Somehow, she must use the powers she has to make it all right. The Bear is loose Morozko is now captive somewhere Moscow is in danger from Medved and Konstantin and Vasya is concerned for her family, particularly Marya. Medved understands at once that Konstantin, in his role as priest, is capable of unleashing the most chaos on the populace through religious-inspired fear and hatred. Inevitably, Medved aligns with Konstantin, an apt, if ironic, agent for the devil. Above all he loves destruction and chaos, and will seek to sow it as he can.” “The Bear is among the greatest of chyerti, a master of the unclean forces of the earth.His chief skill is knowing the minds of men and women, and bending them to his will. Morozko and Medved are beings called chyerti: the various spirits of Russian folklore which may include human-like beings, animals, or plants endowed with the ability to speak, emote, and influence human affairs. In order to protect Vasya, Morozko gives her a magical horse named Solovey, which means Nightingale, and with whom she can communicate.Ī domovoi is a house spirit in Slavic folklore.
I will see the world beyond this forest, and I will not count the cost.” Do you think that is all I want, in all my life – a royal dowry, and a man to force his children into me? No, I am going on. “You may tell me to go home, but I may choose not to. Giving up immortality doesn’t seem like a good option.īut Morozko cares for Vasya and wants her to return to her family where she will be safer than traveling on her own.
He knows that “you cannot love and be immortal,” or indeed, have feelings at all. In the second book, the relationship between Vasya and Morozko takes on new depth, as Morozko struggles with his feelings for Vasya. Her life was saved by Morozko – the Winter-King, or Frost-Demon. In the first book, Vasya ran away from home to avoid the two choices for her future of either an arranged marriage or a nunnery. She is the granddaughter of a woman rumored to be the swan-maiden of fairy tales, and who also had these “gifts of sight.”
Vasilisa Petrovna, called Vasya, can see these spirits, as well as other fantastical beings, and she can hear voices no one else can. The country had been Christian for five hundred years, but some of the populace, hedging their bets, still honored the gods of Russian folklore, paying tribute to the spirits of the household and the land by leaving regular offerings to them. The story is set in the 1300’s in Russia, or Rus’, as it used to be known. I would advise that this book not be read as a standalone, but rather in sequence as part of the trilogy. The saga combines elements of a fairytale retelling, historical fiction, and fantasy. This is the third book in a trilogy that began with The Bear and the Nightingale, and continued with The Girl in the Tower. Note: Some spoilers for the first two books in this series.
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