Excellent Second Act for Arden's Winternight Trilogy
Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I can't wait to read the third, and quite enjoyed this book. I'd strongly recommend picking up The Bear and the Nightingale before reading this, as I don't think it would read well as a standalone, but I would also highly recommend this once you're caught up!
Spoiler Alert: the rest of this review contains spoilers for the 1st book in the series, read at your own risk!
I sped through The Bear and the Nightingale on the day this ARC arrived, and immediately began reading this once I had finished. I was entranced by Vasya's journey and could not wait to find out what would happen next. Arden did not disappoint, and Vasya remained true to herself while discovering many things about her maternal grandmother, extended family, Morozkha's magic, and so much more.
My only complaint, and it's a mild one, is that it's clear that this is the second act of the story. The first book passed somewhat more slowly, giving us insights into Vasya's family dynamics preceding her birth, then allowing us to learn of her as a child, before launching her into the precarious semi-adulthood of a 14-year-old young woman for the rest of the story, which takes place over the course of several months. This book contained at most two weeks of Vasya's life, and while it was undoubtedly full of action, emotion, and character development, I couldn't help but wish that there was a bit more time in this story.
While her actions made sense for her character, I found myself cringing at many of her choices. Perhaps if the story had shown more passage of time, her reflections on these and other actions, and more maturation of her character, I would have felt more sympathy for Vasya. As it stands, I had a harder time seeing her as a strong-willed somewhat fey young woman and instead found myself wishing she'd have a care for the people and spirits whose existences she carelessly risked or used to her own ends. Again, these things were in-character and exceedingly well-written, but I found myself cheering for Vasya less and less as the book went on, and I feel somewhat sad about that.
Still, I'm excited to read the third, and I thought Arden once again crafted a masterful blend of Russian mythology, history, and folklore that I'd highly recommend to anyone who loves fairy tales, mythology, history, paranormal, or simply excellently told stories.
I can't wait to read the third, and quite enjoyed this book. I'd strongly recommend picking up The Bear and the Nightingale before reading this, as I don't think it would read well as a standalone, but I would also highly recommend this once you're caught up!
Spoiler Alert: the rest of this review contains spoilers for the 1st book in the series, read at your own risk!
I sped through The Bear and the Nightingale on the day this ARC arrived, and immediately began reading this once I had finished. I was entranced by Vasya's journey and could not wait to find out what would happen next. Arden did not disappoint, and Vasya remained true to herself while discovering many things about her maternal grandmother, extended family, Morozkha's magic, and so much more.
My only complaint, and it's a mild one, is that it's clear that this is the second act of the story. The first book passed somewhat more slowly, giving us insights into Vasya's family dynamics preceding her birth, then allowing us to learn of her as a child, before launching her into the precarious semi-adulthood of a 14-year-old young woman for the rest of the story, which takes place over the course of several months. This book contained at most two weeks of Vasya's life, and while it was undoubtedly full of action, emotion, and character development, I couldn't help but wish that there was a bit more time in this story.
While her actions made sense for her character, I found myself cringing at many of her choices. Perhaps if the story had shown more passage of time, her reflections on these and other actions, and more maturation of her character, I would have felt more sympathy for Vasya. As it stands, I had a harder time seeing her as a strong-willed somewhat fey young woman and instead found myself wishing she'd have a care for the people and spirits whose existences she carelessly risked or used to her own ends. Again, these things were in-character and exceedingly well-written, but I found myself cheering for Vasya less and less as the book went on, and I feel somewhat sad about that.
Still, I'm excited to read the third, and I thought Arden once again crafted a masterful blend of Russian mythology, history, and folklore that I'd highly recommend to anyone who loves fairy tales, mythology, history, paranormal, or simply excellently told stories.