I feel like I should write a second review for this since I just finished it for the second time. I still love it, especially the themes relating to CI feel like I should write a second review for this since I just finished it for the second time. I still love it, especially the themes relating to Christianity and colonialism. Anna and Vasya are both such interesting characters and good foils for one another.
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The Bear and the Nightingale: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Girl in the Tower: The Winter of the Witch:
Original Review (5-23-2020):
Beware! This review contains a long one-paragraph summary which may contain spoilers for the first half of the book.
Man, do I love a dark fairytale, and The Bear and the Nightingale sure did deliver.
It's the fourteenth century in northern Rus'. Vasya's mother is old, and she dies soon after Vasya's birth. Vasya is a willful child and tends to run from her family and does as she pleases. Eventually, Vasya's father, Pyotr, travels to Moscow with his two eldest sons in search of a wife for himself and a husband for his eldest daughter. He believes a stepmother will be just what Vasya needs to become a proper young lady. His new wife, Anna, was hoping she would be sent to a convent instead. Later, Father Konstantin is exiled to the north to serve the nearby church. The community is enthralled with him, and he tells them they must turn from their sinful ways and stop leaving offerings for the spirits of their homes, because they are demons. Things begin to go awry, and a terrible winter sets in. Fear haunts the people of the village, and they begin to believe Pyotr's strange daughter must be a witch, but something truly evil lurks in the forest.
Actual Rating: 4.8
This was a mystical fairytale from start to finish. The book opens with Dunya, the children's nurse, telling a story. In this book, stories aren't just stories. I know that's pretty common in fantasy novels, but this one was different. It felt like the Grimms' Fairy Tales, but alive and real. The writing style was lyrical but done so easily that you barely noticed it. The creatures themselves remind me of the lesser fae in A Court of Thorns and Roses, but these are better done in my opinion.
In the north of Rus', it is winter eight months out of the year, and the summer heat is dimmed enough for it to still be cold at night even then. The cold is a constant theme, but even more chilling are the dangers that lurk in the forest. There are times when Vasya is cozy at home, gathered around the oven with her siblings. There are other times when she it not. I loved the contrast.
Vasya is, of course, my favorite. I loved that she defies gender roles and others often don't know what to do with her. I also loved her courage and her loyalty. The other characters are just as fleshed out. I wish we would have seen more of Sasha, but I'm hoping we will in the rest of the series. I liked that there were chapters from Pyotr's, Anna's, and Konstantin's point of view because it really helped show their motivations and opinions. Third person worked really well for this novel. I do wish Anna had been a little more fleshed out, but the others were so well done that I can't complain too much. I also appreciated Vasya's camaraderie with both Sasha and Alyosha.
"I told father this was a bad idea," said Alyosha in her ear.
"What? And why?" said Vasya, preoccupied by the horse.
"To marry you off so soon. Because blushing maidens are supposed to look covetously upon the lords that vie for their hands, and not upon the lords' fine horses."
Last, but certainly not least, I adored Morozko. He is the Frost-King. He is Death. He's also incredibly interesting, and I can't wait until the second book if only I get to know some more about him.
There were a lot of religious themes, too, as the new Christianity battled with the old religion. This is really important because a lot of people have done a lot of terrible things in the name of Christianity, and it's incredibly relevant to the setting as well. I was hoping that there might be someone who would display the good side of Christianity, but Konstantin's ideas were twisted enough that it didn't seem to matter. I've heard other people say that Sasha fits the bill, so I'm wondering if this will be further explored later on.
I loved everything about this novel. I loved the people, and the creatures, and even the harsh conditions they were living in. I think this book had a little bit of everything I love wrapped up inside of it. The plot was slightly slow, but not enough to be troublesome, and I never wanted to stop reading. I laughed, and cried, and clutched it tight when the plot grew intense. I'm nothing if not hungry for more.
P.S. There’s a glossary at the end and I didn’t even realize it until after I finished! There are a lot of Russian words, or translated versions of Russian words, and it can be a little confusing. The glossary is a great resource....more
"One drunken evening, many years on, In-yo would say that the war was won by silenced and nameless women, and it would be hard to argue with her."
"One drunken evening, many years on, In-yo would say that the war was won by silenced and nameless women, and it would be hard to argue with her."
Cleric Chih and Almost Brilliant, a hoopoe, travel to Lake Scarlett, where the compound that Empress In-yo was exiled to sits. Chih means to catalog the contents of the compound and record its stories, but when they arrive they are greeted by an old woman named Rabbit, who invites them in. Rabbit was a servant under In-yo, who eventually came to be known as the Empress of Salt and Fortune. As Chih takes notes, Rabbit begins to tell them about the empress, and Rabbit's own story is entwined within it. Each day, when Rabbit is finished speaking, she says, "Do you understand?" There's more to Rabbit's story than some might realize.
"Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves."
My primary complaint comes from the fact that this is a novella, and it tries to accomplish a lot within only a few pages. The character development suffers the most, in my opinion. By the end, I felt like I was just getting to know Chih and Rabbit. I felt like I didn't know the others at all.
I thought the plot might also suffer due to the short length, but I actually didn't have a problem with it. It was very confusing in the beginning, but I thought it held true to how much information we would actually be getting if a stranger decided to tell us a story. How many times has my grandpa told me a tale that took place sometime before I was born that kept me initially confused? Regardless, I thought the story flowed well.
I was impressed by Vo's subtle world building. Rabbit and Chih would have a conversation, and somewhere in there we will get a tidbit of information that tells us about their world and the creatures within it. Vo has certainly mastered the art of NOT throwing in massive info dumps.
Beyond world building, Vo's writing style is pleasant in general. I was immersed in the elegant writing. It's somewhat fairytale-like, but not overly dramatic.
***
UPDATE 7-12-21:
I felt certain that I would love this more the second time I read it, and that’s true. Coming in understanding some of what is going on helps to appreciate the story. The beautiful writing brought tears to my eyes. It’s funny because the topics approached here aren’t particularly dark or disturbing compared to other books I’ve read, but somehow they manage to get the point across even better. If you decide to pick this one up, I highly recommend reading it more than once. ...more
This novella was just right for a quick read in the middle of my busy semester. I've also been reading a lot of horror, so this light, fun, romantic fThis novella was just right for a quick read in the middle of my busy semester. I've also been reading a lot of horror, so this light, fun, romantic fantasy was the perfect break between them.
While I was expecting this novella to be a fun escape, I typically enjoy a lightening fast plot in these types of books. While I never got bored (it was too short for that) I felt like something was missing. Everything almost felt too easy. For a good plot in this kind of book, you need a fair bit of juicy drama. Maybe I've just read too much quality romantic fantasy, but I felt this one was fairly average. While I enjoyed it, it wasn't overwhelmingly fantastic.
The writing style also threw me off with its occasional ellipses and exclamation points. This is kind of a personal pet peeve of mine and it wasn't a deal breaker in this one, but it was definitely something I noticed. However, I will say that it fit in with the light and frilly nature of the book.
The premise was interesting. As a lover of both fantasy and Jane Austen novels, I felt like this book was a good fit for me. This book was not as subtle or eloquent as an Austen novel, but I never really expected it would be. Instead, it's an interesting change to Austen novels both when it comes to the magical elements and gender roles.
I would recommend this book if you are looking for a quick and easy read with little depth. I do know that the series continues, although I can't decide if I want to pick the rest of them up. I think I would if I didn't have such a long tbr pile, but, alas. There are too many books that need reading....more
It's been three weeks since I finished this one. It hasn't aged very well in my mind. Let me try to explain the premise a little better, aUpdate 5/11:
It's been three weeks since I finished this one. It hasn't aged very well in my mind. Let me try to explain the premise a little better, and include my reservations.
January is a girl who grows up with a wealthy man, Mr. Locke, who has hired her father to travel the world in search of rare and exotic items for his collection. January is a wild girl, but Mr. Locke does not approve of her ways and punishes her for acting out. As a child, January accidentally stumbles across a Door and is able to open it by writing her wishes in a journal. She eventually forgets about the ordeal and focuses on pleasing Mr. Locke. Eventually, January finds a book and begins to read it. The contents of the book are included within The Ten Thousand Doors of January in addition to January's story. The book changes January's life forever.
This story is very fanciful. This is particularly evident in the chapters of the book within this book, which is a story of true love and exploration. It's very much written like a fairytale. Frankly, it was a little annoying at times. My only real problem with this concerns the villain and their motives, which I can't really talk about without giving away spoilers. With that, I think the author might have taken the easy way out.
I'm going to leave this as 5 stars because I obviously loved it and was rather overwhelmed by it when I first posted a review. However, I think if I had waited and thought it over I might have dropped it to 4 stars. I need to start trusting my gut instinct a little more with these things. ;)
Original Review:
I read this book as part of a book club, but finished it today—a week early. I had heard a lot of people praising this book, but was very skeptical going in, despite its pretty cover. To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure what this book was even about. I just knew it was about a girl who finds a book, which I found rather off-putting. Writing about books seems like a cheap trick because authors know that readers like books, and so writing about them ensures a large market.
I was very wrong about this one, although I didn’t see it at first.
When I started reading, I still wasn’t impressed. The first scene is basically the main character, January, talking to the reader about the story she is about to tell. I really didn’t appreciate this, but luckily the scene only lasted for about two pages. Then, the story really picks up.
I love stories that make you think about your own world and wonder about what’s out there, and this book does exactly that. It’s historical fantasy, which I like. In those first two pages I thought that the prose was going to be too purple and that the author was trying to hard, but I quickly sank into the story and became absorbed in Harrow’s lovely descriptions. After finishing the book, I think Harrow’s style is beautiful and perfectly captures the scene.
This novel includes sections from the book January reads. I was annoyed when I first saw this, but as I kept reading I found that it was absolutely essential. January’s life is impacted by her love for books, and it makes you think about how a good book can change your life—or at least change the way you think. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that this book had a lot of feminist themes and diversity.
The characters were deep, the premise intriguing, and the plot fast-paced. I’ve been in a reading slump for a while now, and I think this book has reminded me that there are good books out there—books worth reading....more
This is one of the best retellings I've read in a long time. I noticed it when it first came out, but I didn't want to read it because I had never reaThis is one of the best retellings I've read in a long time. I noticed it when it first came out, but I didn't want to read it because I had never read the original Frankenstein. I ended up reading it my senior year of high school, and then picked this up this year. I'm so glad I did.
This is the story of Frankenstein, as told from Elizabeth's pov. It begins after Victor has already created his monster, when Elizabeth comes to find him and he is sick in one of his fits, which he fell in after the creation of the monster. It follows the events of the story thereafter, with its own twists that are done remarkably well.
"I had accused Victor of creating a monster, but I had done the same."
The character development was very good. I loved Elizabeth and how she was not all black and white. She is a strong woman, but she hides it well. As for the others, I felt like Victor and Judge Frankenstein were very mysterious. It almost makes you keep going back and forth with them, but particularly with Judge Frankenstein. As for the character deaths, I felt like they lost some of their impact since I knew they were coming, and I think I tried to distance myself from those characters from the beginning (oops).
The novel ties in so, so well with the original Frankenstein. I don't want to go into any details because it so lovely and I'd rather you be able to discover it for yourself. I was worried the book might be somewhat predictable and boring, but it wasn't at all. It has a very tight plot so that in the beginning you are intrigued with getting to know Elizabeth and the parts of her world that aren't so evident in the original Frankenstein. By the time this luster starts to fade, there's a huge plot twist that takes it away from the original, while still staying true to it.
Whether or not you've read the original, this book is an absolute gem. I don't know whether you should have read the original first or not, as I have some mixed emotions, but I'm leaning toward yes, just so you won't be spoiled for the real Frankenstein. Frankenstein won't spoil you for this, but this WILL spoil you for Frankenstein. I'm honestly very glad I waited until after reading Frankenstein to read this retelling. But, if you don't have any interest in reading Frankenstein (even though you definitely should!!) don't let that stop you from enjoying this masterpiece. ...more
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