Many thanks to those of you (there were many!) who told me to read The Bear and the Nightingale. Extra special thanks goes to those who pointed out that I should do so during wintertime. You were spot on about this.
What’s The Bear and the Nightingale about?
The Bear and the Nightingale beautifully weaves together historical fiction and fantasy, truth and fable, new religion and old world magic. There are princes and peasants, house elves and stable fairies, vampires and water nymphs. And, let’s not forget the Frost King and his brother, both of whom are trying to get their hands on main character Vasya, albeit for very different reasons.
You may remember that I love stories set in Russia, and this exquisite novel by Katherine Arden is steeped in Russian folklore, beginning with a classic tale that I grew up loving as a child about two stepsisters sent out into the snowy forest. One sister comes back with a king’s ransom from the Frost King, while the other comes back…well, dead. (Trust me, it’s nobody’s loss there.)
The folktale sets the stage for this story about a family with magical lineage who attempts to deny the old world gods in favor of embracing the new Christian god…and about what befalls them once they do.
The Bear and the Nightingale is the perfect winter read
The Bear and the Nightingale is a perfect wintry book to read during the coldest months of the year.
You don’t need snow to appreciate this story, but it’s definitely helpful. The Bear and the Nightingale is set in medieval Russia, in a remote village planted deep in the wilderness, where the winters are long and harsh, and full of snow, ice, and deadly frost.
As luck would have it, I picked up The Bear and the Nightingale right before a snowstorm hit – and another, and another, and another – and I spent the next few weeks happily ensconced in this delightful, magical story while snowflakes flurried past my window for days, and until my house was as buried in snow as Vasya’s in the book.
Should you read The Bear and the Nightingale?
If you’re interested in mythology, fairy tales, or folklore, or in anything Russian, you better be reaching for The Bear and the Nightingale. You’ll devour it, I promise you. The fact that the novel’s based on Russian mythology instead of the more common Greek or Roman makes for a pleasant – and educational – change.
You should also read The Bear and the Nightingale if you other enjoyed fantasy novels like The Bone Houses and The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue, and if you love trilogies: The Bear and the Nightingale is the first book in the The Winternight Trilogy.
