Kirkus Review - The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

In this Russian fantasy, young Vasya and her family face the clash of the old and new worlds, where the old stories told by the fire are more real than they can imagine—and their subjects will fight not to fade away.

Vasilisa may be an oddity in her town, but she lives a happy life, traipsing through the woods, befriending the spirits living around the village, and listening to stories from her nurse. Vasya’s favorite is about Frost, who they say rewards the worthy but devours the false. When her father decides to remarry, years after her mother died in childbirth with Vasya, he brings home a deeply superstitious and devout woman who seeks to stamp Vasya’s respect for the old customs and her oddities out. She enlists the help of a young priest, who despite his anger at being sent to the wilderness, makes his mission to save Vasya and the village, for despite their attendance in church, they leave offerings and pray to the old gods. Despite the best efforts of both, fiery Vasya resists all attempts, keeping her dedication to spirits even as they grow weaker. When the town begins to suffer—crops failing, fires, death—Vasya knows it’s because of the priest’s influence and fear tactics, and seeks a way to save her family and the benevolent gods that have protected them throughout the years. Arden deftly handles the repercussions of fear in the villagers and the things that go bump in the night present true challenge to Vasya’s fortitude and will. And even as Vasya is the soul of the story, there’s a true sense of depth in each character met.

Steeped deeply in Russian tradition and stories, Katherine Arden’s debut is lush, imaginative, and rich in detail. Sure to please lovers of fantasy and folklore.

Comments

  1. Great review! This is the kind of review I respect because you didn't put personal opinion in it. You summarized the story in a way to explain the folklore throughout, which made it very appealing. Focusing on specific content that you believe will catch people's attention is sometimes difficult, but here you were spot on. Nice work.

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    1. Thank you! Those are exactly the kind I like myself, so this was a lot of fun to do! If you can't tell, it's a good book!

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  2. This is a great review, the descriptive words you used in the last sentence (lush, imaginative, rich) really makes me feel like the work is worth reading. The plot synopsis also offers a great overview without giving me the feeling like anything has been spoiled! Your plot synopsis also allows the reader of the review to grab on some of the larger themes of the book like tradition and religion which gave me the feeling of being intrigued. Well done!

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    1. Thank you! It's a really cool book, so it was a lot of fun to revisit it to write the review. Those are the things that got me to pick it up, and they held true, so I definitely wanted to highlight that!

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  3. Excellent kirkus review! You did especially well with your opening and closing and did a good job summarizing the story using appeal factors. Fantastic!

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