me. I loved that the scope was so wide, that we got to see so many characters realistically and sympathetically portrayed. The first quarter of the book had me thinking that the Time for me to dance the mixed feelings waltz again... The hype is big on this one, and I was definitely looking forward to listening to it, as I'd heard the audiobook is quite lovely. (It definitely is, for the record.) And yet, I find myself not as enthused as I thought I would be.

The book started really strongly for me. I loved that the scope was so wide, that we got to see so many characters realistically and sympathetically portrayed. The first quarter of the book had me thinking that the hype was going to turn out to be true. I enjoyed meeting so many of the characters, from Anna to Sasha to Olga, to Vasya herself. I liked the Russian setting, which felt nicely fresh while still having that fairytale feel. I thought the world-building was unique and intricate, and I was really excited to see where it would go.

However, I have to admit, somewhere in the middle, the book lost me a bit. When the focus finally narrows in on Vasya, I felt like all of the other characters lost their complexity. Characters like Sasha, who got a fair amount of attention in the earlier parts of the book, completely drop off the page. Others, like Anna, who started fairly sympathetically, get turned into caricatures. Don't get me wrong. I really liked Vasya, but the thing that drew me in was the ensemble cast, so I was pretty disappointed when that got dropped midway through. I generally want my books to increase in complexity as they go, not decrease, so this just felt strange to me.

I also was a little put off by the way that the book's examination of women's place in society had such a narrow focus. The narrative sets up Anna as a perfect example of a situation different from Vasya's where a woman's rights are curtailed, and yet it completely drops that thread when she steps into the role of wicked stepmother. I really felt like that was an opportunity lost. Likewise, it doesn't question Irina and Olga's places at all, making Vasya into a special snowflake and lessening the impact of the message. Since it's clearly an issue that Arden was intentionally examining, I really wish she'd taken a broader view on the subject.

On the other hand, I really liked the conflict between religion and traditional beliefs in this book. I thought that was very well-done and realistic, and I liked seeing how the power struggle that Konstantine created went forward. That was definitely one of my favorite threads in the book.

On the whole, I did like the book, despite what I felt to be some lost opportunities. I hope that Arden is able to take advantage of some of those opportunities in the sequel. ...more

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Mar 04, 2018 flajol rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, fantasy, mythic, historical

What a beautiful book! I love fairytales, but have only a passing acquaintance with Russian tales so this felt very fresh. I shivered all the way through, and loved the descriptions of the harsh winters.

Vasya is an interesting character, desperately trying to keep her family happy whilst remaining true to herself and her faith in the natural deities that protect the homes and hearths of the locals, even as organised religion inexorably creeps in and crushes their trust in their old protectors. ...more

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Feb 18, 2025 Georgann rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, fantasy

I quite liked this fairytale for adults story of 13th century Russia, breaking free of constraints and magic.

1 like · Like · see review

May 15, 2020 Jeromy rated it it was amazing

What a good book. I ended up reading it over the course of 2 days because I couldn't put it down. It's just such a rich and well told story, very human and surprisingly gentle even though it wades into a pretty deep and terrifying conflict and doesn't pull any punches. Best yet, I've found a new author to become an avid fan of! Can't wait to find out what happens next in the beautiful universe Arden has created. ...more

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Jan 11, 2018 Shhhh... Books rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, ya, adult, fantasy

So the title of this book and the cover are stupid. The cover makes it look like a middle grade Christmas story. Or worse, Christian fiction a la The Shack.

(Ha Ha Ha)

It is not.

Political machinations. Angry pagan gods. Forced marriages. Seductive priests. Evil stepmothers — and in the middle of this, a witch child bareback on a wild stallion who will rip a new one to the next demon who messes with her family.

Amazing.

The imagination of Lainie Taylor with the breakneck dark plottiness of Victoria ...more

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