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desiree930 's review for:
The Bear and the Nightingale
by Katherine Arden
3.5 stars
It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to rate this book. I wavered between a 3 and a 4 star rating for quite awhile. On one hand, I felt like the beginning and the end were incredibly strong. On the other, I felt myself getting a little bored in the middle section. It was repetitive and felt like filler to me. In the end, I felt like a three star rating was more indicative of my overall enjoyment, even though the end almost made me bump it up, until the 'final battle'.
Things I liked:
1. The concept. I am not super knowledgeable about Russian folklore, but I love fairy tales and this definitely had that fairy tale quality that I crave. I thought the author was able to immediately strike that tone from the very beginning of the novel.
2. The setting. Like I said, I'm not well-versed in Russian folklore, but I did like that this story was set there and that there were references to tales like Baba Yaga, and characters such as rusalka and vodianoy.
3. Vasya. I thought Vasya was a great character. She is brave and courageous, and willing to sacrifice herself to keep her family safe. With that, she can also be impetuous and jump into situations without thinking through the consequences. I really liked the way she stood up to the people around her, regardless of their reactions to her.
4. The last 'part' of the book. This is where the bulk of the action is, and it's also where we finally get some clarity into the reality of the situation. The only thing I can say is that I wish we had more time in that part of the book. Although that being said, I did have issues with this part as well.
5. The writing style. Especially considering this is a debut novel, I felt like the writing was solid. It is descriptive without being overly flowery.
Things I didn't like:
1. The middle section of the book. I felt like it really dragged for me. It just felt like filler. It could've been shorter. A ton of time passes, but nothing really happens.
Vasya sees something no one else does, looks crazy for addressing it, and gets beaten by her father (even though most times her actions save people's lives)...and repeat.
2. The synopsis is very misleading. In the synopsis, it states that Anna (the stepmother) is a taskmaster and bans all of the children from honoring the household spirits and that is why all hell begins to break loose. But that is not the case. It is something else entirely that throws this craziness into motion.
3. Some of the side characters were not as well-developed as they could've been. Anna is one example. I would've liked to see more interaction between Vasya and Anna when Vasya was younger that would show where Anna's animosity stems from. Granted, we can assume that it's because she sees Vasya as being a witch, but I would've liked a couple of scenes that show it. But we don't get anything really. We go from Anna coming home with Vasya's father to a year later and then seven years later in the course of a chapter or two.
4. The 'final battle'. I don't want to get too into it because of spoilers, but Vasya goes to confront the big bad for a specific reason. Once she gets there, however, she completely abandons that and goes off to do something else that, in the big picture, shouldn't be the focus. Then the thing she was supposed to be preventing in the first place comes to fruition, which causes other awful things to happen. This goes back to Vasya's impulsive nature, which can be exciting and endearing, but also frustrating. Also, there is a 'dues ex machina' moment that I really didn't like.
Last thoughts:
Apparently this is the first in a series. This felt like it could have (and maybe should have) been a stand alone. The end wraps up pretty well and I'm not sure more books are necessary. Also, from the synopsis (if it's even accurate; refer back to 'things I didn't like #2) it sounds like it gets incredibly convoluted, while also managing to be repetitive of the first book. Oh look! Vasya is in danger of being married off or sent to a convent! But then she decides to seek adventure instead! Again! But this time she's going to save the whole country and not just her little town and also she's going to dress up like a boy to do it!! so...we'll see.
It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to rate this book. I wavered between a 3 and a 4 star rating for quite awhile. On one hand, I felt like the beginning and the end were incredibly strong. On the other, I felt myself getting a little bored in the middle section. It was repetitive and felt like filler to me. In the end, I felt like a three star rating was more indicative of my overall enjoyment, even though the end almost made me bump it up, until the 'final battle'.
Things I liked:
1. The concept. I am not super knowledgeable about Russian folklore, but I love fairy tales and this definitely had that fairy tale quality that I crave. I thought the author was able to immediately strike that tone from the very beginning of the novel.
2. The setting. Like I said, I'm not well-versed in Russian folklore, but I did like that this story was set there and that there were references to tales like Baba Yaga, and characters such as rusalka and vodianoy.
3. Vasya. I thought Vasya was a great character. She is brave and courageous, and willing to sacrifice herself to keep her family safe. With that, she can also be impetuous and jump into situations without thinking through the consequences. I really liked the way she stood up to the people around her, regardless of their reactions to her.
4. The last 'part' of the book. This is where the bulk of the action is, and it's also where we finally get some clarity into the reality of the situation. The only thing I can say is that I wish we had more time in that part of the book. Although that being said, I did have issues with this part as well.
5. The writing style. Especially considering this is a debut novel, I felt like the writing was solid. It is descriptive without being overly flowery.
Things I didn't like:
1. The middle section of the book. I felt like it really dragged for me. It just felt like filler. It could've been shorter. A ton of time passes, but nothing really happens.
Vasya sees something no one else does, looks crazy for addressing it, and gets beaten by her father (even though most times her actions save people's lives)...and repeat.
2. The synopsis is very misleading. In the synopsis, it states that Anna (the stepmother) is a taskmaster and bans all of the children from honoring the household spirits and that is why all hell begins to break loose. But that is not the case. It is something else entirely that throws this craziness into motion.
3. Some of the side characters were not as well-developed as they could've been. Anna is one example. I would've liked to see more interaction between Vasya and Anna when Vasya was younger that would show where Anna's animosity stems from. Granted, we can assume that it's because she sees Vasya as being a witch, but I would've liked a couple of scenes that show it. But we don't get anything really. We go from Anna coming home with Vasya's father to a year later and then seven years later in the course of a chapter or two.
4. The 'final battle'. I don't want to get too into it because of spoilers, but Vasya goes to confront the big bad for a specific reason. Once she gets there, however, she completely abandons that and goes off to do something else that, in the big picture, shouldn't be the focus. Then the thing she was supposed to be preventing in the first place comes to fruition, which causes other awful things to happen. This goes back to Vasya's impulsive nature, which can be exciting and endearing, but also frustrating. Also, there is a 'dues ex machina' moment that I really didn't like.
Last thoughts:
Apparently this is the first in a series. This felt like it could have (and maybe should have) been a stand alone. The end wraps up pretty well and I'm not sure more books are necessary. Also, from the synopsis (if it's even accurate; refer back to 'things I didn't like #2) it sounds like it gets incredibly convoluted, while also managing to be repetitive of the first book.