Reading Order
Bear and the NightingaleWinternight Trilogy Reading Order
Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy is a complete three-book historical fantasy set in medieval Russia, following Vasilisa Petrovna — a girl who can see the old spirits her village's Christianity is working to erase. The trilogy draws on authentic Slavic mythology and the history of medieval Russia. All three books should be read in order; the story is one complete arc across the trilogy.
Where to start
The Bear and the Nightingale
Complete Bear and the Nightingale Book List
- 1Buy
The Bear and the Nightingale
Katherine Arden·2017·Book 1 — Vasya is a strange child in a village where the old spirits are dying as Christianity spreads; she alone can still see them - 2Buy
The Girl in the Tower
Katherine Arden·2017·Book 2 — Vasya escapes her village and travels to Moscow, disguised as a boy; the Winter King's power grows - 3Buy
The Winter of the Witch
Katherine Arden·2019·Book 3 — Moscow burns; Vasya must choose between the old world and the new, and between two winter kings
Bear and the Nightingale — Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Bear and the Nightingale reading order?
Read The Bear and the Nightingale (2017), then The Girl in the Tower (2017), then The Winter of the Witch (2019). The Winternight Trilogy must be read in order — it tells one continuous story across all three books.
How many Bear and the Nightingale books are there?
Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy is a complete three-book series: The Bear and the Nightingale (2017), The Girl in the Tower (2017), and The Winter of the Witch (2019). The trilogy is fully published and concluded.
What mythology is The Bear and the Nightingale based on?
The Bear and the Nightingale draws on authentic Slavic mythology, particularly Russian folk tales and the spirit-world (domovoi, dvorovoi, bannik, and other household and natural spirits) that Russian peasant Christianity absorbed or suppressed. Arden studied Russian at Middlebury College and researched Russian folklore extensively for the series.
Is The Bear and the Nightingale similar to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell?
They share an atmospheric, literary approach to magic that treats it as both ancient and dangerous, and both are set in recognizable historical periods (medieval Russia vs. Napoleonic England). Arden's prose is more accessible and her pacing faster; Clarke's is more ironic and exhaustively detailed. Both are excellent.
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