The Bear and the Nightingale is an otherworldly tale, set in a northern Russian village, about a girl called Vasilisa Petrovna who has second sight, which means she can see spirits and demons.

When an overly zealous priest comes to her village from Moscow and succeeds in turning the people away from their paganism to the Christian church, it sets off a chain of events that will awaken a fearsome darkness in the woods.

I liked the homage to Russian mythology in this book, I thought it gave the story a truly ethereal quality. Also I thought Arden's writing technique was sublime. I love it when a writer personifies nature, so the way things were described, such as the snow and the changing of seasons, I thought was delectable.

I also really liked Vasilisa, or Vasya as she is affectionately called. She reminded me of spirtedness of Arya Stark. This book was problematic in all its renderings of unbridled misogyny but because of that, the reader is able to empathise with Vasya as she constantly subverts gender norms and pushes back against the role she is expected to play because she's a woman.

And finally, even though this book is the first book in a trilogy, I like the fact that it reads like a standalone novel. There is no cliffhanger ending that means you have to continue reading the series, which is great if you're the type of reader that likes fantasy and magical novels, without having to commit to reading an entire series (or trilogy in this case).

This book has a slow burn quality that some readers may find trying. But overall I had no overwhelming concerns with the pacing. Also, given the almost medieval like setting of this book, I was unsurprised by all the problematic moments, such as the occasional demonic references to blackness, but judging this book overall, I very much enjoyed reading it. It is a book of lore and magic with a nightmarish edge.