The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden

Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightengale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen. 

Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers-and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasua will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.

Praise for The Winter of the Witch:

(Normally I wouldn't include this, but I have several good reasons, besides the fact that it was included on GoodReads with the synopsis)

1. I completely agree with it.
2. Laini Taylor is AH-MAY-ZING, and I ♥♥♥ her!
3. Because I want to. 

"Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy isn't just good-- it's hug-to-your-chest, straight-to-the-favorites-shelf, reread-immediately good, and each book just gets better. The Winter of the Witch plunges us back to fourteenth-century Moscow, where old gods and new vie for the soul of Russia and fate rests on a witch girl's slender shoulders. Prepare to have your heart ripped out, loaned back to you full of snow and magic, and ripped out some more" - Laini Taylor

Review

I just got done reading this series, and I am so sad that Vasya's story has come to an end! This series was amazing.

If I could only say one thing about this series, I would definitely borrow the sentiment that stuck out to me most when I was reading other reviews of this book:

This is why I read. 

This book was unique and inspiring and funny and sad and insightful and creative, and a whole lot of other things, all wound up into one amazing work of fiction.

If you have not read the first 2 books, I recommend starting with my review of The Bear and the Nightengale (book #1) or The Girl in the Tower (book #2). 

This book starts off right where The Girl in the Tower ended. Dmitri still doesn't understand Vasya and tries to offer to marry her off within the first few pages of this book. Her siblings know the truth now, though, even though I'm not sure how much of it they believe. 

I absolutely loved this book! It was a perfect way to wrap up an awesome trilogy. 

I loved the unique premise for these books. I have never read any books that incorporated Russian folklore and fairytales. I loved learning about them and a little bit about Russian history.

In my reviews of TB&TN and TGitT, I ranted about my appreciation for the author's use of the Russian language and thanked her for adding a section about Russian names and language and their use throughout the book. I will not rant again, but "ditto." 😄

I still 💜💜💜 Vasya! She would be a total badass in today's society, but in her time, her level of badassery was completely unheard of in a woman. I love that no matter what, she doesn't back down and do what society expects of her, despite pretty much everyone around her trying to marry her off or send her to a convent. Thankfully, this book has less of that.

This is from TGitT, but I like it so here.

I also 💜 the chyerti! I wish I could find some fan art to post of them. While I've liked the domovoi since the first book, I also really liked the mushroom chyerti in this book! 

The only thing I would have liked better would have been to read the whole trilogy at one time, instead of having to wait for up to a year for each subsequent book. GOOD NEWS: If you haven't read any of the series yet, you can do that now, since they have all been released now!

I liked the way the author ended this book, but oh boy did it have me bawling, as did several other parts in the book. 

I also like the beautiful different book covers done for these books. Here is one set:

Here is a cute pic from Instagram that features the back of this book, which has the quote:

I will ride the world, in between times, through the farthest countries of dark and day. 

How cool is that?

If you haven't started reading this series yet, GO DO IT NOW! What are you waiting for?