Short Book Review // The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden is categorised as historical fantasy. It's the first book of the Winternight trilogy, but you can read it as a standalone. For more information, visit the author's homepage, as I am still writing reviews, not summaries and fact dumps. 

So, let's get started with the review. The book is meant for adult readers, at least it says so on the author's website, but it is a coming-of-age story and young adult-friendly. Fortunately, the main character, Vasya, feels older than her years, making The Bear and the Nightingale work well for mature readers. The book is beautifully written–the language is as bright as the coldest winter day. It's also packed with Russian folklore and displays a plethora of the most fascinating mythical creatures.

The Bear and the Nightingale tells Vasya's–the youngest daughter of a regional lord in the northern Rus'–story from birth to the threshold of adulthood. Vasya is born with magical abilities in a time when the Orthodox Christian church does all in its power to root out the old ways and heathen beliefs from every corner of the empire. Vasya grows up listening to her old nurse's stories and fears more of the disappearance of the ancient guardians of the forest and household than the fiery pits of Hell. When a new priest from Moscow arrives to bring her home village to the church's order, she does all in her power to keep the mythical creatures dwelling in her house and the wilderness around from fading away.

I love the way Arden weaves folklore into the story. It feels symbolic and real at the same time, leaving me uncertain of what actually happened to Vasya. Which parts were real, which sheer imagination or dream–I couldn't say, and I don't mind that at all. The Bear and the Nightingale feels like a dark fairy tale, and it's an enjoyable book which I devoured in two chunks–one in November and the other during the past weekend.

If you're intrigued by folklore, slow-building suspension, and multilayered stories, The Bear and the Nightingale should be on your to be read-list. It would also be a wonderful story to listen to as an audiobook, on a cold winter night, curled up by the fire. I slightly regret that I didn't come to think of that before starting to read it as an E-Book, but perhaps I'll purchase the second book in the trilogy, The Girl in the Tower, as an audio version.

A Slow Return to Books

I've taken up reading and writing again, although the engine coughs a bit. I intend to read more books this year than I did in 2025, including those that have been lying on my shelf for ages, unfinished. 

Finishing pending projects is my goal for 2026, so Rues of the Heroes is definitely going to be released, and The Heirs of Duty will return to market. While waiting for the books to come out, you may entertain yourself by checking out the Braenduir Chronicles' homepage, where you'll find free samples of both books and a blog providing additional material. If you're a fan of fantasy folklore, worldbuilding, character insights, and so on, you'll find Tales from Braenduir worth visiting. Both the books and the contents of the Tales from Braenduir blog are meant for adult fantasy readers, meaning they can contain explicit scenes that might upset underage or sensitive people.

Here's a snippet of the blog, so you get a hang of what kind of content to expect when you open Tales from Braenduir:

The fire crackled. Its warmth flooded over me, lulling me into a state of drowsiness where memories began to rise uninvited. Jan's face appeared in front of me, a rare expression of joy and relaxation upon it. His lips were moving, his hands drawing images in the air between us as he rehearsed a story about the famous Toren Eddesen, who seemed to be a fathomless source of anecdotes, some more plausible than others.

  "I've never heard this tale from Toren himself, though," Jan said, pausing. "So, I'm not sure whether I should spread it as its accuracy hasn't been confirmed."

  "I'm sorry," I said, realising that I'd been focusing on watching him rather than listening. "The story was about what–a princess and a three-legged hog. Did I get that right?"

When it comes to reading, I'm in the middle of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden which I started months ago. Even though it seems to be yet one supposed-to-be-adult-fantasy-book while actually being young adult, I've enjoyed it so far. It reminds me of the Russian classics I binge-read as a teenager, only it's adorned with tons of folklore.

Happy New Year

Just a quick word to assure you that I haven't died, nor have I forgotten about this blog, even though it's been quiet for a while. I focused on other things than reading and writing in December, so I didn't have anything to post. I'll be back with the Short Book Reviews and updates on Braenduir Chronicles, though.

My goals for 2026 are to read more books, edit The Heirs of Duty, and finish Rues of the Heroes, with the intention of releasing both in the spring. The reason the process is slow is that I am working alone, doing everything from raw drafts to final touches myself. The only tool, besides the text editor program, I use is the free version of Grammarly to check the grammar. Everything else I do myself, every word is written by a human hand, and that takes time.

I hope 2026 has shown you a smiling face so far, and the positive vibe remains throughout the year. For me, the past couple of years were dark and wearisome, but I am cautiously optimistic that this year will become brighter and happier.