Adeline
Historical fantasy following Vasya a young girl living in the Russian countryside with her family, wild and touched by magic, she starts to sense a dark and threatening presence growing in the woods.
I absolutely inhaled this novel by Katherine Arden, her debut novel and the first book in a trilogy. This was such a wonderful read, the writing was so lush and evocative. I loved the presence of folklore and folktale woven into the story, giving it a whimsical but dark tone, and the wintery desolate atmosphere was perfectly captured. I loved how the author approached themes of patriarchy, traditions, zealotry, folklore, worship, faith, love etc. I really liked Vasya as a main character, such a strong and resilient girl who resists social, religious and gender norms, you can’t help but root for her. Other side characters were also compelling, I liked the winter king as a magical figure reminiscent of Hades, and even the pathetic Konstantinos and evil Anna was strongly drawn so they made for a good cast of grey characters. There was a couple of pacing problems (the middle felt a bit too dragging and the ending a bit too rushed, especially the last confrontation) that knocked half a star off for me. Overall, a perfect book for this winter season, I can’t wait to check ou the other two books.
Historical fantasy following Vasya a young girl living in the Russian countryside with her family, wild and touched by magic, she starts to sense a dark and threatening presence growing in the woods.
I absolutely inhaled this novel by Katherine Arden, her debut novel and the first book in a trilogy. This was such a wonderful read, the writing was so lush and evocative. I loved the presence of folklore and folktale woven into the story, giving it a whimsical but dark tone, and the wintery desolate atmosphere was perfectly captured. I loved how the author approached themes of patriarchy, traditions, zealotry, folklore, worship, faith, love etc. I really liked Vasya as a main character, such a strong and resilient girl who resists social, religious and gender norms, you can’t help but root for her. Other side characters were also compelling, I liked the winter king as a magical figure reminiscent of Hades, and even the pathetic Konstantinos and evil Anna was strongly drawn so they made for a good cast of grey characters. There was a couple of pacing problems (the middle felt a bit too dragging and the ending a bit too rushed, especially the last confrontation) that knocked half a star off for me. Overall, a perfect book for this winter season, I can’t wait to check ou the other two books.