Deep in the northern parts of Russia winter is long and summer is short. The people worship the old spirits of the forest and sacrifice blood and bread to keep hearth and home safe from the Frost King (Death) and his brother Fear (the Bear). When a charismatic new priest is sent to one village, he preaches agains the old ways and the people stop their offerings giving strength to Fear. As winter deepens, the Bear grows stronger and the dead start to walk. The villagers' only hope is Vasya, daughter of the local Boyar and said by some to be a witch. Vasya can talk to the spirits and to horses and she has a destiny to fulfil.

Weaving many myths and folklore legends together this is a tale of medieval Russia written by a non-native and infused with a love of language, history and culture. I wanted to keep immersing myself in this world and wanted the book to be so much longer than it was because it is so beautifully written. The tale feels like one extended fairy story, lighter than true fantasy yet well-researched in terms of life in a Russia controlled from afar by the Mongol hoard. This is a book to savour and deserves to be incredibly successful because it is so good.

Things I wish I had known before starting to read [book:The Bear and The Nightingale|31344916]

1) There is a glossary at the end of the book.
2) This is the first installment in a series.

The events described in the GR description only happen in the second half of the book. The first part is dedicated to introducing the characters and giving the reader an introduction to what medieval Russia was like - I am hoping this will be further explored in the sequels. While the first half is a bit slow, the pace does pick up at 50% and is quite enjoyable.

Father Konstantin and Vasya are strong, multi-layered characters and it was interesting to read about them. The horses are great, too.


(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!)

I requested this advance copy as it was something completely different from my normal reads. I am so glad that I was given the chance to read it.

The story is a Russian fairy tale. I am not familiar with Russian fairy tales, so cannot say how much of it is traditional and how much is new, but it certainly came across as traditional.

It is an exceptional piece of writing, even more surprising when you learn that it is debut novel. I felt every ice crystal, every ray of burning sun, tasted the bread and drank the mead. The storytelling was captivating and vivid., the characters were strong and well written. I believed every word that I read.

A classic clash between good and evil, the tale is that of a young girl born with magic in her soul, and is the last link between the magical world and her own. Her world is fine until the arrival of a vain and pious priest, who wants to save the village, despite it's lack of need for saving. The priest's strong preaching and handsome good looks start to sway the villagers, and convince them that there is evil in their midst. This causes the magical folk to fade and suffer and the balance between good and evil is threatened.This results in an exciting and fast paced conclusion.

I loved this book - I couldn't put it down, and was devastated when it was finished. Fortunately it is not long until publication date, as I have many copies to buy for family and friends!

The Bear And The Nightingale By Katherine Arden is a general fiction (adult) read.
A young woman's family is threatened by forces both real and fantastical in this debut novel inspired by Russian fairy tales.
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, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain,intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, the father hides the gift away and his daughter, Vasya, grows up a wild, willfull girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay.
This was a fantastic read. I loved how it was written. I loved the story and the characters. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.

Every so often a book comes along that is so good it just blows your mind. In 2014 it was Red Rising, 2015 was Uprooted, in 2016 it was Nevernight and I know it's early to say this but for 2017 it's The Bear and the Nightingale. These are the kinds of books that I actually get anxious about writing reviews for because I know I'll never be able to do them justice. They're the books that I end up buying multiple copies of, books that I walk around bookshops surreptitiously moving them into more prominent places on the shelves and books I start physically handing to random strangers. Basically if you're going to buy one book a year based on my recommendations these are the ones I would push at you.

This is the story of Vasya, the youngest daughter of Pyotr and Marina Vladimirovich. Her mother died just after giving birth to her but Vasya is doted on by her older brothers and sister and she has a wild streak a mile wide. Vasya is a quite a tomboy who would rather spend her time running in the forest or in the stable looking after the horses than indoors learning to cook and sew, she also inherited her mother's second sight and spends her time communicating with the guardians and spirits who look after the land. She isn't afraid of the strange creatures she finds, in fact she befriends most of them and does her best to help them stay alive when the rest of her village start to turn away from them. As Vasya gets older her father begins to worry that she'll never find a husband if she doesn't start to act like a proper young lady so he remarries hoping his new wife will be a good influence. Unfortunately things don't quite work out as planned and when another new arrival appears in the village things just go from bad to worse.

The Bear and the Nightingale is part historical fiction, part fantasy and all magical fairytale. It's beautifully written and highly atmospheric, the perfect book to read on a cold winter's night when you're wrapped up snuggly by an open fire and sipping from a mug of hot chocolate. Katherine Arden weaves a tale so evocative that you'll feel like the world around you is blanketed in snow and you'll be half tempted to leave out an offering of bread and honey for the hearth-spirits in your kitchen. There are so many things I want to say about this book but I find myself lost for words, it really is just the kind of lush story that you have to read for yourself to fully appreciate. I was utterly obsessed when I was reading this, I didn't want to put it down for a minute and I'm already anticipating a reread before the sequel comes out. It's hard to believe that this is actually a debut novel but Katherine Arden has earned a spot on my auto-buy list and I can't wait to see where she takes Vasya's story next.

Source: Received from Del Rey in exchange for an honest review

The Bear and the Nightingale is Katherine Arden's debut novel from Del Ray Books. It may seem bold to say that this novel will be one of my top ten reads of 2017 (especially considering it was the novel I was reading as the new year began) but I am 100% confident that this will be one of the best books I read this year. I devoured every luscious page and adored it's mixture of history and folklore.

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...



In the harsh Russian countryside, Vasilisa (Vasya) grows up refusing to fit in like the other girls. Instead of brushing her hair, she runs through the woods, instead of wanting to become a wife, she'd rather stay true to herself and be a spinster if necessary. Her father allows her to live as she pleases, probably because she was the last child to be born before his wife passed away (and the fact she ran too fast for anyone to catch). Brought up on fairy tales and folklore Vasilisa sees nothing strange in talking to the wood spirits and other creatures that protect her home and the village, oblivious to the fact that others cannot see them.

When a new priest is brought to the village he crushes the villages traditions with fear and threats of damnation but as the village stops their offerings to the creatures that protect them, the creatures become dangerously weak just as an old evil is regaining it's strength.

If the words 'fairy tale' leave you imagining a twee, overtly happy land then please think again. While brimming with magic and wonder The Bear and the Nightingale also holds some incredibly dark moments, including a haunting chapter where the dead rise and come home begging for warmth and shelter.

If, like me, you have a love for the work of Neil Gaiman, or adored The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey and The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan then this novel is utterly unmissable. Good fantasy has the ability to introduce you to new worlds, great fantasy immerses you in those worlds and leaves it under your skin like a perfect memory you want to return to again and again, this is exactly what The Bear and the Nightingale achieves. I'm over the moon that this is the first in a trilogy as I can't wait to return to Vasya's world.

This book is pure magic, fairy tales wound within a story with the hard realism of life in the Russian wilderness, a truly wonderful combination. Long hard winters that last almost the whole year, lack of food and tales told around the stove to keep warm, snuggle together and sleep, But what if some of the creatures out of these stories were real. Only to be seen by those that had the gift to see and the courage to embrace it. There was one such child, Vasya,  whose mother gladly gave her own life so she could be born. This is her journey a feisty imp of a girl that was more of a wild child of the woods then the daughter of a wealthy and respected man. A child that was wise, curious and kind with the creatures she saw and talked to, but these creatures were well cared for with gifts of food and drink left by the villages too, until one day it stopped.................

This is a fairy tale book for adults, it isn't a book that you want to predict the end, it is one that you want to relish every second and hold on to every word because it is such a fabulous book to read. It seems an impossible thought that this is actually the debut novel, the whole thing is just so darn good that there is nothing I could possibly fault. The descriptions of the harsh Russian landscape and woods are vividly clear in my mind as are the extremely varied array of imp like beings and demons. I fell in love with this tale and I am so delighted to find out that there is going to be a further 2 novels in this series. Superb! 

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for which I have chosen to review.

It took me a while to get into this (not helped by the complicated and changing Russian names) but once I did I was completely engrossed.
Beautiful writing especially evocative in the cold and snow, complex and interesting characters and a wonderful mix of mysticism and fantasy.
Looking forward to more from this author.

It’s a long, long time since I’ve read a fairytale but when I saw this book and read the synopsis I felt intrigued and wanted to learn more.

The Bear and The Nightingale is a grown up version of a fairytale set in Russia dealing with loss, grief, family struggles, forbidden love with a wonderful mystery of mythology and unknown magical creatures.

I have to admit it did take me a little while to get into the story but once I reminded myself of the particular genre I was reading my mindset saw the words differently. Once I got my head into the characters and the raw struggle of survival in a very cold Russian countryside I was spellbound. The magical creatures, that only few can see, fascinated me and I was eager for more. I felt like the creatures were there for moralistic reasons and were the villager’s guardians. The dark scenes were dramatic and traumatic and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages. I could almost picture the scenes played out in a big blockbuster movie! There is a forbidden love that someone is fighting desperately with their conscious and with a higher power. I adored this novel, its good to step out of your comfort zone and read something a little out of the ordinary. This book and it’s story would look impressive with a big movie budget bringing all the characters and creatures to life, a blockbuster in the making. 5/5*

The Bear and the Nightingale was a beautifully written novel and an impressive book to start off Katherine Arden's career as an author. It was very reminiscent of Uprooted by Naomi Novik, although that book had more focus on the relationship between the protagonist and the mage and this was more focused on the protagonist Vasya and her family.

The world building was fabulous and atmospheric; Arden's words painting a wonderfully vivid picture of an alternate Russia with a heavy fairy tale influence. It was clear that the author had done some research into the setting while also inputting her own twist. While this world building was very good, unfortunately it did also contribute to a somewhat slow pace, which is the only reason that I can think of that made this book fall slightly short of the "incredible" rating.

I must admit at first, I found it quite difficult to keep track of the many characters, especially because the nicknames were quite confusing (but as I understand it, the way that actual Russian nicknames work). As the book rolled on, it was much easier to get a better grasp on them, especially because the characters were quite well rounded. In particular Vasya and the various interplaying relationships within her family were of interest, with most of the focus of the book being on these characters rather than the plot (which was relatively slow going until the last part of the novel).

The Bear and the Nightingale is definitely a book that I can recommend. It seems that it is the first in a trilogy, and I am most certainly looking forward to the rest in the series.

Ratings
Overall: 9/10
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 4/5

DNF at 30%

I feel incredibly guilty that my first read of 2017 ended up being one I won't be finishing, even more so because I was provided an e-copy of it for review.

The setting suits the themes and ideas of the story perfectly, but it lacked any magical essence for me. Snowy forests have a sort of fantasy behind them just in the concept, but I didn't feel the connection to it. I've seen a lot of people describe this book as atmospheric, but that descriptor resides not in the language and largely in the concept, which for me was not strong enough to carry the story. For me to have enjoyed it more there had to be either incredibly vivid langauge, a powerfully compelling plot, or engaging charaters, and The Bear and the Nightingale (in my view) had strengths in none of these things.

I was also not a fan of the perspective on women shared by many of the characters, specifically the men. With lines like "he kissed her until defiance turned to passion" and "the work of women was to bear children" had me a little uneasy, especially with how much lines like these were repeated with nobody putting them into question. BUT I completely acknowledge that these views were part of the era the book is set, and perhaps it would have helped if I actually finished the book.

I had largely assumed from the cover and the description that this would be an incredibly atmpospheric and beautifully written book, so it fell short of my expectations. In no way do I think this is a bad book or would I tell anyone not to read it. But the story simply could not hold my attention for long enough for me to choose to continue it.

EXPECTATIONS: A friend of mine has recommended this book to me on Goodreads and it ended up being on my 2017 Most Anticipated Releases list and of course when I received an ARC of it I was well let's say I was doing more than just a happy dance.

THE WORLD: So before I went into this book I already knew to expect Russian Fairytales, therefore the world was not a big surprise to me. It is set in Ivan the Fair times of Russia, pretty much not long after Russia or Rus how they call it in the book has become Christian. Therefore, all the old gods, the pagan ones have been banned. We get a bit of the two worlds here as the main story takes place in remote village which is two weeks away from Moscow by horse, as well as we also get to travel to Moscow itself once in the beginning when the father of main character needs to remarry. But I do not want to spoil too much here so I am just going to tell you that if you are a lover of magic and magical creatures this is a book for you. I truly enjoyed all the pagan gods and creatures, even more than usual I must say.


CHARACTERS: So we have really many characters in this book and me trying to name them all would be a blood bath because the author used Russian names as well as hundred deminutives and I am not good at remembering the spelling of them. But I will try my best. So our main character is named Vasilisa which is easy enough except for the fact that she is called many deminutives, but main one was Vasya. So our Vasya is different, she is a lastborn of the lord Pyotr of the village and also the reason her mother Marina died after birth. But Vasya is different not just in this, she is also wild and uncontrollable and at some point it might even get a little bit annoying how she does what she likes even it is times when women listened to their fathers and husbands. But eventually Vasya starts to grow on you, you starts to feel for her, especially when uydyrs start coming. Oh you don't know what uydyr is? Well I didn't either before I read this book, but don't worry for every Russian word there is a translation and explanation at the end of the book,  sorta dictionary in a way. Anyways, as I mentioned there are more characters way more in this book. But I think worth mentioning the most are Dunya, Pyotr, Alyosha, Anna Ivanovna, Konstantin and Morozko (yes I had to google their names). So because Marina, Vasya's mother has died during child birth Dunya her nanny pretty much becomes a mother to Vasya. I mean she is a nanny in general, she raised Marina, then Marina's children and then Irina which is a child of Anna Ivanovna and Pyotr. I know all these names are very confusing right now and frankly it was even confusing for me because the families in this book or main family is huge! I still cannot differentiate between full names of oldest brothers. Anyways, so how much can I really tell you here? Well Anna Ivanovna is a wicked mad stepmother and Pyotr is her husband and father of all the children. He is also a lord but to be honest he felt a really weak man to me. I mean he loved his daughter but he pretty much did anything Anna told him. And Anna was really evil. I still don't really get why she suddenly became this evil and jealous and yeah pretty much a stepmother of ever Russian fairytale. She was mad but lovely in the beginning so what happened was not clear. But probably most evil person in this book is Konstantin. He is a priest full of glory who is sent to the village to pretty much be gone from Moscow. I really really disliked Konstantin, I think he was a perfect villain in a way but at the same time he represented Christianity so it was I must say a bit weird. In general the take on religion in this book...You can feel that the author was bias. We all like old pagan tales and I am not religious at all but even I felt there was something deeper here. So yes, that is a lot of names and very little description but if you do end up reading this book you will understand why it is this way.

LOVE: As many Fairytales love was not in the centre. Frankly, it kinda felt like old Rus had no love at all. As a man it is important you have money and as a woman it is important to breed healthy sons. That's pretty much it. Even when it comes to religion, you must fear the God and repel for your sins. No love mentioned there either.


PLUS: I really really and I cannot emphasize enough how much enjoyed the scary part of this book. It took extremely long for this book to get going and the ending was not the greatest but the part where Vasya is sitting with domovoi and uydyr is walking outside, just brilliant!

MINUS: As I just mentioned it took extremely long for the book to start going. You pretty much need to read about 60 percent of the book before something really happens. But I kinda get it, with all different culture and confusing names I guess you need long to start to understand and get to know the characters. However, this use of Russian worlds...it was authentic I agree but on the other hand I felt it was way too much. I get the names and locations but there were so many unnecessary words used too. Like there are two or three words of daughter in Russian and the only change is one letter...and they are always used instead of simple daughter. I mean okay some words felt natural but others...for me personally it was a huge overload. If I wanted every tenth word to be Russian wouldn't I just pick a book in Russian and learn the language? Sure it was not a type of a fiasco as with the Book Thief where German phrases were used that were just well nobody ever used them in reality or Raven Boys where Latin is written by Google Translator but really, too much is too much even if you do write it correctly.

OVERALL: I enjoyed it but I cannot help but fell a bit disappointed. I just expected more I guess. But if you like Russian literature or fairytales I do highly recommend The Bear and The Nightingale. After all, it is very different to what we usually see on bestsellers shelves today. Personal rating 3.5/5 stars.

Rating 4.5/5

I have loved fairytales since I was a child, so I was really excited to read The Bear and the Nightingale when I heard about it, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. What really makes it stand out is that unlike a lot of the retellings it isn’t stories that are universally known, which makes it quite unique. Since the story is based on Russian fairytales that I am unfamiliar with, it meant that it was all completely new to me and I loved finding out about the chyerty and Morozko.

The writing is extremely expressive and manages to craft this amazing setting so keenly that I had no trouble picturing it. Its atmospheric and magical quality really helps to keep you engrossed in the story. It is quite a slow read but not in the sense that you have to drag your way through it, rather that the world we are transported to is rich in description, and that time has been taken so that it feels utterly authentic. As it is a time period and a culture that I am not familiar with I welcomed these depictions, but can see that perhaps for others it could seem too much.

The author has created some remarkable characters in this novel. I adored Vasya how she is strong and spirited, even though through the characterization of the other women you know it is not acceptable for her to be so. Despite the trials that she must endure she always remains loyal to her family and her village, even when they do not act the same way toward her.

I felt really connected to her family and their struggles and loved the relationships between Vasya, her siblings and Dunya, their nurse. The spirits and the winter king also had interesting personas, I liked that even though Vasya could only see the spirits, they were written as if they were also part of the family. I enjoyed the duality of hearing the stories by the characters of the winter king and then how he is portrayed as a character himself.

The one thing I did have difficultly with was a lot of the Russian terms, and the names. Each of the characters has their name and then the name that they are affectionately called by their family, it did get a little confusing at first but eventually I managed. There is a glossary at the back of the book but I felt that maybe this could have been included before, to make it easier to pick up the meanings of words.

I also felt that it ended a little abruptly, that there was more to explore, maybe it was just because I didn’t want it to end. Since finishing it though I have discovered that it is the first in a series, which I am thrilled to hear.

The Bear and the Nightingale is a spectacular and wondrous read, full of incredible characters and superb writing. If you enjoy fairytales then this is one you definitely don’t want to miss.

A tale about Russian folklore and the mythical frost demon but so much more than that. I loved how the story draws you in and then doesn't let go until the very last page. Vasilisa loves the woods and the she is more likely than not to be found there instead of fulfilling her household duties. She can see creatures that others seem unable to and she learns not to talk of them for fear of being heralded a witch. I do not want to say too much for fear of spoiling it for others suffice it to say it is a fabulous story of a magical world and I can't wait to read more. I am converted to reading more of this genre as I didn't realise what I was missing out.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

https://lynns-books.com/2017/01/05/the-bear-and-the-nightingale-by-katherine-arden/
The Bear and the Nightingale is one of those gorgeous nuggets of a book that you simply devour. As soon as I read the synopsis, I wanted this book, in fact, lets be honest, as soon as I saw the cover – I wanted this book – which might sound fickle, because you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover after all. However, fickle or not, the inside of this book is more than a match for the outer packaging.

This is definitely my sort of book. The writing is really quite beautiful, the author almost hypnotises you, she lulls you into a false sense of security with a beginning that draws you slowly in with the promise of folklore, myth, icy forests and fairytales retold and then before you know it the temperature has dropped further, menace is in the air and threatening shadows lurk in the darkest corners.

As we begin the story we make the acquaintance of the Vladimirovich family. Pyotr the father, a hard but fair man for the times in which he lives, he is thought well of by the people in the village. He loves his wife and is devastated when he loses her in childbirth. For seven years he resists taking a new bride, and only relents to try and bring a woman into his home to help with his youngest daughter, Vasilisa, who is becoming unruly. Unfortunately, whilst his new wife, Anna, seems like a good match things are not quite as they seem. Anna sees demons everywhere and literally lives in fear, upon her insistence the village is blessed with a new holy man in the form of Konstantin. Konstantin has dreams of success and power, he resents being sent out to the middle of nowhere and believes that in order to succeed he must make the people from the village recant their ways and worship only God. And there starts the problems. Poor harvests, colder, longer winters and eventually death ensue. The village people begin to feel scared, their homes are impossible to keep warm, they never have enough food and portents of evil seem to linger in the forest.

Vasilisa is a great character. I really liked her, she’s spirited and wild. She loves the forest. She loves being told fairytales by her nurse Dunya. Like Anna – she also sees things but rather than cowering she addresses them. She feels like she knows these spirits and guardians and feels no fear of them. In fact quite the reverse, she understands the role they play in the everyday balance of the village and more to the point she fears the repercussions on everyone if these spirits start to fade. I couldn’t help but shake my fist in despair on Vasilisa’s behalf. Okay, you have to remember these were superstitious times but ohhhh, the frustration! Vasilisa seems to be taken the wrong way at every turn and even when she does a good deed it’s turned into a bad thing. Mutterings of ‘witch’ are starting to break out and the village seem to be on the verge of hysteria just poised on the edge of pointing the finger at the most appropriate scapegoat.

So, we have a wild and wilful daughter, a harsh stepmother, a hysterical village, a whole bunch of spirits and guardians, and, the star of the piece – Morozko. Sorry, I thought I’d save the best to last. Basically, this character is Frost. Cold, curious, capricious and more. For many moons he has been interested in Vasilisa and on more than one occasion the two of them have met. Not a character to be dallied with but definitely one that I would have liked to see more of. In fact, that’s probably one of my only criticisms. I would have liked more of the fairytale/folklore elements of the book and I certainly would have liked more of Frost. I actually like the pacing of the book, I admit that in terms of plot, well, it’s not very substantial, but going into this thinking of it as a fairy tale retelling I wasn’t expecting some form of great epic adventure. What I expected was writing that evokes feelings and creates atmosphere and in that respect Arden more than succeeds – you could virtually feel the cold and the hunger that the family suffered. She also manages to tempt us with maybe things of the future yet to come and I really appreciate the sense of anticipation that she has created. There is only the barest hint of a romance, it skirts tentatively around the edges of the story tempting us but doesn’t really ever manifest in more than the most ethereal form. It’s just so deliciously tempting and elusive.

On the whole though, I loved this and with a couple more books in the pipeline you can colour me happy!

This review is written with thanks to Ebury Publishing and Netgalley for my copy of The Bear and the Nightingale.
Pyotr Vladimirovich ventures to town to find a wife who can be a stepmother to his children following the death of their mother, Marina. During his visit, he meets the Winter King, who gives him a jewel that he must present to his daughter, Vasilisa. Vasilisa is given the jewel when she is older, but as mysterious forces threaten to harm the people in her village, she realises that she, armed with her jewel, is the only one who is able to save her family. Will she convince them of this in time?
The Bear and the Nightingale is set in Russia, where there are long winters and plenty of snow. Arden's descriptions of the Russian landscape are captivating, and this allowed me to fully immerse myself in the surroundings of the novel and the story Arden tells.
Vasilisa is a stubborn child, who grows into a headstrong young woman. Her nature contradicts what she is taught by Russian society, and this makes her character very engaging. I found it very easy to empathise with, and relate to Vasilisa throughout the novel, and this encouraged me to keep reading.
Fantasy is not a genre I would usually read; however, I was fascinated by the demons and spirits in The Bear and the Nightingale, and the importance they held in the novel, both for the character of Vasilisa and the themes in the novel, such as religion and death, that they help to convey. I was particularly intrigued by Vasilisa's relationship with the spirits, and found this aspect of the novel very engaging. However, as there were so many demons and spirits, at times it was confusing as to what each demon or spirit represented.

Fantasy isn't a genre I usually read but I wanted to give this a try. The book is set in Russia and is so descriptive you can almost imagine yourself there. The story is very lyrical and you can almost imagine stories such as this being read to small children.

I have to say I did struggle in places with this book as it seemed to delve a bit too far into folklore for my liking but that is just my personal opinion. I'm sure this book will appeal to many readers but sadly I sont think this genre is for me.

Wonderful story which wraps you up and is a book which I could not put down.

I know that I am going against the grain here with my rating but I just did not get on with the way this was written.
I found all the different names confusing and when one person is called by different names it just made it worse.
Sorry this just was not for me!

A beautiful and dream-like book that wraps you up in it's fairy tales.
Vasya, the last-born of a minor noble in medieval Russia frozen north is a little bit different and a little bit special, but here is where the cliches end. You are slowly enveloped into magic, dark & mysterious that threatens people lives, minds & hearts.
I fell in love with this story, the setting, the characters but most of all the magic. It reminded me of when I was six and reading my beautiful hardbound book of English fairy tales that were so scary I couldn't stop reading them! And that's what made me love them so much.
If your an Angela Carter, Neil Gaiman or Naomi Novik fan this is book you're going to love.