#BlogTour-‘The Winter Of The Witch’ by Katherine Arden

About the book…

Moscow is in flames, leaving its people searching for answers – and someone to blame. Vasilisa, a girl with extraordinary gifts, must flee for her life, pursued by those who blame their misfortune on her magic.

Then a vengeful demon returns, stronger than ever. Determined to engulf the world in chaos, he finds allies among men and spirits. Mankind and magical creatures alike find their fates resting on Vasya’s shoulders.

But she may not be able to save them all.

Many thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the blogtour invite and Ebury for the paperback review copy of ‘‘The Winter Of The Witch’!

What a way to finish a trilogy-wrapping up all the threads of the previous novels whislt creating a story in and of its own right, is no mean feat but Katherine Arden has done it with aplomb. I would recommend starting at the beginning rather than jumping in at the finish, however, it is possible to read this without reading first ‘The Bear And The Nightingale’  and ‘The Girl In The Tower’ (but why would you not want to revel in this magic from the very start?!)

“If you spend all your days bearing the burden of unforgotten wrongs you will only wound yourself.”

I completely love the world that Katherine Arden has created-it feels both ancient and new, and is completely wonderfully, her own. The character of Vasya has to carry the weight of the whole narrative arc on her young shoulders as she struggles to accept the magical gifts she is able to wield as a witch.

Melding a sense of amgical fairy tales with the history of Russia, this is a book that makes you want to find out so much more about the 14 th century time period and the folklore of this country which is all you really want out of any book-the gift to explore, read more and become completely engrossed in worlds other than your own.

“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.”

Deeply moving, this is Vasya’s triumph as she fights her own nature as well as external demons-a book which takes you into the heart of yourself at the same time as the characters you are reading about. It plunges you soul deep and makes you want to turn to page one of ‘The Bear And The Nightingale’ and begin the troilogy all over again.

Absolutely enchanting and heartbreaking whilst snatching your breath away, this is a book series which engenders so many emotions it is as if every time you open a page you are shaking a snowglobe to see where it settles after the storm has dissipated. Katherine Arden reveals her story in a lyrical tone which reflects the time and place of her character’s lives and I feel bitterly sore to leave them behind.

All I know is that whereever her writing takes us readers next, I will be heartily glad to follow.

About the author..

Born in Texas, Katherine studied French and Russian at Middlebury College.

She has lived abroad in France and in Moscow, among other places.

She has also lived in Hawaii, where she wrote much of The Bear and the Nightingale.

She currently lives in Vermont.

Links-http://katherinearden.com/

Twitter @arden_katherine

@EburyUK

@annecater