I think it balances character development, building tension, and having moments of action. This novel is definitely slower paced but has plenty of suspenseful and action filled moments as I read along. The supernatural elements of this novel are also well integrated into the themes of Vasya’s independence and the shifting world around her. Her family are unique and memorable characters in their own rights, and the dynamics between them and Vasya help to show the dimensions of her character. Vasya resents the fact that her gender is determining her life outcomes, and struggles with wanting to live life on her own terms. She’s young, she doesn’t know what exactly she wants but she still wants to be able to figure it out for herself. I liked that Vasya isn’t portrayed as a perfectly strong or capable heroine. Vasya also has connections to a world that her family oftentimes lacks understanding of, and the conflict between this world and the changing social norms sets up a dramatic conflict. The Bear and the Nightingale follows Vasya, a young woman who is fiercely independent and doesn’t fit the mold of what her family and her society expects for her. I picked this one up hoping for a wintery atmospheric tale and that is exactly what I got, alongside a slow build sweeping adventure and the start of an exciting trilogy. The Bear and the Nightingale is a well known adult fantasy novel that is the start of the Winternight Trilogy.

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 Uncertain of its meaning, the father hides the gift away and his daughter, Vasya, grows up a wild, wilful girl, to the chagrin of her family. 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. Published by Random House Publishing Group on March 28, 2019 The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

However, I will include a brief non-spoiler summary of my thoughts of The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch as well as my review of the trilogy as a whole.

I’ll be predominantly focusing this review on the first book in the trilogy, The Bear and the Nightingale. Today I’m going to be sharing a review of a series I picked up right at the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022 that became one of my favorites, The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden.

The winter night trilogy