I won a copy of this book in a giveaway hosted by Jo’s Book Blog, and I’m kicking myself for not reading it sooner! Oh, I loved it, The Bear and the Nightingale is a wonderful, magical book.
Book Description
Beware the evil in the woods. . .
In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church.
But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods. . .
My Thoughts
I have a real love of atmospheric books at the moment, I’m not specific to any one atmosphere, it just has to be all encompassing, so strong it almost becomes a physical thing, like a blanket, and I can just wrap it around myself. So you probably figured, The Bear in the Nightingale is one hell of an atmospheric read; it has an enchanting, otherworldly atmosphere, and I loved every minute of it. Strengthened by the cold climate, those freezing winter nights, and a folktale or two, this is a wonderfully literary novel that you can immerse yourself in. The incorporation of certain Russian words was absolutely the right move, it not only added to the atmosphere, but it cemented in your mind the location of the novel. There is a glossary at the end of the book to look up any words you’re unsure of.
This novel has some amazing characters, those to love and those to hate. Vasya is a great protagonist, she’s fierce with a fire in her heart that cannot be tamed – you get this feeling that she belongs outside, she’s wild like the landscape, and needs to be free to explore it. She doesn’t fear the house spirits, nor the demons, but the people of the village cannot see them, and would think her mad if she spoke of their existence. Vasya is a character you root for, unlike her stepmother, Anna. Now, there’s a character to hate, in a good way, in a way that her character is so well written it evokes feeling in you, it’s just feelings of immense dislike, which I love because it’s a fail if you’re indifferent to main characters.
The Winter King was another fantastic character, one who really surprised me, and I hope to see more from his character in the future. I’m avoiding going into any detail because I read this book having only read the synopsis above, and it allowed for so many elements of wonder and surprise. But I will say, there’s an exploration of family relationships, duty vs destiny, hidden agendas, villains, and morally grey characters. If you have any knowledge of Russian folklore and fairy tales, you may get even more out of this novel than I did. I just loved the magical forest, the blurring of the lines between reality and fantasy was seamless, the storytelling was effortless, but also such that you cannot predict where this story is going, or what will happened next.
The Bear and the Nightingale is beautifully written, lyrical, a fantasy novel steeped in superstition, rich in detail – I absolutely recommend it.
This book is available to buy from: Amazon UK / Book Depository
Wonderful review, Janel. This is on my TBR for a long time. Hope to pick it up soon. 🙂
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Thank you 😊 I hope you enjoy it too when you get to it! I’m planning to read the sequel, The Girl in the Tower, this month.
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Fantastic review!
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Thank you 😊
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Yay! I added these books to my shelf earlier and since this genre isn’t my comfort zone and it’s yours, I’m really happy you loved this book. Great review!
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Thank you, I hope you enjoy it too! I’m planning to read book two, The Girl in the Tower, this month 😃
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Great review – so glad you enjoyed it!
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Thanks, Jo. Sorry it took so long to get to it, I’ll be rounding off my Feb tbr with The Girl in the Tower 😊
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Ha ha! Don’t worry – I know how it is 😀
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Wonderful review! This is one of the books/series I’m reading this year no matter what… I’m having a feeling they will end up being favorites as I’ve heard only fantastic things about it.
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Thank you! Yess, I’m planning to read book 2 in a week or so. I’ve only heard good things too! Arden is having a launch for book 3, and I’m hoping yo make it to the London date, and get signed finished copy (as I only have a proof atm)
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Oh that’s wonderful!
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Excellent review! I’ve seen a lot of raving for this book but reading your thoughts and love of the atmosphere really piqued my interest. I may have to check this out now!
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Thank you! Yesss, atmospheric books for the win! I’m hoping to read book 2, The Girl in the Tower, in the next week or so. 🙂
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Glad you enjoyed it Janel! She has such a gorgeous writing style doesn’t she? Really need to get round to the second! 😬
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Yess, I loved it, so wonderfully lyrical and atmospheric!
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Reeeallly gotta get around to reading this one soon. I almost started it last year but got distracted. I’m glad you enjoyed this one, great review!
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Yess, get to it! After The Book of Essie which I saw you have now!!
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Great review. I adore the atmosphere of the book and the whole trilogy are secured safely at the top of my favourite books of the year. The audiobooks are brilliant too.
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Thank you! I’ve read the second one now, didn’t love it as much as the first, but it was still good. I tend to find the middle book in trilogies is often the weakest. Looking forward to reading the final book soon!
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You’ll love it, I assure you!
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