I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Girl in the Tower picks up where The Bear and the Nightingale left off. Vasya flees her father's village on her horse Solovey, deciding to travel the world and see the things she has only ever heard about. She encounters towns and hears bells ringing for the first time. Morozko reluctantly helps her in her travels, but the joy of experiencing new things comes to an end as she comes across burnt villages where survivors tell of bandits with a near magical ability to disappear-taking the young girls of the village with them. Vasya's quest to reunite stolen girls with their families brings her to Moscow and puts her in the path of some familiar faces.
The Girl in the Tower is a delightful mix of medieval adventure and Russian fairy tale. Fantasy isn't a genre I usually pick up on my own, but the Slavic folklore in The Bear and the Nightingale caught my eye. I was excited to see what would happen next for Vasya in The Girl in the Tower. I wasn't disappointed and am looking forward to the third installment of her story. This one's ending took me by surprise...I was so caught up in the story that the end of the book crept up on me. I was so disappointed it was over!

(see link for full video review)

The Girl in the Tower is a stellar follow up to The Bear and the Nightingale. Katherine Arden has a way with words, and her writing is lyrical. I enjoyed this book every bit as much as the first one. My one caveat is that the books are dense, and it takes quite a while to get through them both. I received this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

After I finished reading The Girl in the Tower, all I could think was wow, what an amazing followup, because much like The Bear and the Nightingale, Arden's second title in the Winternight Trilogy satisfies some of the questions left at the end of the first book and leaves a lot of questions to be answered in the upcoming final book. The writing and atmosphere is both foreign and familiar, like a fairy tale you've only heard on the peripherals of the familiar stories we've grown up with. Arden expertly weaves and subverts those familiar fairy tale tropes while managing to make her tale fresh and exciting. After such a stunning followup to the already incredible The Bear and the Nightingale, I'll certainly be picking up anything Arden writes in the future without any hesitation.

Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing falls flat in this sequel. The story is just as lush and beautiful as the first. The story comes to life on every page, and I was enthralled from start to finish. I generally devour books, but Arden's writing deserves to be savored. I don't want to give anything away, but read it if you're looking for something magical that you can really sink your teeth into!.

Book: The Girl in the Tower
Author: Katherine Arden

It's been awhile since I've so fully enjoyed two books by an author. But Katherine Arden's The Girl in the Tower and The Bear and the Nightingale are two that I have delighted in. The newest story picks up just after the first, and follows the strong-willed, teenaged, female protagonist as she tries to save her people and discover her place in a man's world. She walks a delicate line in terms of a woman's role in Russia and makes many questionable choices, but that just makes me wince for her all the more and draws me further into the story.
The atmosphere of these books are both chilly and warm, for there is an almost-romance in each that made me both sad and expectant. While this is technically a sequel, it's easy to read as a standalone novel, (but certainly gives the most enjoyment by having read book 1).

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34050917-the-girl-in-the-tower" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy, #2)" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501159995m/34050917.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34050917-the-girl-in-the-tower">The Girl in the Tower</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13922215.Katherine_Arden">Katherine Arden</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2139409996">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
NETGALLEY #4<br /><br />Many thanks go to Katherine Arden, Ballantine Books, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. <br />Having been emotionally swayed by The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower is leaving me bated.<br /><br />Even better than Book One! Often I dread reading the second book in a trilogy because it's a bridge between the stage set of One and the climax of Three, so just not a very exciting experience. That was not the case with Tower. The same characters from Nightingale are back, but they are up to brand new adventures. The story picks up mere days after the other ended, so no time has passed. Vasya, however must disguise herself as past of the plot, so she's in constant danger. Not to mention her fight against her attraction to Winter. We meet new guardians and welcome old ones. And we support the Muscovites as they battle the evil one who cannot die. <br />I dont know about you, but every time I read Arden's books I become freezing cold. There is just so much snow. I could never live in Russia. That's how I judge.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6595648-bam-the-bibliomaniac">View all my reviews</a>

I have to say that I am loving this trilogy more than I ever expected to. It is completely different from anything else I read and I have trouble “letting go” of the books after I’ve read them. I’ve ended each book feeling like it is a 4.5 star book, but then as it settles within my brain and I keep thinking about it for days and weeks after finishing they inevitable turn into 5 star books.

I think what I loved the most about this book is that I NEVER knew what was going to happen next. Everything that happened was unexpected, and even when I tried to guess I ended up wrong. Most of the books I read are formulaic (some extremely so) and it’s refreshing to have a book where I have absolutely no clue what is going to happen at any time. No clue. At. All. Katherine Arden has serious storytelling skills. Both books started off slow for me, but once I let myself become immersed in them then they were excellent. It’s hard to write a review when I want to start each sentence with “The thing I loved most was…”. Everything is my favorite thing about The Girl in the Tower, but especially the atmosphere that Arden developed in The Bear and the Nightingale and then continued/evolved/changed as book two progressed. That atmosphere shines through on the covers and they completely represent the books.

Cover Love is real with these books. I absolutely loved the covers for The Bear and the Nightingale and was trying to decide if I preferred the American or UK cover better. I ended up with an American hardcover, and it is even more gorgeous than I expected. I imagine the UK cover is the same way, so I believe that this is one series that I will be buying in duplicate. Seriously. I never do that, but these covers are that good.

I love sequels that build on everything good about the first book. Did you want more Vasya being badass? This book has it. Did you want even more scary spirits, ghouls, and demons? Wrap yourself in a blanket and hold onto your amulets because there are plenty.

Vasya escapes her town and goes to Moscow to find her brother, Sasha, and sister, Olga. She saves a small village from bandits and goes around as Vasilii, meeting a mysterious lord named Kasyan. Secrets are abound and her family is in even more danger than ever.

I loved all the tower sequences. They were my favorite part of the book. They hit on every emotional, legendary, and mythological level. Each family had more of an arc than in the first book. I even enjoyed Solovey as more of a character, even though the magic horse served as more of a vehicle for both Vasya and her story.

If I had to complain about something, there was a little bit of unnecessary romance. Taken into account of fairy tale nature of the book, I give it a pass. It rang true to tropes and I cannot wait to see how the story comes together full force in the final book.

This is a strong second book from Arden- no sophomore slump here.

Vasya is so much herself here, while still being a young woman figuring out who exactly she is, in this world that doesn't care for women like her. She's headstrong (sometimes to her detriment) and passionate and it all rings very true. The continued exploration of family ties is well done, particularly across generations.

The developments with Morozhoko worked out in a way that I'm content with, we'll see how book 3 goes.

I felt some very real suspense toward the back third of this book, as the tension and stakes ramp up for both Vasya and Moscow.

There really isn't anything I'd change about the story, it's lovely, I just don't end up loving these quite enough for a full five stars (maybe the small cast?)

oh man, I struggled with this one. I do not know why but I just didn't enjoy it as much as the first, though there were certainly some good parts and overall I liked the story and I still want to read book 3, it just wasn't as... <i>enchanting</i> as the first one. if I could do half stars, it would be 3.5.

I really like and am super curious about Morozko, and of course I love Solovey. Unfortunately, Vasya really got on my nerves at times. I get what she wanted and why, totally, but it just seems like she made a lot of stupid decisions and hurt people, but it moved the plot along, so if she'd been smarter, the plot wouldn't have been able to progress as it did. so, I get it, but she still annoyed me at times.

Unfortunately, I really struggled through the first half of the book which tainted the entire book for me. The second half really picked up and was just wonderful, which is great, but I shouldn't have to read half a book just to get to some good parts. that's annoying. Ugh. I don't know. I feel bad rating it a 3, but at the end of the day, even if I want to read the next one, this one did not hold my attention as well as the first, and it was not as enjoyable a read.

I feel like I should apologize to this book for taking so long to read it. It was wonderful. Dark, ethereal, and compelling, and I can't wait to read this again.

I really like this series! I enjoy fairy tale retellings and reading about different cultures. This books has all that and more: compelling characters and deep emotions. I can't wait for the third book to come out!

I love it when a sequel lives up to the level of the first book in the series. I adored The Bear and the Nightingale, and while there were a few loose ends, it could have easily ended as a standalone. So, when I heard there was going to be a sequel, I sighed and kind of wished the publisher would leave well enough alone. I was expecting the sequel to be a pale imitation and leave me wishing I too had just left well enough alone and stopped reading after the first book.

Thankfully, my worries were for nothing. The Girl in the Tower has the same magic and storytelling charm and I am so, so glad I picked it up. The same blend of fantasy, folklore, and history that worked so well in the first book continues to work well here. The chapters continue to be on the longish side, but that is also still not a problem for me. I flew through this book and had to force myself to read slower and savor the story. The characters continue to be likable, and while they still aren't hugely deep (fairy tale!), Vasya's storyline allows for more depth of character as we watch her try to come to terms with who she is and what she wants, and does not want, from life.

Bottom line

Readers who enjoyed the first book should enjoy the sequel just as much. Katherine Arden has a gift for storytelling and her words and tales are enchanting. I cannot wait for the third book.

Four stars: A brilliant sequel that plunges you back into the cold, wintery world of Moscow in the olden days.

Vasya after the crushing loss of her father, must make some hard choices. She is an outcast in her village thanks to the priest and her stepmother branding her a witch. Vasya’s choices are to run to her sister in hopes of finding a suitable husband, go to a convent, or remain with the Frost Demon. Spirited Vasya, picks none of the above. She wants to see the world, and she refuses to be put in a cage. So instead she masquerades as a boy and sets out to see the world with her trusted stallion, Solovey. Unfortunately, trouble finds Vasya quickly enough. She encounters village after village burned and pillaged by bandits. Then she comes face to face with the bandits. Quick thinking Vasya, outwits the bandits, but she soon learn she has made a terrible enemy. As she flees to Moscow, danger follows. In Moscow, Vasya still pretending to be a boy, is reunited with her sister and her brother. She doesn’t realize that she has now brought the danger to her family. Can Vasya outwit danger once again?
What I Liked:
*I was a huge fan of Ms. Arden’s debut book, The Bear and the Nightingale. I was more than eager to plunge back into this snowy world filled with magic, folklore, dark tales and demons. I wasn’t disappointed in this sequel, though perhaps it wasn’t quite as good as the first, it still delivered a fantastic tale steeped with all the old world charm that I so loved in the first.
*I was relieved to see that the religious themes were not as prevalent in this one. There is still the menace of Christianity as it overtakes the country, causing people to leave behind their pagan ways and belief, thus the magic is dying. Instead, this is more a story about Vasya fighting against the social ideas of what it means to be a woman. She masquerades as a boy, and soon finds out the deadly consequences of her actions. I loved seeing Vasya once again fight against the system and those that want to chain her down, and even worse, there are small minded people who want to accuse her of witchcraft. Her passion, fiery personality and fierce determination are outstanding.
*I loved Solovey, Vasya’s horse. Solovey can talk to Vasya, and the two are inseparable. They were the perfect pair. My favorite part of the book was the horse race. It was thrilling.
*The story is full of danger and suspense. Vasya learns the truth about the bandits, unwittingly placing herself and her family in grave danger. The book builds and builds to a dramatic climax that had me on the edge of my seat. It was fantastic.
*Once again, I was enchanted by the world building. Ms. Arden does a tremendous job bringing old world Moscow to the reader with its harsh cold, haunting folklore, magic, ghosts and demons. Excellent world building!
*The Frost Demon, Morozko, is back, and he is as enigmatic as ever. I thought I had it figured out how the relationship between Vasya and Morozko would play out, but I was wrong. It is complex, and I am not sure at all as to the future. I am fascinated by Morozko, and I am eager for more of his character.
*One thing I like about this series is that the books don’t end with a cliffhanger. Both books have ended in a good spot. If this was the end, I would be satisfied, but it’s not. I have one more book to look forward to!
And The Not So Much:
*This book felt like it took longer to get going. The story wandered around for a long time, and I wasn’t sure where the plot was headed. When Vasya gets to Moscow things begin to slide into place.
*There was this reveal at the end regarding the sorcerer and the ghost. I was disappointed that this story line was left hanging. I wanted more details!

The Girl in the Tower is a beautifully written book that transports the reader to the bitter cold days of winter in old world Russia. I love the setting, the characters and the world building. If you want a book with old world folklore, danger, magic, demons and ghosts along with a fiery main character and her trusty horse, look no further. This is the perfect book to get lost in on a wintery day.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

My Review: I finally finished this book, it didn't take me nearly as long as The Bear and the Nightingale but it still took longer than I expected. This is definitely a book that is meant to be read at a slower pace with all your focus on it. I was too easily distracted by other books that I was reading during the slower parts of the story. Some of the issue for me was the pacing, it would be really slow and things described in detail when there was not a whole lot happening and then when the action would pick up the description was gone and it went too fast. I did however enjoy Vasya's character development throughout this story and my favorite parts were when her and Solovey were together. I loved the bond that they had and the adventures they went on were exciting and dangerous yet honorable. While I did enjoy this story, I really feel like it could use some trimming down, I feel like not all the tangents throughout the book were not truly necessary even though they were tied in nicely. I am intrigued by the third story, hoping it will focus on Masha but by the time it has been released I may have lost interest.



My Rating: Like with the first book I really struggle to rate this book, the writing is beautiful but I was so easily distracted, I enjoyed parts of it but as a whole it isn't high on my list. I have to go with a middle of the road rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag. I really think that some readers will really appreciate the slow pacing of this book and it will definitely work better for readers who focus on one book at a time.

I put off reading this book for months. I loved the first book so much and I couldn't dream how Arden could pull off a second book that was anywhere near as good as the first. At some point, I finally knew I could put it off no longer, so I pulled out the first book again and did a reread. Oh. My. Gosh. I loved it even more the the 2nd time, so my anxiety (yes I sometimes have anxiety over books....don't judge me for that I won't judge you because you don't! #justsaying). I forced myself to start this book.

At 20% I was just...well....heck....what can I say...I was surprised....I was honestly loving it even more. I knew there was no way the 2nd book could be even has as wonderful as the first...yet somehow it was turning out EVEN BETTER!!!! I was terrified to ask my friends who loved the first book to read it...to see if they would feel the same way....I spent page after page wanting to rush and ask them to read this and the need to keep silent so I didn't jinx it...At about 30% the need to share my love won out...I let the world know I was in love! I was crushed with myself...I KNEW I had ruined it and jinxed the novel...that it would all go downhill quickly...At 70%I couldn't believe all of the emotions I was feeling...at 75% I had to stop reading and take a half day off from reading...I couldn't slow down enough to make sure I didn't miss anything...I was just loving it so much that I wanted to race heedlessly to the end...so I forced myself to set it aside for most of the day to calm myself...

What can I say? There's no way I can express all the wonder in this book. No way to explain why this is so much better than the first book. I don't even know why....well...sure...I mean, there's the part of spending more time with Vasya...and the Winter King...But seriously...I just can't do a review to put all of my feelings into words...So different from the first book...but also so much the same...less of a made-up fairytale feel and more of a real-life fairytale....yes perhaps that's it...instead of just wanting a warm cozy fire nearby reading the first book, this book I found myself snuggling deep within the covers...of both the book and my bed...Every time that Morozko spoke I felt the kiss of the cool fresh air of first light on cold winter's morn...

See, I am rambling...I am like some over stimulated child that has had too many sweets and too much excitement all in one day...

I loved this book so very much that I am ALREADY having anxiety through the roof about the third book...I just want to keep these characters near...I woke up with morning (after staying up past midnight to finish this novel!) knowing I had dreamt of horses and domovoi...

I just want to be one of those crazed fans and run out and meet Katherine Arden and thank her for the beauty she has brought into my world. For making me believe...well...in all the wonderful things this book brings to me...that magic does exist....that love is the greatest gift...that there are those that will sacrifice anything for the right cause....that loyalty can't be bought...nor sold...that kindness matters...the list goes on and on....and honey oat cakes...I want to bake her honey oat cakes over an open flame...and FFS I don't even know what those are!!!

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review

While sequels can feel repetitive and dry, The Girl in the Tower was a powerful sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale and strengthened the story. Differing from the first novel, The Girl in the Tower has a fast-paced plot, mystery surrounding new and old characters, and the deepening of magic. I'm a sucker for romance, especially the forbidden and mysterious kind, and Arden has get this a-plenty with Morozko and Vasya. I guessed the ending easily due to some pretty typical plot conventions; however, I did not mind--the characters have depth and unique traits that kept me invested, even on the edge of my seat, as the action unfolded.

Having loved The Bear and the Nightingale, I hoped that Katherine Arden’s sequel, The Girl in the Tower, would be the first book I previewed in 2018 but when the publication date was pushed up to early December instead of its original January release date, I simply didn’t have time to finish it and write a review before published. So instead, it is my first book review of 2018 and hopefully, will get me back onto a weekly (or possibly biweekly) book review schedule. Either way, in terms of material, The Girl in the Tower is a fantastic way to start 2018. Though sequels can be tricky, Arden’s follow up to The Bear and the Nightingale was everything I could have hoped and establishes a firm footing for the rest of this trilogy.

With her father and stepmother dead under mysterious circumstances and her village still reeling from the supernatural battle fought under their unsuspecting noses, Vasya has few options. Unwilling to submit to the choices offered by her family and society, Vasya flees and disguises herself as a boy in order to live the life she yearns to have. As her path takes her back into the lives of her beloved brother, Sasha, serving the Grand Prince, and her married sister, Olga, awaiting the birth of her third child, Vasya’s disguise comes under closer scrutiny with dangerous consequences if the truth of her identity should be discovered.

While I think I preferred The Bear and the Nightingale more at a thematic level for its exploration of civilization/organized religion and the older, wilder traditions of rural communities, The Girl in the Tower resonates in terms of how it depicts balances of power, especially those between the sexes. The contrast between what Vasya is capable of doing from the first novel to this second and what Vasya is permitted to do when she outwardly presents herself as male hits notes about double standards and the dismissal of women. The novel may feel heavy handed at times, but I think that is less due to the novel’s execution and more to what’s happening in current events. It isn’t meant to be subtle in the book, but it seems all the more obvious because the current international discourse on women’s issues has (or should have) us all more aware of such things in our everyday lives.

Structurally, I found The Girl in the Tower interesting. Rather than pick up immediately with Vasya, whom we’re most familiar with after The Bear and the Nightingale, the novel starts with her sister and brother, whom we met briefly in the first novel but didn’t carry much of that plot’s weight. In the first section of this novel, it becomes clearer that it was important to see them before as a means of gauging just how much Vasya has (and hasn’t) changed since she (and we) saw them last. Seeing the threads of this story come together felt cleaner but almost lost something in their predictability.

With the way this second novel ended, I’m fascinated—and devastated—by the prospect that there is only one more novel planned for this series. I will certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for news of when that book will be released and hope to get a galley copy (which I won’t delay starting by even a day) so I can finish and write it up before the publication date this time.

I liked this better than <i>The Bear and the Nightingale</i> which is a pretty mean feat. But I'm a sucker for political intrigue, of which there is plenty in the second half of the book. This book picks up soon after the end of the previous book, and Vasya decides to travel and explore the world. In true folktale fashion, she coincidentally meets up with her priest-soldier brother and helps stop a bandit gang.

The first half of the book was a bit slow for me - this wasn't terribly surprising as the first book was the same way. But the second half I finished in a few days, and probably would have finished sooner except I was traveling a lot.

Arden does a great job of recreating the feel of medieval Russia, and the deeply gender-segregated world of aristocratic Moscow. She continues to weave in Russian folk and fairy tales, to great success. And ends the book on enough of a cliffhanger that I want the next book (NOW!) but with enough ends wrapped up that it felt satisfying.

When's book 3 out?