Review: The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

The Winter of the Witch is the third book in the Winternight Trilogy by  Katherine Arden. It picks up where book two left off. Things are chaotic in Moscow and people are looking for someone to blame for all that has befallen them. The people focus on Vasya and blame her for their ills. She finds herself fighting for her life.

Vasya journeys on the Midnight Road where it is always midnight and it is more than a time, it is a destination. The chyerti, the Russian folkloric spirits, are drawn to her. Some want to help, some are less beneficial or downright dangerous. She crosses paths with Baba Yaga and learns something important about herself in the process. As the book goes on, the spirits both large (think Morozko) and smaller (ex. Ded Grib) become more and more important.

Dmitrii tries to send tribute to the Tatars. But it fails and the Tatars will march toward Moscow. Dmitrii finds himself in the position that he must raise an army to meet them. Vasya will play a key part here as well.

The best way to read this book is as a follow up to the first two. This is not a standalone. You would definitely lose something if you tried to read it by itself.

I enjoyed seeing Vasya continue to evolve as a character. Even Morozko doesn't remain the same as he was in the first book.

The book is excellently written. I liked the first book a lot. The second one I didn't enjoy quite as much, but still it was good. The third book? Excellent! It draws it all together and sews up the plot points in a satisfactory way. The afterword tells which points are actually historical and which are more fantasy.

Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's well written. It ties things together and the characters grow and change. I continue to enjoy the way the old religion honoring the chyerti is paralleled to the new religion as it was historically. If you've read the first two books in this trilogy, you must read this one as well. If you haven't read any of them yet but are a fan of fantasy with a base in both history and folklore, then do read this trilogy. I look forward to seeing what else Katherine Arden has in store.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.