--- product_id: 253448630 title: "The Bear and the Nightingale" price: "$30.07" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 5 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/253448630-the-bear-and-the-nightingale store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # 4.6/5 star rating from 1,219 reviews Set in medieval Russia with rich nature folklore Paperback edition, easy to carry The Bear and the Nightingale **Price:** $30.07 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > ❄️ Embrace the magic of the wild winter—where folklore meets fierce independence! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Bear and the Nightingale - **How much does it cost?** $30.07 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/253448630-the-bear-and-the-nightingale) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Epic Slavic Folklore Immersion:** Dive into a world where ancient nature spirits clash with emerging Christianity, blending history and myth in a unique narrative. - • **Critically Acclaimed Bestseller:** Join thousands of readers who rated this novel 4.6 stars, making it a must-have for fantasy and literary collections. - • **Perfect for Millennial Managers:** A compelling coming-of-age fantasy that balances intellectual depth with escapism—ideal for your next bookshelf centerpiece. - • **Atmospheric, Lyrical Writing Style:** Experience Katherine Arden’s poetic prose that brings the harsh Russian winter and magical elements vividly to life. - • **Unforgettable Protagonist Vasilisa:** Follow Vasya, a fiercely independent and witty heroine who defies societal norms and connects with the mystical forest. ## Overview The Bear and the Nightingale is a bestselling paperback novel by Katherine Arden, blending medieval Russian history with Slavic folklore. It follows Vasilisa Petrovna, a strong-willed young woman who communicates with nature spirits amid the rise of Christianity. Praised for its lyrical prose and rich atmosphere, this 4.6-star rated fantasy is a captivating coming-of-age story perfect for readers seeking depth and enchantment. ## Description NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A wild and willful young woman finds herself at the center of a tale of spirits, ancient evils, and the mysterious winter-king Frost―in the lyrical first novel of the Winterni Review: HAVE ALL THE STARS! This book deserves them. My god, what a masterpiece. - HAVE ALL THE STARS! This book deserves them. My god, what a masterpiece. No, you overreact a lot. When I originally started to read this, I struggled with the first 30%. I thought that maybe I didn’t really enjoy the beginning due to my mindset and where I was at (as can sometimes be the case), so I decided to go back to the beginning and start again. I am so glad I did because I fell in love with this book. I did the same thing with Ferrero Rocher – I had one once and didn’t think much of them, then I had another and now it should be the law that I own all Ferrero Rocher and nobody should question it. Anyway, I do digress. Gather round people, lend me your eyes and let me tell you for why I liked this book so much. Before the end, you will pluck snowdrops at midwinter, die by your own choosing, and weep for a nightingale. The Bear and the Nightingale is best summed up by the words of the author – “A book set in Russia in the middle ages and is a mix of actual history and Slavic folklore”. The story follows Vasilisa Petrovna (or Vasya for short) – the daughter of Lord Pyotr Vladimirovich. During the time this is set, Christianity is still relatively new to these lands, and when a new priest arrives into the village there is inevitably conflict between this new(ish) god and the old gods. Actually, they are nature spirits rather than gods, but you get the point. The story doesn’t take the typical, somewhat easy route of a split townsfolk warring against each other and instead focusses on what happens to the nature spirits when people start to forget about them. NEWSFLASH – it ain’t good for them. You see, they do good. And when they are forgotten about, they fade away and can no longer do good. "Dread settled over the village: a clinging, muttering dread, tenacious as cobwebs." I think Vasya may just be the greatest character to have ever been written ever not even slightly exaggerating!! I LOVE her so much (in a purely platonic manner). I’m trying to avoid referring to her as a ‘strong, independent, female character’ because quite frankly that just doesn’t do her justice. She is so much more than that. I heard Katherine Arden read a deleted scene in which Vasya was referred to as being particularly ugly. Her father refers to her as being a ‘forest imp’ and that term sums her up so well! Throughout the story we see that Pyotr marries off his children when they come of age (as was the norm at the time). Vasya has no aspirations to get married to a wealthy Prince or Lord (despite her sister reminding her how wonderful such a thing would be). Instead, she wants to live in the forest, and spend her days gathering food and climbing trees and digging in dirt, and I feel so at one with her. She spends her days riding horses and communing with nature spirits… wait, what?! Oh yea, did I also mention, she can see nature spirits that other people can’t see and talks to her horses – they also talk back, she’s not just a rambling mad woman (although, that is how the other villagers would see her). I particularly enjoyed the conversations between Vasya and her siblings, and Vasya and the priest. Vasya is witty, clever, funny and caring but can be rather savage at times. Her ability to deliver a thud of cold hard truth was so satisfying. Several times I was internally shouting "YEAH, YOU TELL HIM!" like some kind of Vasya team cheerleader, just with a lot more beard, and my wrists are much more sexy than that of the average cheerleader. “I go to church, Father,” she replied. “Anna Ivanovna is not my mother, nor is her madness my business. Just as my soul is not yours. And it seems to me we did very well before you came; for if we prayed less, we also wept less.” give me a V… give me an A…. Okay, enough Vasya love (there will never be enough Vasya love, I will not be silenced!) and let’s talk about Arden’s writing style because by the gods this woman writes magical sentences. As I was reading I kept thinking ’Oh, that’s a really good sentence’ and ’wow that’s beautiful’. I seriously can only hope to someday write with such strength and beauty. Just as one tiny example, look at this: "His voice was like snow at midnight." I mean, come on! Who even thinks to write like that. Bloody Katherine Arden does, that’s who. I doff my hat to you miss – I am in awe. I loved the setting. It’s dark, brooding, cold, and harsh. The weather is described in such a way that it feels much more powerful and important than usual. Throughout the book we are reminded of how hard it is to live in this environment. It’s easy to see how people didn’t survive the winter. It’s easy to forget in our modern age that there was a time when if you did not prepare for the winter, you simply died. The plot was great. I was invested throughout and the ending is really satisfying (although, there was one death I wanted that didn’t happen *shakes fist in the air*). I believe there is another book due out soon, and then there will be a third and I CANNOT WAIT JUST GIVE THEM TO ME ALREADY! If you have this book on your TBR just do yourself a favour and read it already. It’s bloody marvellous and I will fight you if you say otherwise (I won’t fight you. I will simply respect your right to be wrong). Sometimes if I read a kindle version of a book (as I did in this case) and I really like it (as you may have guessed I did in this case), I will then buy a physical copy to have on my bookshelf. And LOOK AT THIS COVER – as if there is even a chance I ain’t going to have a hardback copy of this on my shelf soon. Anyway, I’m off to bake some bread and then bury it in the garden as an offering to the old gods. Peace and Love. Review: Novela inspirada en cuentos rusos - Vasilisa pierde a su madre desde una edad temprana. Ama el bosque , es la alegría de la casa, pero es tan extraña como lo fueron su madre y abuela. Se murmura que pueden hablar con seres del bosque y se murmura que esta destinada a algo mayor en su vida. Eso preocupa a su padre, que parte de regreso a Moscú en busca de una esposa que le ayude a educar a su extraña hija e involuntariamente se ve envuelto en una trama política y religiosa que cambiará para bien y para mal el mundo que conocían. ## Features - Category Type: Novels & Stories - Author: Katherine Arden - Binding: Paperback - Book Language: English - Publisher: Del Rey - ISBN: 9781101885956 ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #35,048 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #79 in Coming of Age Fantasy #599 in Paranormal Fantasy #632 in Action & Adventure Fantasy | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,219 Reviews | ## Images ![The Bear and the Nightingale - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81aZqxLbSlL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ HAVE ALL THE STARS! This book deserves them. My god, what a masterpiece. *by C***K on 29 September 2017* HAVE ALL THE STARS! This book deserves them. My god, what a masterpiece. No, you overreact a lot. When I originally started to read this, I struggled with the first 30%. I thought that maybe I didn’t really enjoy the beginning due to my mindset and where I was at (as can sometimes be the case), so I decided to go back to the beginning and start again. I am so glad I did because I fell in love with this book. I did the same thing with Ferrero Rocher – I had one once and didn’t think much of them, then I had another and now it should be the law that I own all Ferrero Rocher and nobody should question it. Anyway, I do digress. Gather round people, lend me your eyes and let me tell you for why I liked this book so much. Before the end, you will pluck snowdrops at midwinter, die by your own choosing, and weep for a nightingale. The Bear and the Nightingale is best summed up by the words of the author – “A book set in Russia in the middle ages and is a mix of actual history and Slavic folklore”. The story follows Vasilisa Petrovna (or Vasya for short) – the daughter of Lord Pyotr Vladimirovich. During the time this is set, Christianity is still relatively new to these lands, and when a new priest arrives into the village there is inevitably conflict between this new(ish) god and the old gods. Actually, they are nature spirits rather than gods, but you get the point. The story doesn’t take the typical, somewhat easy route of a split townsfolk warring against each other and instead focusses on what happens to the nature spirits when people start to forget about them. NEWSFLASH – it ain’t good for them. You see, they do good. And when they are forgotten about, they fade away and can no longer do good. "Dread settled over the village: a clinging, muttering dread, tenacious as cobwebs." I think Vasya may just be the greatest character to have ever been written ever not even slightly exaggerating!! I LOVE her so much (in a purely platonic manner). I’m trying to avoid referring to her as a ‘strong, independent, female character’ because quite frankly that just doesn’t do her justice. She is so much more than that. I heard Katherine Arden read a deleted scene in which Vasya was referred to as being particularly ugly. Her father refers to her as being a ‘forest imp’ and that term sums her up so well! Throughout the story we see that Pyotr marries off his children when they come of age (as was the norm at the time). Vasya has no aspirations to get married to a wealthy Prince or Lord (despite her sister reminding her how wonderful such a thing would be). Instead, she wants to live in the forest, and spend her days gathering food and climbing trees and digging in dirt, and I feel so at one with her. She spends her days riding horses and communing with nature spirits… wait, what?! Oh yea, did I also mention, she can see nature spirits that other people can’t see and talks to her horses – they also talk back, she’s not just a rambling mad woman (although, that is how the other villagers would see her). I particularly enjoyed the conversations between Vasya and her siblings, and Vasya and the priest. Vasya is witty, clever, funny and caring but can be rather savage at times. Her ability to deliver a thud of cold hard truth was so satisfying. Several times I was internally shouting "YEAH, YOU TELL HIM!" like some kind of Vasya team cheerleader, just with a lot more beard, and my wrists are much more sexy than that of the average cheerleader. “I go to church, Father,” she replied. “Anna Ivanovna is not my mother, nor is her madness my business. Just as my soul is not yours. And it seems to me we did very well before you came; for if we prayed less, we also wept less.” give me a V… give me an A…. Okay, enough Vasya love (there will never be enough Vasya love, I will not be silenced!) and let’s talk about Arden’s writing style because by the gods this woman writes magical sentences. As I was reading I kept thinking ’Oh, that’s a really good sentence’ and ’wow that’s beautiful’. I seriously can only hope to someday write with such strength and beauty. Just as one tiny example, look at this: "His voice was like snow at midnight." I mean, come on! Who even thinks to write like that. Bloody Katherine Arden does, that’s who. I doff my hat to you miss – I am in awe. I loved the setting. It’s dark, brooding, cold, and harsh. The weather is described in such a way that it feels much more powerful and important than usual. Throughout the book we are reminded of how hard it is to live in this environment. It’s easy to see how people didn’t survive the winter. It’s easy to forget in our modern age that there was a time when if you did not prepare for the winter, you simply died. The plot was great. I was invested throughout and the ending is really satisfying (although, there was one death I wanted that didn’t happen *shakes fist in the air*). I believe there is another book due out soon, and then there will be a third and I CANNOT WAIT JUST GIVE THEM TO ME ALREADY! If you have this book on your TBR just do yourself a favour and read it already. It’s bloody marvellous and I will fight you if you say otherwise (I won’t fight you. I will simply respect your right to be wrong). Sometimes if I read a kindle version of a book (as I did in this case) and I really like it (as you may have guessed I did in this case), I will then buy a physical copy to have on my bookshelf. And LOOK AT THIS COVER – as if there is even a chance I ain’t going to have a hardback copy of this on my shelf soon. Anyway, I’m off to bake some bread and then bury it in the garden as an offering to the old gods. Peace and Love. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Novela inspirada en cuentos rusos *by M***A on 5 April 2019* Vasilisa pierde a su madre desde una edad temprana. Ama el bosque , es la alegría de la casa, pero es tan extraña como lo fueron su madre y abuela. Se murmura que pueden hablar con seres del bosque y se murmura que esta destinada a algo mayor en su vida. Eso preocupa a su padre, que parte de regreso a Moscú en busca de una esposa que le ayude a educar a su extraña hija e involuntariamente se ve envuelto en una trama política y religiosa que cambiará para bien y para mal el mundo que conocían. ### ⭐⭐⭐ It was ok I guess *by B***O on 16 July 2019* Got me the first time but after I left it for a while I never took it back again ## Frequently Bought Together - The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel (Winternight Trilogy) - The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy) - The Winter of the Witch: A Novel (Winternight Trilogy) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/253448630-the-bear-and-the-nightingale](https://www.desertcart.us/products/253448630-the-bear-and-the-nightingale) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-10-17*