Description
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter dominates most of the year, with snowdrifts towering higher than houses. Vasilisa, however, does not mind. She spends her winter nights huddled around the fire with her beloved siblings, listening to their nurse’s fairy tales. Her favorite is the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon who claims unwary souls in the frigid night. According to her nurse, wise Russians fear Frost and honor the spirits of house, yard, and forest to protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father travels to Moscow and returns with a new wife. Fiercely devout and city-bred, Vasilisa’s stepmother forbids the family from honoring the household spirits. Though the family complies, Vasilisa senses that their rituals are more crucial than anyone realizes. Indeed, crops begin to fail, sinister forest creatures creep closer, and misfortune plagues the village. Meanwhile, Vasilisa’s stepmother becomes increasingly harsh, determined to force her rebellious stepdaughter into either marriage or a convent.
As danger encircles her family, Vasilisa must defy even those she loves and tap into her long-hidden gifts to protect them from a threat straight out of her nurse’s most frightening tales. The Bear and the Nightingale is a magical debut novel by a gifted and unique voice, weaving an irresistible spell and heralding the arrival of an exceptional talent.
