This is just an amazingly well written series with a great plot. The writing is simply beautiful and lures you in to a fairytale. Just great!

A wonderful follow-up to The Bear and the Nightingale; raw, riveting. I will definitely be recommending this at my the library; breathlessly waiting for Katherine Arden’s next book - though this one will be hard to top!

The Girl in the Tower nicely moves forward from the ending of The Bear and the Nightingale, with an older, but just as adventurous Vasya. In this second installment, Vasya is accused of withcraft because of her ability to see and communicate with creatures that other people can't, but that people still fear. Superstitions, fear of the unexplained, and suspicion of anyone who may be different put Vasya in actual physical danger if she doesn't choose to either be controlled by a husband or the Christian church through the structure of a convent. Vasya chooses to run and that's where things take off.

The Girl in the Tower is much more adventure and action than world building which moved the story along really well. Although Arden does give the reader more character development for Vasya, we get more of her family connections and new characters are introduced, I did have one small disappointment. I really enjoy Morozko (Frost) as a main character and we don't get as much from him in this one. I am torn on whether that is actually a disappointment or not. Since Vasya really is the central character that everything else revolves around, it's only fair that most of the focus is on her development.

Although The Girl in the Tower felt more like a YA story than The Bear and the Nightingale to me, I did enjoy it and will be happy to get my hands on the next installment. If you haven't read book one yet, I recommend reading it first before jumping into this one. These are great books to pick up now that it's getting colder and the nights are longer. Winter is the perfect backdrop for this series.

It’s become quite clear that I will read anything Katherine Arden writes. Her debut The Bear and the Nightingale was one of my favourite reads of last year. I dare say that Bear is a mere drop in the ocean when it comes to Arden’s writing and clever plot twists in The Girl in the Tower.

Following on from the ending of Bear, Vasya is branded a witch and because she's not content with just being some man’s wife or living in a convent as a nun for the rest of her life, she leaves her village with Solovey. Vasya braves the cold wilderness and doesn't look back, she wants to see the world and experience life but the only way to do this is to disguise herself as a Russian boy.

There was a real sense of adventure in Girl, Vasya finds herself embroiled in a brewing political war between the Moscow royal family and the Khan of Mogul. Vasya cannot stand by while villages are burning and children are being kidnapped and instead risks her life, battling bandits with nothing but her cunning mind and tenacious nature.

Vasya is reunited with her brother Sasha, a priest and right hand man of Prince Dmitry and Olga a Russian princess who is sequestered in a tower with her children and terem. I loved the complex relationship Vasya had which each sibling and how they each battled with the internal struggle of religion and what was expected of women and their role within society compared to their wild sister. As always Arden’s abilitiy to carefully craft a book filled with religion, history, politics and fairytales is truly genius.

I didn’t think it was possible to enjoy Girl more than Bear but I was wrong. Between the stunning prose, the lush world building and a slow burn budding romance, I was completely hooked and found myself reading long into the night. I was absolutely delighted to see Arden include yet more Russian myths and legends, such as the fire bird, Polunochnitsa and I particularly loved reading about Kaschei the deathless.... and of course my beloved Morokzo. The elusive Frost-Demon is just as thrilling and enticing as always, there weren't enough pages with him in to satisfy my shameless obsession with him!

The Girl in the Tower is a bewitching sequel, with magical writing and stunning prose that transports you to medieval Russia, you would swear you could feel the winter frost nipping at your fingers while reading. Arden takes readers on a thrilling adventure, elegantly weaved with gorgeous Russian history and folklore that keeps you in its thrall until the very end. The Girl in the Tower was easily one of my favourite books of the year and although I really don’t want this series to end I can’t wait for book three!

This richly layered tapestry of early Russia reveals a deeply researched history which flows smoothly into the supernatural fantasy world of early fairy tale and fable. Even with a fully embraced religion, the beautifully decorated orthodoxy of Russia, the harsh weather and life of the times demanded its own explanations of nature. Into this background is introduced a cast of complex characters, many of whom we met in Book 1, but who are now adults (or older adults) rather than children. The second book stands well on its own; you are probably going to prefer to read the books in order, however, to enjoy the full vision of author Katherine Arden (think Tolkien!).

Among other topics explored, although somewhat subtly, is gender identity and what it meant to be a woman in medieval Rus' (we are well pre-Russia!), including cloistering of noblewomen in a terem with limited access to the outside world. But largely this is a novel of adventure and exploration of both the seen (the frozen rivers as highways for six months of the year!) and unseen (household figures such as domovoi--a pagan concept seen in many cultures (think Roman lares or "Anglo-Scottish" brownies), and the connections between them.

As with the first novel in the series, "The Bear and the Nightingale," I was enthralled cover to cover, including the endnotes which discuss Russian naming conventions and give definitions for various words. Give yourself time to enjoy this many-textured, fully imagined tale.

Disclaimer: There was no doubt in my mind, having read book one, that I would search out book two (and three!) so I happily requested it from Netgalley as soon as it became available.

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on 2018 March 22

BOOK REPORT for The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden

Careful, Sweetie: spoilers! This is the second book in the Winternight Trilogy, so if you haven’t read The Bear and the Nightingale, you should probably hop back in the TARDIS and go curl up in the library by the pool with the first book before continuing.

Cover Story: Montell Jordan
BFF Charm: Yay
Swoonworthy Scale: 8
Talky Talk: Like A Fine Wine
Bonus Factors: Cross-Dressing, Loyal Pets, Family, Magic
Anti-Bonus Factor: Terem
Relationship Status: To The Ends Of The Earth

Cover Story: Montell Jordan



This cover is as pretty as a classical painting hanging in an art museum. The colors are rich and warm and there are so many callbacks to actual things in the book. It blends in perfectly with the first cover, too, which had a much colder and darker aesthetic. Also, shout-out to the title, which works in so many ways.

The Deal:

A girl and a horse, wandering the wilderness, with only a Frost Demon keeping watch over them. A monk, too restless to stay humble inside a monastery, who instead dines with a prince and brings light to the hopeless. A woman, smarter than any man will ever give her credit for, sequestered away from the public eye, as is custom. And a crowded, bustling city, in danger of crumbling under the Khan.

Multiple stories converge together to build upon the world we were introduced to during The Bear and the Nightingale. Rus is fighting for its freedom against a tyrannical ruler; the old, magical ways are fighting against progress and the rise of Christianity; and Vasya and her family are fighting right in the middle of it all.

BFF Charm: Yay



Vasya is a girl born in the wrong time. She cannot be content, like her sister, to be hidden away in the terem of Moscow. In the previous book, we knew her as a headstrong, wild-like creature of the forest, and this is her journey of accepting who she is, societal pressures be damned. I’d love to be Vasya’s friend if only to be near her true BFF: her horse, Solovey. (Does he have any siblings?)

Swoonworthy Scale: 8

Morozko is drawn to Vasya for reasons neither she nor we are completely privy to when the novel begins. Vasya is, understandably, kind of a badass, so I don’t blame him for taking to her, or for wanting to protect her when she (foolishly) assumes she’s got this travel thing on lock. And on Vasya’s side, I can totally get the attraction of an icy Frost Demon who seems to melt only for you. We all love a bad boy, even ladies from ancient Russia. The romance in this book is the perfect kind for this type of fantasy; it’s subtle, forcing you to read between the lines, but what you do pick up, whew. Prepare yourself.

Talky Talk: Like A Fine Wine

The Bear and the Nightingale was slow and very atmospheric, and The Girl in the Tower expertly builds on that foundation, giving us more action, more politics, and more intrigue, yet it never forgets to dazzle you with its sense of place. This is the kind of series that I want to savor, swirling it around on my tongue and taking small sips because I never want it to stop. There’s a mystical quality to the world but the characters themselves are very much grounded in reality as full actualized people with good and bad traits alike. It's times like these where I really feel the wait between installments. Give it to me noooooow (though it seems the third book is coming out this year, so perhaps it's not that long of a wait at all!).

Bonus Factor: Cross-Dressing



It’s a shame that the only way women could get things done way back when was to dress up like a man. Vasya is particularly incensed to realize what a life she could have had in Moscow if she had only been born with a swinging appendage between her legs.

Bonus Factor: Loyal Pets



Solovey is the son of Morozko's own mare. He’s just what you would want from a talking, magical, equine sidekick: the practical, wry sense of an animal and the unwavering loyalty of a true companion.

Bonus Factor: Family



We don’t return to Vasya’s little village and her family there, but instead we get to see more of the two siblings she loved dearly and hasn't seen since she was but a child: Olga and Sergei. They’ve both grown into very political, world-wise and -weary beings, and I loved seeing Vasya through their eyes and them through hers. Their reunions are hard-won and heartbreaking as they all begin to realize Vasya isn’t the same child they left behind.

Bonus Factor: Magic



The magic is subtle but masterfully woven into everything, making you wonder what will happen next—what else can Vasya do? What is going to come to fruition or potentially fade away before the end of the series?

Anti-Bonus Factor: Terem



Terem are the towers where the high-born women from the city would live, away from the eyes of anyone except the men of the family. They were unable to travel about the city except on special occasions. Sadly for the women of the time, this was common practice until the early eighteenth century.

Relationship Status: To The Ends Of The Earth

I know you’re always down for an adventure. Where are you headed this time, Book? I need only a few moments time to gather up my travel gear, sell all my worldly belongings, and make sure I’m bundled up good for the cold weather ahead. Let’s meet out back and I’ll follow wherever you lead.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Del Rey. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. The Girl in the Tower is available now.

This book ROCKED. Fairy tale fantasy adventure at its best!!

I had to go and read the first book in this series as I had not done so. This is a wonderful sequel. It is just as captivating at the first.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Truly excellent. If Arden's previous book was a fairy tale, this follow-up is about the consequences of the fairy tale. It is more grounded, and doesn't shy away from harsh realities for all that it revels in magic and fantasy too. Vasya's journey continues, in wonderful and terrible ways, and we see a lot more of her extended family and of old-timey Russia now that she has left home.

This installment has different subtextual concerns too. Where the first mainly took on religion and spirituality, this one zeroes in more on heroism, responsibility, and gender. I am getting a little tired of the "girl must disguise herself as a boy" trope, but the way it's done here at least makes a great deal of sense given the prescribed role of women in the time and place depicted. And (thank goodness!) Arden does not throw any "confused romance" into the mix. That is to say, there is no pining after any boy who thinks Vasya is also a boy. There is an entirely different sort of romance at play here.

I found myself gasping and laughing and yelling at this book, I was so affected. I didn't want it to end!

As the second book the The Bear and the Nightingale, I wasn't sure what to expect. But after reading it, I can tell you that if you liked the first one, you'll like the second too! Highly imaginative and colorful, if you are looking for a story that will make you smile, you've come to the right place.

Thank you for the opportunity to review.

So excited to read this sequel! Did not disappoint.

This is the direct sequel to “The Bear and the Nightingale”, and resumes where the latter left off, following both Sasha and Vasya from that point onwards.

I’m a little torn about this book. While still calling upon Russian folklore and legends, these didn’t play as much of a part as they did in the first book, and I was a little disappointed to see them take the backburner. (Morozko was still here, but I don’t know if it was so good for him, all things considered when it comes to the ending.) Paradoxically, this time, I also liked that the focus shifted more towards city politics, with the characters having to grapple with ‘what consequences will our actions have in the grand scheme of things’, for instance Dimitrii re: the Golden Horde. And that, I think, ties into one of the big themes of the story, a.k.a it’s well and all to want your independence, but finding ways to achieve it with minimum damage should be part of your focus as well.

It followed that I liked Vasya less in this second instalment. On the one hand, I sympathised with her plea of not wanting a life where she’d be locked up in the terem most of the year, and forbidden to do what she loved (riding Solovey, for instance) because ‘it didn’t become a woman’. Because not having a choice is the lot of most people, doesn’t mean we have to always accept it meekly without fighting (I mean, if everybody did that, we’d still work 14 hours a day and send children to the factory at 12 or something, I suppose); and that she’d see her niece doomed to the same kind of fate was painful. On the other hand, more than in the first volume, Vasya’s desire to travel and not live under restraint like her sister caused even more problems, likely because of the stupid ways she often approached this, and/or completely ignored any other character’s warnings. One extremely obvious example: if you aim at passing for a boy, cut your hair first thing, don’t just hide it under a hood. I think this is one detail that kept baffling me every time Vasya’s hair was mentioned, because it was so illogical to me. Getting giddy with the feeling of freedom and making mistakes? Okay, understandable. But other problems could’ve been avoided with a little common sense.

I’m interested in the third book, to see how all this will unfold, but I definitely hope Vasya will have learnt from her mistakes this time.

A fantastical journey with a fierce, independent protagonist. A great read for lovers of fairy tales, historical fiction, and epic fantasies. This book is written with the most beautiful storytelling that keeps you on the edge of your seat as well as drags you in with its' prose.

As I said after the first book, The Bear and the Nightingale, I am not a big fantasy reader, but i would classify this book also as folktale/mythology/history. I was looking forward to this book in the trilogy and even though I did not enjoy it as much as the first, it was still a very strong story and moved along quickly.

Medieval Russian superstitions are the backbone of this trilogy, with many of the same chyerti (spirits and/or demons) in this book as the first as well as some new ones. Vasya (Vasilisa) has the sight passed down to her by her mother and grandmother before her. Unfortunately, she has been labeled a witch, so unless she wants to be sent to a convent or marry someone she doesn't love, she hops on her magical horse, Solovey, dresses up like a boy, and heads off into the world for adventure. Running into bandits who are burning villages and stealing young girls to sell as slaves, she escapes to a monastery with 3 of the girls and runs into her brother and the Crown Prince of Moscow. Her brother agrees to keep the secret of her gender so she is off to experience battle, camaraderie, and more. Once again, the winter king, Morozko, the man made of ice and snow, with his chilling pale blue eyes, comes to her aid many times. He also comes as death welcoming those who are leaving the earth. Vasya makes many decisions and choices that affect not only herself but family and others who have befriended her. Whether these decisions are the right ones or not will be revealed as you read this story.

Katherine Arden has done a great job creating the time period and introducing us to the various magical creatures and the power they possess. This story is quite a bit darker with more violence than the first in the series. There is magic, family, folklore, the arising power of the church, battles, adventure, political uprisings and coups as well as bandits and the culture of the time. This was a very harsh and uncertain time for those in power as well as the individual lords and their villagers. The weather, especially the descriptions of the winter, make you feel what those living there are going through. There are pieces in the story that give us more information about the family that explain more about Vasya's gift. The ending is a surprise and leaves you wanting more. I am looking forward to the last book in this trilogy. The author's notes at the back give information about the folklore, the characters and her desire to stay true to the history of this period. I recommend this book to anyone as there is something for any book lover.

This second book in the series, the first being the enchanting The Bear and the Nightingale, surpassed my expectations. It was every bit thrilling as the first. This second book finds Vasya choosing her own path of adventure over marriage and leaving behind an uncertain relationship with Morozko. While some readers may be pining away for their union, I loved that she stayed true to her character and set out on her own path with her trusted friend, Solovey. The dangers they face and the choices she's forced to make in this second installment makes the tension all too real, Arden masterly portrays the inner conflicts Vasya and the other characters struggle with. What the heart wants vs what is the right thing to do. You see their flaws and commiserate with them. It wasn't just the characters that made this book memorable, I was enthralled by the 14th century Russia that Arden created, from the frozen forest Vasya traveled through to the historical setting and political intrigue that was Moscow. This is definitely one I will recommend over and over.

When I read The Bear and the Nightingale I was enraptured in a way that I had not been with a book in a very long time. I was grieved to reach the ending, fearing that I had read the last of these characters that I had come to love so much. The Girl in the Tower was an unexpected joy, and knowing now that there will be a third book is even better.
The Bear and the Nightingale was such a strong start that one would expect anything following it to pale in comparison, but that did not happen with The Girl in the Tower. Vasya and Morozko are just as delightful and frustrating in this sequel and I find myself cheering for Vasya through every victory and defeat. The mystery and tales entwined through this novel are wonderful, but Arden's rich storytelling could hold my attention through even the most boring of tales. What a wonderful world she has built for us to visit.

Oh, MY GOSH! I love this series so much and The Girl in the Tower was no exception! I really can't go into much detail as this *is* a sequel but if you haven't read The Bear and the Nightingale I would recommend that you do it right away!

The atmosphere in The Girl in the Tower is a mixture of dark, forbidding, and embodied the spirit of storytelling in a wholly magical manner. The landscape of Russia was beautifully laid out in the forests and the bitter winter weather. Even more so than the physical landscape in regards to atmosphere, it felt like there was a lot of work put into keeping the people authentic. From names and titles to the attitudes, I felt like these were real people coming off the page, though I did need to pay attention because the names changed depending on gender and relationship, more so than other fiction I've read.

This is not a fast reading book. Normally I have issues with stories that take forever to get anywhere, but there are instances of when a slow burn plot can be done well: Memoirs of a Geisha, Rin Chupecho's The Bone Witch series, and now Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy. I noticed it when I read The Bear and the Nightingale last year and can confidently add the series, most recently with The Girl in the Tower being published, to the list of successful slow burns.

The narrative opens with Sasha, Vasya's priest brother, and the horror of bandits that seem supernatural in nature and in their capacity for terrorizing the Russian countryside. Then there is some backtracking to Vasya and Solovey's beginning as travelers and what she's been doing, how she's come to meet up with Sasha at a monastery. Nothing is easy and there is always a sense of dread, which made the reading a bit uneasy, but at the same time amazing.

Sometimes Vasya was foolish, always stubborn, but overall I was reminded of what I liked about her from the first book. While the journey was difficult, protecting herself from a life chosen for her, she was determined to find it and her own life. Her strength was present at all times and you could see how much it cost her to brave the world rather than succumb to marriage or a convent.

Solovey was my favorite character: a strong, noble, enormous horse that was companion and mount to Vasya. He was in turns funny and stern and had quite the love of porridge. Morozko was also beguiling and I enjoyed the interactions between him and Vasya. He understood much more of the world and tried to impart this knowledge on Vasya while at the same time allowing her to learn on her own terms, even if that sometime lead to almost deadly pursuits.

I would recommend reading The Girl in the Tower soon after reading The Bear and the Nightingale because it will be easier to remember characters introduced in the first novel and prevent confusion in the second.

Oh god, I think I'm in love. This book was absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to buy my own copy. The world was developed, the characters remarkable, and the writing was simply the best I've read in a long time! I demand everyone has this book on their shelves, it's that amazing!

5 Stars - I highly recommend if you enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale!

This book picks up right where the first one left off. I don't want to give any spoilers!

When I started this book, it was just a little bit hard to get into. There is a change of setting, which took me a bit of time to adjust to. However, at about 25% through the book, it really took off for me, and I was really invested in the next chapter of the story. This chapter of the story is a bit more political and societal than the last one was, but I really enjoyed that part of it. Again, I marveled at how Arden wove together folklore with historical fiction. Her writing was just as full of detail and magic as in the first book. I am just as in love with Vasya as ever. What a wonderfully headstrong character. I love Solovey. I love Vasya's brothers. I love Morozko. Goodness. I'm SO excited to get my hands on the last book in the series. :) :) :)