I loved The Girl in the Tower just as much as The Bear and the Nightingale. Katherine Arden is an amazing author who has brought the magical world in her books to life.

This is one of those books where, if you're not reading it, you're thinking about it. I am now dreading starting the next one because I know it's the end. I love anything that has to do with folklore, and this story is just so well done.

This book was good since it did take off from where the first book left off at. I did like how they fooled the grand prince but wishing that Vasaliza didn't lose her strength throughout the rest of the book when she was found out.

Incredibly late to the party, I found The Girl in The Tower a bit more subdued than The Bear and The Nightingale but it was no less fantastical. Don't talk to me about Solovey,

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. I very much enjoyed this book - great series and wonderful characters. I will be recommending this book. Thanks again for letting have a chance to read it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! There's too much to describe! Action, self-discovery, danger, and love. I can't wait to see how this series is going to wrap.

Katherine Arden's writing is simply scrumptious and her gift for Russian storytelling something to be admired. This was another exciting and compelling addition to the adventures which began in The Bear and the Nightingale. A highly recommended series.

ɪs ɪᴛ ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜɪs ғʟᴀᴡʟᴇss?! ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴛʀɪʟᴏɢʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴀʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢᴀʟᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴍʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ғᴏʀ ʙᴏᴏᴋ 2, ᴛʜᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʀ ɪs ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡʜᴇʟᴍɪɴɢ. ɪᴛ's ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ғᴀsᴛ-ᴘᴀᴄᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀsᴛ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴍʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴀɢᴏɴɪsᴛ ʜᴀs ɴᴏ ʙᴏᴜɴᴅᴀʀʏ. ɪᴛ's ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɢʀᴏᴡ ᴜᴘ ᴀɴᴅ sᴜʀᴘᴀssᴇs ᴀʟʟ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴏᴘᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍs ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛʟʏ ʜᴀʀʙᴏʀᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ɪs sɪᴍᴘʟʏ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ!

It was hard to put down this adventure story! I really appreciated the glossary of terms in the back of the book. Learned a lot about Russian / Slavic mythology from reading this!

The Bear and the Nightingale series is my all time favorite books. This story combines all the best of fantasy into one story - winter - crisp scent of snow paralleled with the cloying scent of fire, gods struggling with humanity, magic, relationships - both platonic, romantic and familial, Russian folklore and girl power to the extreme!

The satisfying and thrilling final chapter in to this trilogy based on Russian folktale and myth. Romance and action are equally present and the characters are led to a fulfilling conclusion.

Katherine Arden writes, to put it simply, the most beautiful books I have ever written. She writes of Russia as though it were a living being, and her characters are (quite literally) the stuff of dreams and myth. Read this book with a hot toddy on a long winter night.

I’m not sure why I put off reading The Girl in the Tower for so long, but I thoroughly regret that now because it was such a great sequel! Where its predecessor The Bear and the Nightingale was a slow building atmospheric story that crescendos at its end, The Girl in the Tower felt like a well-paced, intriguing adventure right from its beginning. Vasya, having escapes the confines of her home and the village who thinks her either dead or a witch, has decided to travel the world on her magnificent horse Solovey. Her travels lead to her not only encountering the bandits roaming the countryside to burn villages and kidnap daughters, but also to crossing paths with the Grand Prince of Moscow who has set out to defeat these raiders… and who happens to have Vasya’s elder brother Sasha among his entourage. With threats closing in on the city on all fronts, Sasha agrees to keep Vasya’s secret when he senses that she might be the key to overcoming their foes. This sequel is brilliant! Arden maintains her lovely writing style, while bringing to life a new urban and political setting and weaving in a compelling plot (part court intrigue, part magic, part relationship dynamics). I was fascinated at the opportunity to learn more about this world; I also loved the continued incorporation of the whimsy, magic and folklore that makes this story feel like a modern fairytale. It was great to be reunited with Vasya (who is a protagonist that I utterly adore, even with her reckless streak), as well as being reunited with familiar faces and meeting some new characters too. This sequel is one of the select few that is even better than the previous book, and it certainly has me looking forward to reading the series finale!

Vasya’s adventures continue to perfectly mesh the historical events and folklore of medieval Rus’. Gorgeously written and atmospheric; a magical vision of 14th century Moscow and all its wonders and dangers. A forever favorite.

I was kindly sent an ARC from the Publisher via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.

This book was just as enchanting as the first one and full of even more adventure.

Mystery, magic, supernatural, one very determined young woman, her faithful magical steed and the wonders of Russia set in a time period that happened hundreds of years ago.

Katherine continues to amaze me with her storytelling and I can't wait to continue this series soon!

Trigger warnings: death of family, death of children, violence

This was such an amazing read. Katherine Arden's writing style is amazing. I can feel the world she builds jump off the page as I read and it sucks me right in. Vasya is such an amazing character and I relate to her so much. She is intelligent and strong and I love her stubbornness. This is such an amazing continuation of the series and I cannot wait to read more.

One of my favourite series, the second instalment to this Russian inspired fantasy series was just as beautifully written and engaging as the first. I can’t wait to see how Arden wraps up this wonderful series.

I really enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale, and couldn’t wait to read The Girl in the Tower. After struggling to get into the story, and finally finishing, I’m still not sure how I feel about this sequel. I tend to read lighter things, and felt this book, while still being very good, tended toward more weighty matters. The magic was still there, but it took me a while to find it. I'm glad I stuck it out, and will read the third and final installment. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a big fan of the first book in the series so it's no surprise that I love this one too. It's beautifully written, the story is enthralling, and the characters are all so different and flawed but still lovable.

An exciting continuation of the Vasilisa Petrovna fantasy series. The first book, The Bear and the Nightingale, was excellent and the sequel does not disappoint. Magical historical fiction inspired by the history and folk and fairy tales of Eastern Europe.