This is the third and final book in Katherine Arden's strong, fanciful, often wonderfully dark Winternight trilogy.
Set in fourteenth century Russia, complete with rich folklore, conflicts between those who follow the old gods and those who follow the new, and Vasya's gloriously persistent bravery, even when anyone with any sense would be tempted to give up altogether.
The weight of the world is on Vasya's shoulders in this book as she attempts to survive while saving the magical Morozko, her beloved horse, and Russia itself.
Katherine Arden finishes out the trilogy in typical mesmerizing fashion, with her usual masterful balance of magic, religion, love, passion, family duty, adventure, and search for meaning—and all with a main protagonist who’s your basic badass young Russian witch finding herself and Handling It all over the damn empire.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated perfectly by Kathleen Gati.
What did you think?
This book follows the other books in the series, The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, both of which were excellent as well. I highly recommend this series.