At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.

To be quite honest, it took me a while to get into The Bear and the Nightingale. It started off really slow and even though I’d read the synopsis, I wasn’t entirely sure what it was about. I knew it was supposed to be a folklore retelling/fantasy, but it didn’t feel that way at first. Once I got deeper into the story, it really started to click with me.

Vasilisa is the only member of her family that can see the old household spirits that have been in her home and village for centuries. Everyone thinks she’s just odd, and perhaps a bit crazy. When her new stepmother joins the family, and a new catholic priest moves to town, the village begins to fear God and ignore the old spirits. The old spirits begin to fade and the village begins suffer.

The Bear and the Nightingale is about one girl who refuses to walk the line of propriety and defies those around her to keep her family safe. She doesn’t care if she’s thought of as crazy, but she learns to hide that she can see things others can’t. She’s strong willed and defiant, and out of her time. At times, the book made me really angry – not from any of the fantasy aspects, but from how Vasilisa is treated by almost everyone in her life. I understand it takes place in approximately late 1700 - early 1800s Russia, and that was par for the course at the time, but it didn’t stop me from being upset on her behalf.


I really enjoyed the fantasy side of the story, but not so much the real life aspects. Vasilisa’s stepmother is horrible, so is the priest, her family only partially stands by her, and she has to hide much of herself. Despite all of this, she manages to keep on pushing and fighting. I think it sets a great example. If you enjoy fantasy, folklore, or historical pieces, I think you should give this one a try.


*I received a copy of book in exchange for an honest review

March was amazing! I think I might call it now and say it was the best month of the year for me. While I didn't get much reading done, I went on the vacation of a lifetime! My husband and I put a huge check on my bucket list and ventured across the pond to London.

Luckily I haven't fallen behind on my reading challenges, but I didn't get through a whole lot this month.

February had some great releases, but so does March! Just take a look at these beauties hitting bookshelves soon.

My most anticipated release is Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor!

Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton   - March 7th

Mere months ago, gunslinger Amani al'Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she's fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne.

When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan's palace—she's determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan's secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she's a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she's been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.


The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco - March 7th

The beast raged; it punctured the air with its spite. But the girl was fiercer.

Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who are feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living—and of the human.

Great power comes at a price, forcing Tea to leave her homeland to train under the guidance of an older, wiser bone witch. There, Tea puts all of her energy into becoming an asha, learning to control her elemental magic and those beasts who will submit by no other force. And Tea must be strong—stronger than she even believes possible. Because war is brewing in the eight kingdoms, war that will threaten the sovereignty of her homeland…and threaten the very survival of those she loves.


The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz - March 7th

From the multi-award-winning author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe comes a gorgeous new story about love, identity, and families lost and found.

Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican-American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?



Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner - March 7th


Can a text message destroy your life?

Carver Briggs never thought a simple text would cause a fatal crash, killing his three best friends, Mars, Eli, and Blake. Now Carver can’t stop blaming himself for the accident and even worse, there could be a criminal investigation into the deaths.

Then Blake’s grandmother asks Carver to remember her grandson with a ‘goodbye day’ together. Carver has his misgivings, but he starts to help the families of his lost friends grieve with their own memorial days, along with Eli’s bereaved girlfriend Jesmyn. But not everyone is willing to forgive. Carver’s own despair and guilt threatens to pull him under into panic and anxiety as he faces punishment for his terrible mistake. Can the goodbye days really help?


Hunted by Meagan Spooner - March 14th

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.





A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi - March 28th

Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Faced with a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they’ll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes—a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor.





Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves - March 28th

The thrilling first book in a YA fantasy trilogy for fans of Red Queen. In a world where social prestige derives from a trifecta of blood, money, and magic, one girl has the ability to break the spell that holds the social order in place.






Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor - March 28th

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around— and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance to lose his dream forever.

February was gone in the blink of an eye! The month of so many wonderful book releases, Valentine's Day, and lots and lots of rain.



We acutally were really disappointed with the Aquarium, which was geared almost exclusively toward children, and was packed with rude people who expected you to move out of the way and cater to them and their kids simply because we didn't have kids of our own. We only stayed for about an hour and a half before we had to leave. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, and I have no problem with them! I have a problem with parents who think they and their children are entitled to push you out of the way or cut in front of you simply because they have kids and you don't.

January 14th was my one year blogiversary and I was so busy that it completely slipped by me until a few days later! I'm bummed that I haven't had time to pour more of myself into this little blog, but I'm still here and I'm still posting, so don't count me out! January has been a month of change, personally and as a nation, and I've been coping with copious amounts of reading and sugary foods.