Newcomer Katherine Arden brings the grit and grandeur of Russian folklore to life in a sparkling 14th-century fantasy. Arden spent time in Moscow studying Russian, and her devotion to research shows in an immersive story that leans heavily upon the social structure and religious tensions of the period.
Pyotr Vladimirovich, a landed lord in the North, loses his wife, Marina, when she dies giving birth to their fifth child, Vasilisa. The infant, called Vasya, grows into an untamable girl who speaks with horses and sees spirits, from common house dwellers like the domovoi to tricky and dangerous forest denizens like the rusalka. These powers are part of her inheritance from her mother's mysterious family, and the frost-demon Morozko has noticed her. When cosmopolitan priest Konstantin is exiled to their rural holding, his disdain for the old pagan customs causes an imbalance in the magical ecosystem and frees a long-trapped evil. Vasya's bravery and growing friendship with Morozko may be all that stands between her family and friends and certain destruction.
Arden's earthy and vibrant homage to folklore reminds us that the modern fantasy genre has its roots in the ancient soil of fairy tales, watered with magic and blood. Spirited, capable Vasya's refusal to play by anyone's rules brings light and fun to an oppressively dark and wintry atmosphere. First in a projected trilogy, The Bear and the Nightingale is sure to build a legion of fans eager for any answers its sequel will reveal. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads