The Bear And The Nightingale by Katherine Arden Review

Hi ForeverBookers,

I got The Bear And The Nightingale for review from NetGalley but I only gave it 1.5 stars (2 on Goodreads).

While I enjoyed certain elements of The Bear And The Nightingale, I found a lot of it to be quite confusing. The only thing that kept me reading was Vasya and her untoward behaviour to others as well as her relationships towards the end. I just skipped over the religious stuff as that didn't interest me in the slightest. The folkloric elements, while complex were again a little confusing.

This is a book to be read around Halloween/Winter I think as some of the elements are rather creepy. Because of these creepy elements I'd say this is an ADULT novel as well. It's also set in a cold Russia. 

I don't want to write spoilers at all in this review because I didn't understand all of the elements as I've said above and so there's every chance that I could get it wrong.

I'd give this book a 1.5 stars (2 on Goodreads) because I didn't love or really even like it to be honest. I really don't understand how this book has 5 star reviews as I didn't really read anything of interest in it. I was really annoyed by the lack of romance. I thought Vasya would fall in love in the story somewhere but that didn't happen. If there had been a romantic element then I think my rating would have gone up at least a star, so although I didn't absolutely hate the mystical elements they were just too confusing and they didn't replace the need for a romance for me...