Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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In which I rant about the heroine

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

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I was about the day I finished The Girl in the Tower-years old when I realized two things: one, this series is YA darkish fantasy romance; and two, I don’t especially care for YA darkish fantasy romance. The problem is that there are a few characters I do want to see what happens to and the setting is interesting, with its mix of Russian folklore and history. I also do like the conflict from the first novel, not so much present here, between the old […]

I Will Be Suprised If This Trilogy Does Not Become an Award Magnet

The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy Book 1) by Katherine Arden

The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy Book 2) by Katherine Arden

The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy Book 3) by Katherine Arden

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I’ve been a little bit neglectful – I finished this series several weeks ago, but I’ve only now found the time to write about it. I was actually spurred on a bit by the announcement of the Hugo Award nominees, where I discovered that the author, Katherine Arden, has been nominated for a John W. Campbell Award for the second year running. So I felt now would be a good time to finish my write up. It’s no wonder that Arden has been nominated again, […]

Been there, but it isn’t bad

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

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I really wanted to like this much more than I did. However, parts of the book are very been there and done that. What makes the book stand out is the use Russian folklore and setting. Arden really does have the knowledge that makes the world believable. In fact, the best parts of the book are the ones where the heroine is growing up. These are so beautifully written, and quite frankly are the reason why the book rates three stars from me. When the […]

Do Not Suffer a Witch to Live

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

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Wow. Just wow. I was breathless and in tears within minutes of starting book #3 (have tissues near by) and was full of anger through most of the book. I can honestly say make sure you have this one ready to go after finishing book #2. Vasya comes into her own in this one and we are given a glimpse into a possible future. The book moves back and forth between Sasha and then Vasya in this one. My only complaint is I wanted more […]

Marriage, Convent, or Freedom?

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

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What a wonderful continuation of the “Winternight Trilogy” by Katherine Arden. We don’t only follow Vaysa in this one, we follow her brother and sister. We also get a couple of appearances from the fallen priest from book #1 and even more insight into Morozko. I wanted to see what the future held for Vasya and the Winter King and now in part two we get to follow Vasya after she rejects a typical life for freedom on the road with her stallion Solovey. Unfortunately, […]

Great from beginning to end.

The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy, #3) by Katherine Arden

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Time to buckle down and once again go at my review backlog. Apologies in advance for the sloppy or haphazard reviews about to spew forth from my keyboard. This trilogy, to sum up, is worth it. It’s a bit of a slow burn in the first book as Arden really sets her stage, with amazingly detailed descriptions of what life was like in medieval Russia, but I think all that set-up is more than worth it for the end product, which was a coming of […]



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