Summary: This book follows Vasilisa, a girl never quite fits in with her community and feels most at home in the wild outdoors. She chafes against the constraints society places on women and yearns to spend her days in nature where she finds that she can communicate with guardian spirits no one else can see or hear. Unlike Vasya who knows the spirits live harmoniously with humanity, there are others that believe them to be demons who must be eradicated. As the church infringes on Vasya's little town and targets its guardians, Vasya's world begins to fall more and more out of balance. With the help of the fearsome Morozko, Vasya must battle the bear for the soul of the world.
Review: As a first gen american of russian descent, I'm always looking for a book that draws upon my culture without exploiting it. I've found that some of the most popular series' that claim to be "based on eastern european culture" just take the bits and pieces they think are most exotic and mash them together. What results is a collection of harmful sterotypes, incorrect history, and awful representation. However, this book was just the opposite. Katherine Arden draws on russian language and folklore so perfectly that I could not help but be reminded of the nights my great grandpa used to read to me as a kid and the stories he and my great grandma would tell. The way she weaves these stories with issues of religion, politics, and family makes it that much more impactful. The story is somehow equal parts nostalgic and something entirely new and beautiful.
Review: As a first gen american of russian descent, I'm always looking for a book that draws upon my culture without exploiting it. I've found that some of the most popular series' that claim to be "based on eastern european culture" just take the bits and pieces they think are most exotic and mash them together. What results is a collection of harmful sterotypes, incorrect history, and awful representation. However, this book was just the opposite. Katherine Arden draws on russian language and folklore so perfectly that I could not help but be reminded of the nights my great grandpa used to read to me as a kid and the stories he and my great grandma would tell. The way she weaves these stories with issues of religion, politics, and family makes it that much more impactful. The story is somehow equal parts nostalgic and something entirely new and beautiful.