The Bear and the Nightingale

By Katherine Arden

Book Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A wild and willful young woman finds herself at the center of a tale of spirits, ancient evils, and the mysterious winter-king Frost--in the lyrical first novel of the Winternight Trilogy.

"A beautiful deep-winter story, full of magic and monsters and the sharp edges of growing up."--Naomi Novik, bestselling author of Uprooted

Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse's fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil.

Then Vasya's widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Fiercely devout, Vasya's stepmother forbids her family from honoring their household spirits, but Vasya fears what this may bring. And indeed, misfortune begins to stalk the village.

But Vasya's stepmother only grows harsher, determined to remake the village to her liking and to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for marriage or a convent. As the village's defenses weaken and evil from the forest creeps nearer, Vasilisa must call upon dangerous gifts she has long concealed--to protect her family from a threat sprung to life from her nurse's most frightening tales.

" The Bear and the Nightingale] has the cadence of a beautiful fairy tale but is darker and more lyrical."--The Washington Post

Don't miss any of the Winternight Trilogy:
THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE - THE GIRL IN THE TOWER - THE WINTER OF THE WITCH

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1101885955
• ISBN13: 9781101885956
• Release Date: June 2017
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Fun, Entertaining Tale

The Bear and the Nightingale feels like reading a folktale inside of a folktale. The characters tell old stories about household spirits, demons, and creatures in the woods—and then, little by little, those stories begin coming alive around them. The writing has the same quality as a story passed down beside a fire. It isn’t deeply emotional or especially detailed, and at first it felt a little disjointed to me. The story simply moves from one event to the next without always providing much explanation. But once I settled into that style, I had a lot of fun with it. There was always something happening, even though the book never felt fast-paced or suspenseful in the traditional sense. I also think I read this at exactly the right time. After finishing two huge, intricate fantasy books that completely consumed me, this was the perfect palate cleanser. I didn’t need it to be another gripping obsession—I could just enjoy a short, wintry story filled with Russian folklore, magic, and increasingly dark consequences. This was probably closer to a 3.5-star read for me, but I enjoyed the experience enough to round it up to four. Sometimes it’s simply fun to be told a good story.

Tough book for me.

This one was a challenge for me. Not sure if it was the Russian names with their multiple variations or the slow pace of the story but it just wasn’t for me. Enjoyed the finale but getting there was difficult

Favorite series

Read ALL the books in this series- soooo good!

Hooked me from the first paragraph...

....and I knew I had to have the others in the trilogy! Beautiful story, beautifully written.

Chilling Winter Magic & Folklore

Recommended to me as a fan of Naomi Novik, this hauntingly dark and enchanting fairy tale did not disappoint! Rich and chilling with deep winter magic, it draws from the legend of the Frost King and beautifully blends Russian folklore with Slavic mythology. Through lyrical prose, it weaves historical fiction and fantasy, exploring themes of courage, strength, faith, identity, and gender roles. I loved the beauty of the writing. Katherine Arden has quickly become a favorite of mine and I've already ordered the other two books in The Winternight Trilogy.

The Best Book I've Ever Read!!!

This is my all-time favorite book! It's perfect for curling with a cat and a mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter night. I would definitely recommend to everyone!

The Best Book I've Ever Read

I loved this entire series; from the writing style to the plot nothing is basic about this book. I loved the story-telling aspect of it and the way that Arden brings Russian folklore to life. It was very different from the fantasy books I'm used to reading; it's a very fresh approach and concept for this historical fantasy. Beautifully told and made me feel like I was living this experience with Vasya herself

I devoured this book, ordering the second and third books before I was half through.

A captivating telling of Russian folklore, the tale weaves itself around you until you don’t want to put the book down. I have firm imagery in my mind for all of the characters and the settings, the writing is spellbinding.

A great read

A strong independent heroine. Intriguing writing style

Such a lovely book!

This is one of the most amazing books! I loved how the author tied Russian folklore and vocabulary into a such an enticing story. A little dark but truly a story to remember.