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372 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 2019
“Love is for those who know the griefs of time, for it goes hand in hand with loss. An eternity, so burdened, would be a torment. And yet—” He broke off, drew breath. “Yet what else to call it, this terror and this joy?”
“Beware the forest,” she added, following Vasya to the door. “It does not take kindly to strangers.”
“I have plucked snowdrops at Midwinter, died at my own choosing, and wept for a nightingale. Now I am beyond prophecy.”
“There are no monsters in the world, and no saints. Only infinite shades woven into the same tapestry, light and dark.”
“You denied both the winter-king and his brother, didn’t you? You made yourself a third power in their war.”
“Magic is forgetting the world was ever other than as you willed it.”
Moscow is beset with danger and Vasya has only made it worse.![]()
She bent forward to breathe into his ear: "Never give me orders."
"Command me, then," he whispered back. The words went through her like wine.
“I am a witch,” said Vasya. Blood was running down her hand now, spoiling her grip. “I have plucked snowdrops at Midwinter, died at my own choosing, and wept for a nightingale. Now I am beyond prophecy.”The Grand Prince - through his rage - has been manipulated onto a path that surely would bring the end to an era.
Magic makes men mad. They forget what is real because too much is possible.A priest whose beautiful exterior hides a rotten core has almost completed his vendetta against Vasya.
Magic is forgetting the world was ever other than as you willed it.I like how the magic system was never completely laid out - it's mysterious and unpredictable - and it worked perfectly in Arden's world.
The mushroom-spirit was suddenly fierce. "He is not to kick over any of my mushrooms."And the plot! It's hard to explain the feeling I get when I read one of these books but the best way I could describe it is...this is a not a story but a journey.
"That depends," said the Bear pointedly. "If my brave mistress does not give me something better to do than run to and fro in the dark, I will happily kick over all your mushrooms.”
“Do you not know me?” she said. “I have loved danger since I was a child. But I have never loved cruelty.”
“It is not for men and women to presume what the Lord wishes. That way lies evil, when men put themselves too high, saying, I know what God wants, for it is also what I want.
“I have plucked snowdrops at Midwinter, died at my own choosing, and wept for a nightingale. Now I am beyond prophecy.”
“I will not forget what you said. I am your sister, and I love you. Even wandering in darkness.”
“If you spend all your days bearing the burden of unforgotten wrongs you will only wound yourself.”
“There are no monsters in the world, and no saints. Only infinite shades woven into the same tapestry, light and dark. One man’s monster is another man’s beloved. The wise know that.”
He spoke of Russia. Not of Muscovy, or Tver, or Vladimir, the principalities of the sons of Kiev, but of Russia itself, of its skies and its soil, its people and its pride.The tensions between Christianity and the old pagan ways, humans vs. chyerti, are ultimately resolved in a way that I hadn’t expected, but that I found profoundly moving, and Arden’s writing style is entrancing. The Winter of the Witch is not just the coming-of-age story of a girl with magical powers, or a romance, though it has both of those elements; it deals with larger themes, like love of country, individual worth, self-sacrifice, and cooperation with those who are different. The WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY was a wonderful series from beginning to end, and I give it my highest recommendation.
She listened in rapt silence, eyes vast and filled like cups with shadow. “That is what we are fighting for,” said Sasha. “Not for Moscow, or even Dmitrii; not for the sake of any of her squabbling princes. But for the land that bore us, man and devil alike.”
”There are no monsters in the world, and no saints. Only infinite shades woven into the same tapestry, light and dark. One man’s monster is another man’s beloved. The wise know that.”
”I will die. I will go into the darkness, into the wood between worlds where your brother guides the dead. But I will still be myself. If I am mad, I will not be yours. And dead I will not be his.”
”We can share this world.”
**Review is posted here on my blog**
Real rating: 4.5 starsWho is to say, in the end, that the three guardians of Russia are not a witch, a frost-demon, and a chaos-spirit? I find it fitting.
-Katherine Arden, The Winter of the Witch
I am sitting in front of a window, watching snow slowly drifting down from the sky, covering the ground with the carpet of pristine white. Frost and cold. I am thinking about the fairy-tales from faraway memory that, once upon a time, made me shiver with dread and excitement. Such a distant memory, but so warm. This is how my childhood tastes like. Katherine Arden is a sea-witch with an ancient Russian soul. With her enchanting words, she made me long for my childhood fairy-tales. And this is how true magic feels like.
Doubtless, The Winter of the Witch is the most fascinating book of the trilogy. You know why? Because it is filled to the brim with fairy-tale creatures, frost-demons, firebirds and nature. The kind of nature where mysterious magical things happen, the ones you want to be a witness to. And you don't have to be Russian to feel them. You just have to keep your eyes open.
So much happens in the span of 400 pages: human cruelty, death, magical adventure, love, treason, war, and, then, peace. And still, it was not enough! I want more of Midnight travels; I want to see faraway lands and realms and times. All is possible in the Winternight. And maybe one day, we'll encounter more of Vasya's travels. I wish...
Vasya is the heroine you cannot stop admiring. Such a growth from book 1! She transformed from a barefoot child into a grown fierce woman any creature would be honored to follow. She is brave, she is loyal - she is a true hero everyone needed. “I am a witch. I have plucked snowdrops at Midwinter, died at my own choosing, and wept for a nightingale. Now I am beyond prophecy.”
And Morozko! What a hero! He is not your typical knight in shining armor; he is complex and tormented by his own demons - he is the winter-demon. He is ancient and, at times, he feels distant, but he was there for Vasya, he wanted to be more human because of her. How could my heart not beat faster when Morozko was near? How could I not melt every time Vasya and Morozko were together? It's just beyond my strength to fight these two. “Love is for those who know the griefs of time, for it goes hand in hand with loss. An eternity, so burdened, would be a torment. And yet—” He broke off, drew breath. “Yet what else to call it, this terror and this joy?”
I need a frost-demon of my own. I think I'll make it my life goal to find one. Besides, I live in a country where winter lasts up to 5 months, so I might wander in the forest sometime, and look for the hero of my story.
Apart from the magic and incredibly reliable characters, can we talk about the historical aspect and cultural accuracy? In all my reviews to the trilogy I seem to be unable to stop praise Katherine Arden for the hard work of researching, more than that - living in the world she has created, because only when you are in something with the whole of your heart, can you create something so beautiful and endearing. To take the old and almost forgotten pagan culture and merge it masterly into the context of the - no less old and controversial - historical events, seamlessly merge the two, thus creating a wonderful story that conquers hearts of thousands of readers all over the world. Pure magic, if you ask me.
And if you were wondering, yes, paganism still exists, otherwise, how would I be able to run naked in the rain and make bloody sacrifices occasionally?
An amazing journey has come to an end. I am sad. Part of my heart stays with these books and will come back to them over and over again. But for now, can I just ask a Firebird to take me away to faraway lands of witches, frost-demons and chaos-spirits?
Note: all quotes are taken from the uncorrected ebook copy and are subjected to change in the final version of the book.
“There are no monsters in the world, and no saints. Only infinite shades woven into the same tapestry, light and dark. One man’s monster is another man’s beloved. The wise know that.”
“The more one knows, the sooner one grows old,” snapped the domovaya”
“I have been running through the dark, trying to save all who have need of me. I have done good and I have done evil, but I am neither. I am only myself.”