Staff Book Review

Meet Kayla - Kayla is the Communications Coordinator at WCPL. When she is not at the library, you can find her in her metalsmithing studio, creating jewelry or snuggling up with her pets and a good audiobook.

This month, Kayla reviewed The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. The first book in the Winternight Trilogy!

"Reading The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden feels like sitting by a crackling fire on a snowy night while someone tells you an old fairy tale that’s both comforting and unsettling. It’s a story that lingers like the chill of winter, full of beauty, danger, and the quiet power of believing in things unseen.

Set in medieval Russia, the novel follows Vasilisa “Vasya” Petrovna, a spirited young girl who can see the old household and forest spirits that most people have long forgotten. In her small northern village, life is hard but magical — every hearth, barn, and river has its own guardian. As a new priest arrives and begins to preach against the old ways, fear starts to replace faith, and the delicate balance between the human world and the unseen world begins to fall apart. Only Vasya, brave enough to see what others cannot, stands between her village and a rising darkness.

What drew me in immediately was the atmosphere. Arden’s writing is gorgeous — every page feels frosted with snow and shadowed by pine trees. You can almost smell the smoke from the hearths and feel the cold biting at your fingers. Her Russia is vivid and alive, filled with both harsh reality and quiet magic.

Vasya herself is one of the most memorable heroines I’ve read in a long time. She’s wild and stubborn, but also deeply compassionate. She doesn’t fit into the narrow expectations her society has for women, and watching her push against those boundaries is both inspiring and heartbreaking. I loved how Arden captured the quiet courage it takes to simply be yourself in a world that fears what it doesn’t understand.

Beyond Vasya’s story, what really stayed with me was how the book explores the tension between old beliefs and new faith, and between fear and wonder. There’s a sadness in the way the villagers turn away from the old spirits, and a beauty in Vasya’s determination to remember them. It made me think about how easily people lose touch with the stories and traditions that once grounded them — and how much magic might still linger, unseen, in the corners of our world.

The Bear and the Nightingale isn’t a fast-paced fantasy full of battles and spells; it’s quieter and more poetic. It takes its time, but every word feels carefully chosen. When I finished it, I found myself thinking about the world Arden had created — cold, fierce, and full of wonder.

In the end, this book felt like a gift: a reminder of the strength in stories, the importance of courage, and the magic that survives even in the darkest winters. It’s the kind of novel that makes you believe in fairy tales again."