NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.“A tale both intimate and epic, featuring a heroine whose harrowing and wondrous journey culminates in an … and wondrous journey culminates in an emotionally resonant finale.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE
Vasilisa Petrovna is an unforgettable heroine determined to forge her own path. Her gifts and her courage have drawn the attention of Morozko, the winter-king, but it is too soon to know if this connection will prove a blessing or a curse.
Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.
Praise for The Winter of the Witch
“Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy isn’t just good—it’s hug-to-your-chest, straight-to-the-favorites-shelf, reread-immediately good, and each book just gets better. The Winter of the Witch plunges us back to fourteenth-century Moscow, where old gods and new vie for the soul of Russia and fate rests on a witch girl’s slender shoulders. Prepare to have your heart ripped out, loaned back to you full of snow and magic, and ripped out some more.”—Laini Taylor
“Luxuriously detailed yet briskly suspenseful . . . a striking literary fantasy informed by Arden’s deep knowledge.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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This trilogy was breathtaking.
I am so glad I stuck with it despite the initial slow pace of the first book. Eventually, it was impossible to put this story down and the characters will stay with me for a long time. By far, one of my favorite reads in the last few years.
If you are looking for a series that truly empowers women this is a must read. I have enjoyed the romantic elements of the story, the magic, and the reversal of many romantic tropes, as well as learning about Russian lore and history (though fictionalized).
I am so sad the series is over!
Remarkable.
Loved this series
This story was an adventure-filled, jam-packed, and emotionally loaded conclusion to one heck of a trilogy!
I finished this book, the third in the trilogy, a few days ago but I had to hold off before leaving my review, because if I’d reviewed it as soon as I finished, it would have pretty much been–THIS IS THE BEST SERIES EVERRRRRRRRR!
In all seriousness, I’ve never been as enthralled with a series of books as I have with this. (With the slightly embarrassing exception of the Twilight series, but my disclaimer is I’d just lost my job and had lots of other hard things going on, and sinking into the couch with the Twilight stories was a way to happily escape.)
The Winternight Trilogy is so beautifully written, I could not get through a single page without marveling at her word choices, turns of phrase, subtle clues, and descriptions. Her characters are beautifully flawed, the settings rich and foreign and stunning, the pacing is quick but not rushed, and the heroine…I would have followed Vasya anywhere Arden wanted to take her. And Morozko and the Bear…well, I’m not sure there’s another story that so beautifully depicts good as not all the way good and evil not all the way evil.
I could go on, but I’ll end it here with the note that yes, I know I used beautiful repeatedly in this review. Couldn’t be helped.
I had a mix of emotion when I started reading The Winter of the Witch. I was happy because this book was out. I was apprehensive because of the blurb. I was sad because the trilogy was ending. My feelings were validated for The Winter of the Witch. I never get emotional reading a book. But I did for this one.
Vasya was one of my favorite people in The Winter of the Witch. Even when pushed to her limits, she was one of the strongest people in the book. What she endured in this book would have killed lesser people. Instead, it made her a stronger person. It fueled her desire to bind Bear. I was worried about what was going to happen to her after Bear was bound. I was worried that the story was going to flounder.
Morozko is one of my favorite characters to date. He stole every single scene that he was in. The fight scene with Bear, his twin, was one of the best supernatural fight scenes that I have read to date. His scenes with Vasya after that were touching. I mean, he did follow her to summer. If that doesn’t tell anyone how he felt, that I don’t know what would. My only complaint is that he refused to get involved in the war. But I understood why.
Vasya’s rise to power in this book was amazing to read. I knew that something was going to happen when she was thrust into Midnight. I was thrown for a surprise when it was revealed who her grandmother was. I remember shaking my head and saying “Well, that explains a lot”. I liked how Vasya was able to keep her promise to the chyerti. There were points in the book, after her journey to Midnight, where I thought that she was failed. I have never been more happy to be proved wrong!!
There were several deaths in The Winter of the Witch. The death of Solovey, at the beginning of the book, broke my heart. Vasya never recovered from it. There was one death where I cheered. The other notable death was at the end of the book. I was crushed at that person’s death. Freaking crushed. I did cry. No shame here in admitting that.
The end of The Winter of the Witch was an emotional read for me. I am not going to give away spoilers but I was thrilled with how it ended. I was also thrilled with the other thing that happened. That came out of left field for me. I was happy. I might have done a fist pump and say “Yes!!“.
I want to add that the Author’s Note was a welcome surprise. I liked that the author used an actual battle as the backdrop of the one that took place at the end of the book. The Grand Prince and Sasha were actual people. She admitted to tweaking parts of the battle (which I expected). She pointed out something interesting about Russia that ended with the Revolution. Made me go “Hmmmm“. As was her fitting reference about the guardians of Russia.
What I loved was that she included a glossary. She also included a note on Russian names. Both were helpful!!
Awesome conclusion to the trilogy!! I love all three books and am a bit sad to see it end. I especially enjoy the end when the author explains what the Russian words mean.
This was one of my most anticipated new realeases for this year, and reading it has been a delight.
In this book Vasya makes new friends, lose her beloved ones, starts a path that leads to madness and does the impossible to save her country from the Tatars.
The winter king is imprisoned beyond reach and the bear is set free.
Excellent conclusion to an epic trilogy.
My favorite trilogy ever