At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil. After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows. And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent. As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil. After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows. And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent. As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.
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The lowest price we last saw for The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden was $11.36 at Biblio.com - BEST BATES, compared across 11 retailers (last seen 21 Mar 2026). Prices may have changed since.
The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil. After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows. And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent. As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil. After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows. And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent. As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.
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Last updated at 21/03/2026 06:56:40
The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel: 1 Paperback – 27 June 2017
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originally posted on ebay.com
Ill preface this review by saying that this is not the kind of book I would pick to read myself, but it was chosen for our book club. Its a Russian fairytale told in English. It is definitely well written, but its not something I can really get into. Anyone who enjoys this type of thing will probably really like it. A woman dies leaving behind a new baby and the father is royalty. The child grows to be a handful and the father decides to marry so that she might have a mother to help her grow up properly. The stepmother isnt kind to the Girl and the girl has special Powers.
originally posted on Target
So close to being a five star read for me! I loved almost everything about this. The world building was rich and so very fascinating, filled with myths and folklore, and of course, one of my favorite settings - a dark, magical forest. I loved the characters. They were wonderfully flawed. The story was filled with whimsy and the writing was flowery in the best ways. Unfortunately the pacing was a little off. While the book started incredibly slow, the building of this world was so necessary, so that worked. But then the pace either picked up to 100 or back down to 0. I never found a flow to it. Still, I'm so excited to jump into the next book in this series! I've heard it only gets better, and I can't wait to find out what happens next!
originally posted on booksamillion.com
I haven't even finished the book yet, but it's so good I had to come here and review it stat. I love the dark fairytale aspect of it, and it's more substance to the storyline than just romance, unlike a lot of fantasy novels nowadays, which I love.
| Product Dimensions | |
| Length | 0.81 in |
| Height | 8.25 in |
| Width | 5.5 in |
The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel: 1 Paperback – 27 June 2017
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel (Winternight... by Arden, Katherine
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The Bear and the Nightingale : A Novel Arden, Katherine [Used - Good] [Softcover]
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The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel By Katherine Arden
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The Bear And The Nightingale: A Novel
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Ill preface this review by saying that this is not the kind of book I would pick to read myself, but it was chosen for our book club. Its a Russian fairytale told in English. It is definitely well written, but its not something I can really get into. Anyone who enjoys this type of thing will probably really like it. A woman dies leaving behind a new baby and the father is royalty. The child grows to be a handful and the father decides to marry so that she might have a mother to help her grow up properly. The stepmother isnt kind to the Girl and the girl has special Powers.
So close to being a five star read for me! I loved almost everything about this. The world building was rich and so very fascinating, filled with myths and folklore, and of course, one of my favorite settings - a dark, magical forest. I loved the characters. They were wonderfully flawed. The story was filled with whimsy and the writing was flowery in the best ways. Unfortunately the pacing was a little off. While the book started incredibly slow, the building of this world was so necessary, so that worked. But then the pace either picked up to 100 or back down to 0. I never found a flow to it. Still, I'm so excited to jump into the next book in this series! I've heard it only gets better, and I can't wait to find out what happens next!
I haven't even finished the book yet, but it's so good I had to come here and review it stat. I love the dark fairytale aspect of it, and it's more substance to the storyline than just romance, unlike a lot of fantasy novels nowadays, which I love.
The underlying threat of sexual assault to the main character and casual sexual assault of side characters were a hard no from me. There were a tonne of characters, most with a couple of nicknames that weren't connected to their real names, which made it hard to follow who everyone was. Ages are never explicitly stated which makes it confusing as we follow the main character from birth to adulthood. (At least I assume she's an adult by the end).This book has the worst climax I have ever read.The folklore/ Russian history elements were interesting, but not enough to recommend this book on, considering it's multiple other flaws.
This russian fairytale was so good. I loved Vasya. The beauty of the northern village was lovely. I cannot wait to read the next book. I would recommend this book.
Very evocative writing style quickly pulls the reader into this The compelling heroine struggles to maintain balance between preserving cherished beliefs and values and fearlessly facing the future. Lots of magic and beautiful winter settings for the battle between good and evil. A fairytale that makes you think.
Wonderful read for a cold winter's night. I don't normally enjoy fantasy-based novels that much, but this one had a well-developed heroine whose strength flowed from trust in herself and her own perceptions. Based in part on Russian folklore, the color and depth of the story line was especially appealing. I quickly purchased the next book in the series because I wanted to see how she and her story continued to develop. I don't think you will be disappointed.
It follows Vasya as she grows up as the only witch-child able to see the house and forest spirits in her village. Katherine Arden spared no charm when sharing creatures from the Slavic folklore that inspired her fairytale-esque story, featuring the domovoi living in the oven, to the seductive rusalka! nexpectededly deep themes layered with a magical winter tale led me to enjoy this book immensely. My only negative points are that with Russian names, the characters would have their proper name (e.g. Vasilisa) and then their nickname (e.g. Vasya), which at first was confusing when introduced initially to the book's cast. A tip for readers upon picking up this book: if there is a Russian word you are uncertain of, refer to the glossary at the end of the book! At first, ... MoreIt follows Vasya as she grows up as the only witch-child able to see the house and forest spirits in her village. Katherine Arden spared no charm when sharing creatures from the Slavic folklore that inspired her fairytale-esque story, featuring the domovoi living in the oven, to the seductive rusalka! nexpectededly deep themes layered with a magical winter tale led me to enjoy this book immensely. My only negative points are that with Russian names, the characters would have their proper name (e.g. Vasilisa) and then their nickname (e.g. Vasya), which at first was confusing when introduced initially to the book's cast. A tip for readers upon picking up this book: if there is a Russian word you are uncertain of, refer to the glossary at the end of the book! At first, I was not certain that I would find this book interesting;the start did not seem to feature well-developed characters but rather, an army of children that listened to their nurse tell them stories in the kitchen. However, I could not have been more wrong! Arden's tribute to Slavic folklore became more and more entrancing through watching Vasya grow up; she became more wild, rebellious and untameable with every chapter, and I came to love her. She reminds me of Arya Stark from George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones in her courage, and of Jude from Holly Black's The Cruel Prince, in her knowledge of the creatures that dwelled her lands. I often do not find the main character to be my favourite, usually finding them lacking character. However, this book is one exception, which was a feat to note! This book was so wonderfully lovable, particularly when reading about the homely feeling when Vasya and her siblings would talk with one another; I found myself enjoying seeing the strong relationships between them the more I read. I would advise readers to beware that the first part of the book may take a while to get into, but the rest of the book is worth its initial slowness! And make good use of the glossary.
I haven't had a five star read in a while! If The Bear and the Nightingale is not on your radar it definitely should be! A lush Russian setting that draws you in, steeped in Russian folklore and legend, lyrical prose, a story within a story...I adored this! Fantasic storytelling! I received a review copy of this book but I also purchased a hardcover because I loved it so much! I can't wait for the next book: The Girl in the Tower out Jan. 2018!I received a free copy of this title through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion of the story. Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the review Copy!
This is my new favorite book of all time! It's an absolutely magical mix of Russian folklore and the more gritty, real history of Russia. Absolutely couldn't put it down, and couldn't wait for the next two books to come out. Highly recommend!
| Product Dimensions | |
| Length | 0.81 in |
| Height | 8.25 in |
| Width | 5.5 in |
