Series Review:
Title: The Winternight Trilogy
(The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower & The Winter of the Witch)
Author: Katherine Arden
Publisher: Del Rey UK
“Witch. The word drifted across his mind. We call such women so, because we have no other name.”
Beware the evil in the woods. . .
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. . .
I don’t know where to begin with trilogy.
Maybe the first thing I should say is that I absolutely loved this series and it has 100% made it onto my ‘Favourite Series Ever’ list. Simply put.
Every single component of this trilogy was fantastically executed. The writing. The characterisation. The world-building and atmosphere. The story and plot. I am in awe of it all.
Katherine Arden’s ability to weave this magical tale in such a thought-provoking and evocative way was honestly incredible. Each aspect of this series felt like pieces of a puzzle which slotted perfectly together to make the most heartfelt finished product.
Vasya, our main character, is one of the most engaging and relatable characters I’ve read about. Her need to be free, to explore, to learn, to love, but also be loved resonated with me, and I know will resonate with many others.
Seeing her grow from the young child she was in the first book to the brilliant woman in the final book made me feel like a proud mother. Vasya goes through some serious sh*t through these books, but she always displayed a fighting spirit and remained true to herself. The best way I can describe her is as a ‘precious badass.’ She has a heart of gold and is loyal to a fault, but she could also kick your ass.
Alongside Vasya, we have a fantastic cast of characters, from the most lovable human companion (Solovey has my entire heart!), to the most complex villains. Every character, no matter how small or large their part in this series was, felt extremely fleshed out and real with their own motivations and goals.
Her family were clear examples of how blood is thicker than water – there were times where they undermined Vasya, but through it all there was always this element of unconditional love and support which melted my heart. Two of my favourites were her siblings Olga, who is fierce, and Sasha, who is honourable.
We then have the two main villains, Medved (the bear) and Konstantin. One thing I love about these two is that although they were undeniably villains and their actions cannot be excused, there was this undertone of them having tortured souls that drew me to them. And although they were intriguing separately, I loved seeing their twisted relationship together. Villains who are more than just ‘evil’, have motivations outside of causing havoc, and have their own personal storyline really do appeal to me!
The last character I want to talk about it Morozko. *insert longest love-filled sigh here* Like the villains in this story, he’s morally grey, a little twisted and doesn’t have the most innocent or selfless incentives, but also like Vasya, he grows so much in this trilogy. I loved learning about him, his past, his powers…honestly, I couldn’t get enough of him and was always waiting for him to pulled back into the story. He especially shone in his relationship with Vasya. The romance between these two is extremely subtle and barely there for half of the series, but the slow-burn of it made it that even more delicious and pure. What I really appreciated was that Vasya controlled their relationship. She set the pace, which Morozko respectfully followed, and didn’t let her feelings get in the way of her goals or give her a rose-tinted view. Their relationship was built on mutual respect and friendship, and it just all felt so mature.
“She bent forward to breathe into his ear: "Never give me orders."
"Command me, then," he whispered back. The words went through her like wine.”
These two have become one of my favourite couples – I don’t think I’ll ever get over them (and that quote)!
Another thing which made this story so special was the world and atmosphere. I read the final two books while I was snuggled in front of the fireplace with the occasional snowfall outside, and it made all the difference in my reading experience as the Winternight Trilogy is set in Medieval Russia, with snow and frost all around. Arden’s gorgeous prose mixed with Russian folklore made the world and atmosphere so vivid, imaginative, and fresh; I felt transported straight into the dark and lyrical world…and I never wanted to leave.
I haven’t even scratched the surface of everything that makes this trilogy so dear to me, but that’s because I really don’t think my words can do it justice. I always say the best books are the ones that can make you feel, and I felt a hell of a lot of emotions through this trilogy: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, love, admiration, excitement, and hope. All of it. It’s not easy to read at times, especially during the 3rd book, but with so much life interlaced into the story and deep explorations into feminism, religion, and the fine line between good and bad, there’s always something to hold on to.
This trilogy is one that starts off as the tiniest flame, but slowly and surely grows until it’s a blazing inferno and, like a moth, you’re drawn to the flame.
I can’t recommend it enough.
Before I even started the trilogy, I did a bit of research and tweeted this (please ignore my spelling error)…
So apparently the Winternight Trilogy is:
— 🐍Kavita (@ABookishFantasy) May 14, 2020
- adult fantasy
- slowburn AF
- filled with morally grey characters
- based on Russion folklore
- AND has atmospheric writing?!
I think I've decided what my next read is going to be!
And now that I’ve finished the trilogy I can confirm everything in that tweet is true, so if any of that appeals to you, do yourself a favour and immerse yourself into one of the best written adult historical fantasies I have ever read.
Katherine Arden has become one of my auto-buy authors and, having heard she’s working on a new book that has elements of Hades and Persephone, I shall be patiently waiting to devour more of her gorgeous writing.
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