THE MAGIC OF THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE

HII

as my last read of September it was surprisingly really good!

I put this book on hold for months now! I wanted to read it in 2017! yea that long ago ( actually not that long to some people!) when I finally picked it I was surprised how good and magical it was!

name: winter night-1 

author: Katherine Arden 

genre: YA folklore urban fantasy 

pages: 323

publishing date: 10 january 2017 

publisher: Del rey books 

 

synopsis :

 

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind–she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed–this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales

 

my first time reading a story in a russian setting based on russian folklore was GREAT! the setting was so magical and well crafted. mind you there isn’t a lot of world building and the places we get to explore are limited, but the village with it’s winter setting, and all the folklore and fairytales were enough!

the writing was good, it made the story flow a lot easier, made everything more magical without overdoing it. the book was the type of book that you’d keep reading without realizing how far you’ve read! the easy pace of the story as well as magical setting made this book a light yet very intriguing and atmospherical.

“Nothing changes, Vasya. Things are, or they are not. Magic is forgetting that something ever was other than as you willed it.”

 

the characters had depth, even though the book wasn’t that long the side characters had their presence. and that’s was one of the things I liked.

the plot wasn’t that action packed. things only get heated at the very last portion of the book. I can say that it’s more focused on the setting, and the characters rather than the action. so yes, sometimes the story dragged on a bit.

I’d definitely continue with this trilogy. the magical setting in russia made me want to cuddle in bed in a rainy day and read this book! also, I can’t believe I’m saying this but the lack of romance was refreshing!

 

 

 

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