The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: Book Review

Title: The Bear and the Nightingale
Author: Katherine Arden
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Publication date: 2017
Number of pages: 323
Length of audiobook: 11:48:25

Synopsis:
The Bear and the Nightingale is set in Russia and inspired by Russian fairy tales. A stranger brings a gift for a young girl, a mysterious jewel but the father never gives the jewel to his daughter. His daughter, Vasya grows up to be wild and different. She discovers that she has the power to see and communicate with spiritual creatures and a darkness is coming...

Story:
The Bear and the Nightingale begins with us hearing an old tale about a frost demon. We then follow the main character, Vasilisa as she grows up and sees these magical creatures everywhere, creatures that no one else seems to be able to see. The story is told in third person and we also see some of the relevant adventures of her family.

This book is dark, especially in certain parts. It was actually completely unlike what I was expecting (I was expecting a more traditional fantasy. This book was exactly like a Russian fairy tale. It was slow-paced but everything had meaning and it all built-up to reach the climactic ending. It also allowed us to care about the different characters and despise some of the more villainous ones.

Throughout the book, there is the question of who are these two mysterious and magical men that we see throughout? Which characters are truly bad and which characters are really good?

I don't tend to enjoy slow-build books but with this, it really worked. I listened to the audiobook on 1.5x speed so that helped me to get through it more quickly, whilst still following the story.

The emotions:
This book made me feel all the feels. There were potential romances, there were sad times, there were scary times, there were things at stake, there were times when I just wanted to shout at the characters to do something differently. When this book finished, I was left speechless.

The characters:
I loved Vasilisa, she was such a strong and independent character, she adored her family, she was adventurous, she fought against fear to fight for what she cared for, she listened to the things that she was told and she was also cautious when needed. Vasilisa was definitely a three dimensional main character and I loved to see her grow and develop throughout the course of the book.

I also really liked Vasilisa's family. Her father and siblings were caring. They all kept in touch and they all tried to help each other. I loved that her family were present throughout the book, something that we don't see very often in fantasy books.

There were side characters that were also interesting, complex and well-developed, including one character that I hope to see more of in the next book (this is a trilogy!). 

Final thoughts:
I loved this book. The characters were great, the story was emotional and immensely interesting. Everything had a meaning, everything led us towards the finale and there is still more to be seen in this world? Amazing. When I started this book, I wasn't sure about it because it was kind of slow-paced but all of the scenes were well-developed and they fit together cohesively. Arden did a great job of weaving a beautiful tale and making me become attached to the characters and the world. I am glad that I listened to this on audiobook and that I kept listening!

Star rating: 5/5 stars