What are some of the different opposing forces Arden uses in The Bear and the Nightingale in place of the standard “good versus evil” dynamic? Why might she have chosen to use them instead?

What are the main traditional fairy-tale tropes and character archetypes that Arden employs in The Bear and the Nightingale? How does she either conform to them or adapt or subvert them?

Analyze Vasya’s bonds with her father, siblings, and stepmother. In what ways do familial loyalty and conflict drive the story?