Finished reading the Winternight Trilogy by @arden_katherine, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s enchanting, smart, and written with the confidence of an author who knows her themes.

I’m going to discuss some things below while it’s still fresh in my mind.

Spoilers will follow.

First off, Vasya is an amazing heroine. She’s brash and funny, caring and kind, angry and messy, makes terrible mistakes, and is forced to confront the consequences of her actions and grow through them. AND, she gets to fall in love with a demon— Death himself— & gets her HEA.

Second, the story never forgets itself. This takes place in medieval Russia during the Tatar occupation. Gender roles are central, and the narrative isn’t afraid of engaging with the harsh realities of patriarchy, where a woman choosing to be herself was often a death sentence.

But, at its heart, the Winternight Trilogy is a fairytale, and it never forgets that either. While the political intrigue is ever-present, it never detracts from the rich tapestry of Russian folklore and mythology that’s woven into Vasya’s story.

Third, while Vasya’s romance with Morozko, the winter-king, is fundamental to everything in the story, Vasya has strong love for her family, for her people, and for the natural world, and she’s never shown neglecting one for another.

In fact, once she’s finally claimed the winter-king as hers, he continually tries to convince her to leave her mortal cares behind— something she steadfastly refuses. And while her (sort of) monster husband is instrumental to her eventual victory, Vasya does most of it on her own

If not for her persistence, her strength, her refusal to surrender either to society’s expectations or to her lover’s exhortations to play by his rules (which he eventually abandons almost entirely, all for love of her), the hard-won victory at the end would have been impossible.

It’s a rare thing to find a story presented like this, with such care shown for the agency and humanity of the female lead. Near the end, Vasya reflects on finding a thrill in provoking fear, seeing men flee from her power in terror, and accepts it while recognizing the danger.

That’s remarkable. It’s also remarkable to see nearly every villain in the story cast in a morally gray light, and even offered redemption to certain degrees. And much of that is accomplished due to Vasya’s affirmative choices, particularly in the case of the primary antagonist.

This thread is already longer than I intended, but let me close by saying this: the three books each have a very unique feel to them, but flow together seamlessly. That’s a great accomplishment in itself.

In short, the trilogy is beautiful and enchanting. Highly recommended.