Final Installment in Winternight trilogy!

Several years ago I picked up the book The Bear and the Nightingale by Katharine Arden which I greatly enjoyed and wished there was a sequel. It turns out the book was the first in the Winternight Trilogy. So, I read The Girl in the Tower when it was published and just finished The Winter of the Witch.

I had greatly enjoyed the previous books and was really looking forward to the concluding volume of this series and the adventures of Vasya. Immediately, I noticed The Winter of the Witch is much darker in tone than the previous ones. As the title suggests, this volume really focuses on the main character's identity as a witch and the chyerti (translated devils or spirits). The juxtaposition of this darker magic or pagan influence and the strong role of the orthodox church feels odd at times, but given the time period of the book is fairly accurate. This combination also creates a story that does not fall entirely into the fantasy genre or the historical genre, but is a pleasing mix.

Finishing the book, I found it was an overall satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Readers truly do follow the main character's development over the course of the entire series. As such, I almost want to go back and re-read the entire series in succession in order to follow the arc of the character development and story line better. I'm certain re-reading would also allow readers to catch details that help to fill in the larger story as well which would cause some of the "a-ha's" in the final book to make more sense. As such, I recommend that readers read the entire series. S Reading a single volume, and particularly to read the concluding volume by itself, would not be a satisfying experience as it is definitely not a stand-alone novel. I do look forward to reading future books by author Katherine Arden.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book The Winter of the Witch via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”