The ''Winternight'' trilogy is a series of

adult An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...

historical fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those classed as Arthur ...

novels written by American author

Katherine Arden Katherine Arden Burdine (born 1987), best known by her pen name Katherine Arden, is an American novelist. Known primarily for her ''Winternight'' trilogy of fantasy novels, which are set in medieval Russia and have garnered nominations for Hugo ...

. The trilogy consists of '' The Bear and the Nightingale'' (2017), ''

The Girl in the Tower "The Girl in the Tower" is the fourteenth episode of the seventh season and the 147th episode overall of the American fantasy-drama series ''Once Upon a Time''. Written by Dana Horgan and Leah Fongand directed by Antonio Negret, it premiered on ...

'' (2018), and '' The Winter of the Witch'' (2019). At the beginning, the story takes place in a medieval Russian village. Vasilisa "Vasya" Petrovna has received a spiritual gift, using it to see the fantastical creatures that inhabit her village. This leads her to a conflict with the

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who becomes convinced that she is a witch.

Development and publication

Arden says she drew inspiration for the series from

Russian folklore Folklore of Russia is folklore of Russians and other ethnic groups of Russia. Russian folklore takes its roots in the pagan beliefs of ancient Slavs and now is represented in the Russian fairy tales. Epic Russian bylinas are also an important ...

. She has a degree in Russian and had lived in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

before moving to Hawaii. In October 2014, Del Rey acquired the rights for the first book, ''The Bear and the Nightingale'', which was published on January 10, 2017. It is Arden's debut book. Its follow-up, ''The Girl in the Tower'', was released on December 5, 2017. The final book in the series, ''The Winter of the Witch'', was released on January 8, 2019.

Reception

The ''Winternight'' trilogy has received positive reviews. Critics from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' praised ''The Bear and the Nightingale'', stating "Arden’s debut is an earthy, beautifully written love letter to Russian folklore, with an irresistible heroine who wants only to be free of the bonds placed on her gender and claim her own fate in 14th-century Russia." ''

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' stated, "Arden has shaped a world that neatly straddles the seen and the unseen, where readers will hear echoes of stories from childhood while recognizing the imagination that has transformed old material into something fresh", in a starred review. Everdeen Mason of ''

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'', said "Arden’s debut novel has the cadence of a beautiful fairy tale but is darker and more lyrical." ''The Bear and the Nightingale'' was named

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's "Best Book of January 2017".

References

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Winternight'' trilogy Book series introduced in 2017 Fantasy novel series American fantasy novels Young adult fantasy novels Fantasy novel trilogies