HOW GOOD WAS IT?

9.5/10

BASICALLY

The Winter of the Witch begins right after the great fire that nearly burned down Moscow in The Girl in the Tower. Vasya, having saved the city, is misunderstood and nearly burned alive by an angry mob. Yes, this is the work of Konstantin the priest, who is still bitter about his own desire towards her and how she has managed to defeat him mentally time and time again.

Escaping the fire with the help of the Bear and a high price paid by Morozko, Vasya finds herself in Midnight: a land that holds the secrets to her origin, flying horses, and glowing mushrooms.

Chyerti (demons, spirits, etc) and men struggle to coexist. In the human world, war threatens to destroy Dmitrii Ivanovich’s court.

SO…

There are goods and bads here, as always with all books; but if this book could be summarized in one word, it would be: PERFECT.

A perfect conclusion to a trilogy. A perfect end to our brave heroine’s journey. Perfect relationship development. And… a perfectly hilarious Frost Demon (though he is probably not hilarious on purpose)

With beautiful yet succinct descriptions and a suspenseful plot, Katherine Arden has woven an unforgettable tale and struck a fine balance between Russian history and folklore. You might just be tempted to go look up the facts of this period of time after you finish the book just to prolong the experience with the story a little more.

SOME THOUGHTS

*Spoilers ahead

Konstantin and the Bear are a surprisingly interesting duo. At first, it was solely manipulation from the Bear. Gradually, it becomes a kind of mutual obsession where the Bear is entranced by Konstantin’s powerful charisma in front of the people, and the former depends on the Bear for a sense of direction. Guy is still finding his way toward the higher power he worships, but at the same time denies his desperation, and is confused why he is not at peace even when Vasya is thought to be dead.

Ded Grib (a mushroom spirit) and Pozhar (a flying mare with golden fire) represent the two spectra of Chyerti – the most common and the noblest. They are both adorable, both essential in Vasya’s journey. And let me tell you… they have more personality than a lot of protagonists in many other books I have come across. Can we just have their stickers already?

Morozko and Vasya finally have a solution – Now, as The Winter of the Witch unfolds, here are the things we know to stand in the way of their relationship:

– Morozko is immortal, Vasya is mortal (mostly).
– if Morozko starts learning too many names and caring about human affairs, he will be mortalized and lose his power. Great excuse for not showing up for family reunions.
– Vasya needs a purpose for herself and she is not content with just being Morozko’s Snow Maiden.

By the end, as Vasya discovers her heritage, she decides to return to her great-grandmother’s hut to learn magic, build a safe world for the Chyerti, and be the bridge that connects them to men. By making this choice, she is free to visit Morozko’s awesome gingerbread house any time she wants and does not have to lose touch with her family in the human world.

Again, couldn’t be more perfect.

Next…

The relationships, people, the relationships. Dmitrii and Sasha; Olga, Sasha, and Vasya; Solovey and Vasya; Marya and Vasya; Morozko and Medved; Medved and Vasya; etc. In short, every relationship introduced in this book is well fleshed-out. You are sucked into these characters’ emotional adventures because of how realistic and flawed they are. Even the Frost Demon Morozko, the least ordinary, least “mortal” character of this book, manages to make you care a little.

Olga and Sasha’s support for their little sister is simply wonderful. Their doubts about her always come and go, but in the end, they have each other’s back, which leads to the next thing…

My darling Sasha, why you?? I haven’t been this crushed ever since the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, if you know what I mean.

Sasha challenges Chelubey to one-to-one combat and wins, giving Dmitrii’s men confidence to stand by their Grand Prince and charge into battle. However, Sasha is fatally injured. Moments before his death, his spirit gets a chance to communicate with Vasya and Morozko; and even though Morozko has the magic to bring him back to life, he chooses to pass on.

First of all, maybe Sasha is right for not accepting the Frost Demon’s help because this Morozko guy is not that sure about what he’s doing sometimes.

Secondly, Sasha’s death is both a tragic loss and an occurrence that forces Vasya to understand the mistake she made before (in Book 2). Instead of dragging her brother back to the living as she has done with Olga previously, Vasya respects Sasha’s decision and wishes him peace.

And we readers are left to cry a river for them both.

FUNNY SCENES WORTH RE-READING (which, of course, are also spoilers)

Vasya summoning Morozko into Dmitrii’s gold vault by accident.

Ded Grib guilt-tripping Pozhar into helping Vasya.

Morozko gifting Vasya with the Sea-king’s jewel and how satisfied with himself he sounds when he informs Vasya that she has immortal blood in her veins and might live for a much longer time than ordinary mortals.

Sasha and Olga taking turns roasting Morozko about the dark influence he has on Vasya.

End of Spoilers

BOTTOM LINE

A story full of magic, ice, and more ice that is capable of breaking your heart, putting the pieces back together, and shattering it just a bit more.