Even though I live in a time that's among the freest and safest for women there's ever been, I still sometimes find myself longing for the security that seems to exist for men. So it's no wonder that Vasya, heroine of Katherine Arden's The Girl in the Tower finds herself forced into disguise as a man in order to move freely and safely through medieval Russia. The book picks up more or less right where The Bear and the Nightingale left off...Vasya has fled the rural village she grew up in after her father has been killed and she herself has been labeled a witch. Knowing full well what that designation means for her life expectancy, she sets out to explore the world, ignoring the advice of frost demon Morozko who warns her that the world is not kind to young women alone. She discovers very quickly that he is correct, and presents herself thereafter as a boy...it helps that her nickname, Vasya, is short not just for her actual name (Vasilisa), but the man's name Vasily as well.



In pursuit of a mysterious group of bandits that has been stealing children, Vasya finds herself unexpectedly reunited with her brother Sasha and the Crown Prince of Moscow to whom he is sworn in service, Dmitrii. When she gets back to Moscow with them, she's also reconnected with her older sister Olga, now the wife of an important nobleman, and meets Olga's daughter, Marya, who seems to share Vasya's unusual talent for seeing things beyond the ordinary. Vasya's trying to keep her masculine identity intact until she can get on her way while also enjoying the way it allows her to express her naturally bold personality...and then, of course, disaster strikes and the family finds themselves fighting supernatural forces to stay alive.



The Bear and the Nightingale was one of my favorite reads of 2017, and this sequel (the second in a trilogy) did not disappoint. I will say that I'd recommend reading it shortly after the first book, or while it's still relatively fresh in your mind...there's very little of the kind of "catching the reader up" exposition that many sequels have, and I wish I'd known that going in because I'd read the first nearly a year prior so the details were a little fuzzy. But the magic is still there! Arden's prose and storytelling remain deft, she expands further into the realm of Slavic folklore, and I love how she grows the seeds of romance she planted in TBTN between Vasya and Morozko. You find yourself rooting for them even though Arden never lets you forget the inherent power imbalance between an immortal creature and a teenage girl. It's refreshing in a young adult novel with a romantic element to see a young woman who won't apologize for her desire to finish becoming herself.



While there are many books I read that I enjoy, it's pretty rare that something really grabs me and keeps me up late at night and makes me want to buy extra copies to give to people and force them to read it (honestly, I have a really hard time recommending books to people in real life because so much about whether a person will enjoy a book depends on taste). This series makes it into that group, for me. They're just flat-out great storytelling. I can't wait to get my hands on the final book in the trilogy, and I'd highly recommend the Winternight books to all readers!

For a fantasy junkie like me, this book was a solid 3 stars. While I liked the first book in the trilogy, The Bear and the Nightingale, I'm of the unpopular opinion that it was a bit plodding in pacing. I had the same issue with this book. It may just be that I like my fantasy to fly, to grab me from page one and force me to continue, forgoing useless things like eating and sleeping, to arrive at the conclusion, but this series is not for me. While beautiful in prose and place, it just moves at a pace that has me constantly distracted or putting it down to pick up something else.

Thanks to NetGalley, Katherine Arden, and Random House/Ballentine for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Author dazzles with second historical fantasy novel
By SANDY MAHAFFEY FOR THE FREE LANCE–STAR Dec 23, 2017

When I found my house looking like that of a book hoarder, I realized that I couldn’t save every book. I purged my collection, keeping only books I had not yet read, reference books and, most importantly, the books I truly treasure—those which transported me to new worlds when I read them and which I hated to see end. One of the treasures on my shelf is Katherine Arden’s “The Bear and the Nightingale.”

Joining it now is her new release, “The Girl in the Tower.” Arden masterfully blends fantasy, folk legend and history in the first two books of her Winternight Trilogy.

The new book picks up shortly after the reviewer saw Vasya disappearing into the icy Russian woods, barely escaping a witch hunt. Vasya is still considered to be a witch in her home village in medieval Muscovy. Even if she were not, the choices for a young woman in 14th century Russia were the convent or marriage and confinement in a tower. Neither appeals to her. She is determined to see the world on her own, even though Morozko, the Frost demon, advises against it.

Vasya has matured somewhat, and is a bit wiser, but remains rebellious, brave and impetuous. I couldn’t help but love her. Relationships are strengthened and broken and wonderful characters met in the first book are developed and new ones introduced. If possible, Morozko is even more intriguing.

She sets off to see the world dressed as a boy on her faithful steed. This frozen world is still full of spirits good and evil, magical horses, mythical and fantastical creatures and great danger, but she would prefer to freeze to death in that world than end up in a covent or marriage.

Arden uses her knowledge of Russian history, infusing the story with conflicts between Christianity and paganism, the pillaging of villages, capturing of young girls, and struggles between the Khan of Mogul and the royal family of Moscow. She seamlessly blends history with the fantastical.


The story is driven by choices made—both right and wrong. Vasya struggles with her decisions, realizing how wise this advise was: “Every time you take one path, you must live with the memory of the other: of a life left unchosen. Decide as seems best, one course or the other; each way will have its bitter with its sweet.”

The book is nearly impossible to put down. The writing is vividly beautiful—you might even find yourself reaching for a blanket to survive the Rus’s frozen kingdom as it envelops you.

“The Girl in the Tower” is dark, magical and extraordinary.

I do suggest that anyone who has not read the first, do so before reading her new release, since it picks right up where she left off. Don’t hesitate to use the glossary at the end. Arden is quite a wordbuilder.

Sandy Mahaffey is former Books editor at The Free Lance–Star.

THE GIRL IN THE TOWER
By Katherine Arden
(Del Rey, $27, 352 pp.)

Publication: Dec. 5

Despite how much I loved the Bear and the Nightingale, I dragged my feet on starting this one when it was given to me for review this summer. Bogged down with library books, I didn’t get to it until now, after it’s release date. After waiting so long to begin, I’m sorry it’s over so soon.

I hadn’t expected to love the Bear and the Nightingale as much as I did, nor was I expecting a sequel. But the pair of these are some of the best fantasy-fairytale stories I’ve read and I cannot wait for the conclusion. I can’t even begin to pick apart the complexities.. religion, faith, feminism, choices, expectations, love, family, magic, etc. but they are so much more than I’ve come to expect from this genre. They’ve set the bar pretty high and I’ll read anything else Katherine Arden comes up with.

A most excellent addition to Arden's series. I love her world building so much and her characters. Her knowledge and love for Russian folklore is evident in her writing and is what makes reading her work special and magical. I loved it and would highly recommend purchasing for pleasure or for a library.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once Vasya appeared on the pages I could not put it down. I think I liked it even more than the first one in the series. The author does a great job, completely transporting the reader into this world. The setting is magical, thoroughly realized, and very important to the story. I felt like all the characters grew in this book--which does not always happen in the "middle" book of a trilogy--and the author advanced the overarching plot very well. I don't know how I will wait for the next book to come out!

Vasya is back in this follow up to The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. The Girl in the Tower is the second book in the Winternight trilogy.

The first part of the book is mostly about Sasha and Olga. They are Vasya’s siblings. At the close of part one, Sasha and Vasya have just met up for the first time in years.

The second part of the book is told mostly about Vasya and what is happening in her life after the close of The Bear and the Nightingale. Vasya feels that her life is in danger if she stayed in the small village she was raised in. She goes to Morozko, the frost demon, and asks for help. She wants some of the dowry he promised to her so that she can go out and find her place in the world. Adventures ensue.

The third part of the book is mostly about Vasya and Sasha and their cousin Dimitri. There is also a little about Olga. Vasya must keep up the charade that she is a boy. Not only does her life depend on it, but her sister’s and brother’s lives are deeply affected by this as well. There are more adventures and conflict. I don’t want to give away spoilers.

Vasya continues to have her bond to the supernatural throughout the book. She can see the spirits of the bathhouse and the hearth as well as others. This puts her at both an advantage and disadvantage. They can be helpful at times, but she can’t tell anyone that they are there or else she will be marked as crazy and perhaps a witch as well. Only her young niece can also see them and has been warned by her mother, Olga, not to mention this to other people.

The story is well written. This is a crucial time period for the spirits as many of them are disappearing or losing power as the Christian God gains followers. Medieval Russia is an interesting backdrop for the story. The pace of the story is good as well. There are ups and downs throughout, but by about 50% on my Kindle, the story is becoming very dangerous for Vasya and her siblings. The tension continues to mount for the rest of the book until the ending.

My favorite characters in the book are Vasya, her horse Solovey, and Morozko, the frost demon. It was hard sometimes watching Vasya’s missteps. But they were necessary for character building and plot advancement.

Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It’s well written. The character of Vasya grows and develops as the book progresses. The adventures are interesting. And the book is well-paced. I can’t recommend this series enough. And, I can’t wait for the third book in the trilogy. The Girl in the Tower was published December 5, 2017 by Del Rey.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

An excellent 2nd novel in the Winternight Trilogy. In Girl in the Tower we see Vasya come into her own, even if she must mask herself as a boy. She doesn’t fit the mold of maiden or nun, so her brother and sister are unsure of what to do with her. As the Prince’s thrown is challenged, Vasya fights to save them all.

I can’t wait to see how Ms. Arden finishes the trilogy!

The Girl in the Tower is the second book in Katherine Arden’s ongoing series set in 14th Century Russia, following up on the events of The Bear and the Nightingale. While I found the first book to be a good read, I didn’t react quite as favorably as many other readers/critics did. The Girl in the Tower, however, won me over from the opening paragraph, kept me enraptured all the way through to its powerful close, and — thanks to some diabolically teasing lines — left me eager for the next installment.

At the close of the first book (so yes, there will be some spoilers for that book here), Vasya had been forced from her home (partly due to outside forces, partly due to her own desire to escape her proscribed life and see the world). With some help from the frost-demon/Winter King/Death God Morozko and her smarter-than-your average-horse Solovey, Vasya barely survives the harsh Russian winter and an encounter with fearsome bandits who have been burning villages and abducting the young girls. Soon she ends up reunited with her brother Sasha, dashing warrior-monk and best friend/advisor to the Grand Prince Dmitri, who has left Moscow to hunt down the bandits at the behest of Kasyan, a mysterious hinterlands lord whose peasants have suffered great losses. Unfortunately, she meets them as a boy (her travel disguise), and is forced to play that role on their return trip to the big city, embroiling first her brother, and then her sister Olya (a princess in Moscow) in her dangerous lie.

I absolutely love what Arden has created with the character of Vasya. Her fiery, independent nature would make her likable enough, and many authors would have stopped there, with that independent streak breaking all the social boundaries of the time through sheer spunk. But Vasya’s independence is complicated by a realistically heavy dose of inexperience in terms of romance, social mores, and politics. And Arden makes for a richer, more bittersweet story with again, a more realistic portrayal of Vasya’s battle to be herself in a world dead set against any such thing: whether it be the prevailing attitude toward “witchery” or toward women and their place in society. Vasya is faced time and again with a choice-that-is-no-choice with regard to being herself or stifling her true nature, and while the modern reader is naturally predisposed to root for the “wild and free” Vasya, the choices are never so clear-cut, and the consequences are grave and heart-breaking. And in Olga, Vasya’s sister, Arden presents us a woman who has adhered to society’s strictures, but who is also strong in her own right.

I also like the way that Vasya’s situation— caught between being a child and being a young woman, caught between innocence and desire, caught between staying and leaving — is mirrored by other characters and by the larger setting. Dimitri, as Great Prince, is on the cusp himself of young adulthood and adulthood and is caught between his desire to avoid a destructive war and forge a national identity for his people. Sasha is caught between his own two sides: dashing warrior and trusted political advisor and more introspective/reflective priest, as well has between his love for his sister and his social upbringing. Russia is on the cusp of nationhood and being a vassal state to the Tatars. And the country’s religious background is on the cusp of Christian dominance, with the old gods/spirits fading away into the background literally and figuratively, but not entirely disappearing (Christianity, in Russia as elsewhere, may have become the dominant religion, but reports of the older beliefs’ demise were often greatly exaggerated).

The Slavic background is a nice change of pace from the same old same old, both in terms of geographic setting and its folkloric background (fans of Stravinsky’s Firebird — the ballet or suite — might find themselves humming the music in various segments). Both worlds come fully alive even in such a brief novel, with economical asides about the state of a character’s teeth, the construction of a hut, or the mode of travel in winter. Economy of language, though, doesn’t translate into pedestrian prose, with the descriptive passages especially lyrical, as with this early paragraph:

Moscow, just past midwinter, and the haze of ten thousand fires rose to meet a smothering sky. To the west a little light lingered, but in the east the clouds mounded up, bruise-colored in the livid dusk, buckling with unfallen snow. . . . [Moscow’s] squat white walls enclosed a jumble of hovels and churches, her palaces’ ice-streaked towers splayed like desperate fingers against the sky.

I had only a few small quibbles with The Girl in the Tower. The romance sometimes tiptoed the edge of melodrama, though I’d say Arden successfully pulls back each time and overall the romance plot is wonderfully handled. And a few things are a bit telegraphed and perhaps should have been more readily seen by the characters. But as noted, these were minor quibbles. The Girl in the Tower was overall a wonderfully engrossing read, and I’ve already checked out the release date for book three (too far in the future for my liking)

I loved THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE so much, and wasn't expecting THE GIRL IN THE TOWER to live up to my lovely remembrances of the first book, mainly because I felt that the story in THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE had been wrapped up. What more could possibly happen? Luckily, Arden managed to pull a story out of thin air and the reader gets to enjoy a whole new adventure with Vasya.

When I first picked up THE GIRL IN THE TOWER, it was a bit difficult for me to really dig into it. The mythology and numerous character names (sometimes multiple different names/nicknames for the same character) made it hard to just jump back into the world. One thing that helped was this recap of the first book. But, once I did get more into the book (pro-tip, there's a glossary at the back) I was able to disappear into the story. Vasya's world is all-encompassing, with fantasy elements that fit right in with the seemingly everyday politics and drama.

THE GIRL IN THE TOWER felt darker to me than the first book in the trilogy, but the darkness is what kept me reading. The pull to find out what is going to happen to Vasya kept me on the edge of my seat. I'll admit, there were times when I hated the book for making me feel so many emotions - but to me that's the mark of a well-written story, if I am invested enough to really feel the same things as the characters. The stress that Sasha felt at keeping his sister's secret, the heart-pounding fear and exhilaration Vasya experienced as she escaped from bandits, and the budding love Morosko discovers in his immortal heart all felt as real to me as if they were my own emotions.

THE GIRL IN THE TOWER is a story of secrets and impossible love and (somehow) gender politics in historical Russia, written with a mastery of the material and wonderful skill. It is everything I had hoped for, and more, and I can't wait for the final book in the trilogy to find out what happens to Vasya.

This book was one of my #1 anticipated reads, originally of 2018 until the publication date was bumped up to December 2017. It did not let me down at all. The gorgeous writing and imagery of the first book, The Bear and the Nightingale, continued throughout the story of Vasya as a young woman as she makes some of the toughest decisions in her life. Vasya continues to show her strength and spunk as she becomes a traveler, wanting to see all that the world has to offer. But it doesn’t take long for things to make a turn for the worse. She must hide her true identity as Vasilisa, a girl, and become Vasilii and hope that nobody finds out, especially her cousin, the Grand Prince of Moscow. What she doesn’t know is that not everybody buys her disguise…

I loved all of the mystery surrounding this book. I had a vague guess regarding a certain character but never expected the full extent of the reveal involving said character. The blend of historical fiction and fantasy make such a great combination that I think really adds to the mystery of the story. Once you hit just past the halfway mark, events really start to amp up and it almost hits thriller mode. As soon as Vasya enters Moscow, there is such a buzz of energy in the pages, you just know something major is going to happen. There is so much excitement and drama that it is really hard to put the book down. I found myself devouring every page as fast as I possibly could because I couldn’t get enough. Prepare yourself for an array of emotions… I often found myself wanting to laugh, tear up, and sit anxiously at the edge of my seat. I’ve never been a huge fan of winter, but Katherine Arden has been changing my mind lately with her beautiful writing. I am very eagerly anticipating the release of book 3 later in 2018 because I am dying to know what happens next!

The Girl in the Tower was the perfect read for a cold, craptastic week where all you want to do is snuggle under a blanket with cookies and tea. I’m also a bit late in reviewing it because I missed the memo that the release date was changed from January 2018 to the beginning of December. Woops! Undeterred by the missed release date (who really cares anyway?) I cracked open the pages and proceeded to get lost in this beautiful story.

After the dramatic events of The Bear and the Nightingale, Vasya has made the decision to leave her home because the villagers think she’s a witch. This is rather unfair, as Vasya only sees what others do not and understands how to speak to them. She’s also pretty tight with Morozko – the frost demon, the winter king, death. You could even say they have something along the lines of a romantic relationship, though it’s only beginning to show itself. I digress – Vasya has run away from home with her horse Solovey as her only companion. She quickly learns that the world is not safe or kind to anyone – be they girl, boy, rich, or poor- and that lies can only keep so safe for a short while. I think Vasya comes a long way in her maturity as this book progresses and she truly begins to choose her own path through life, despite the pressures of her siblings and society to conform to her expected role.

Probably half the reason that I loved this book so much is the setting – medieval Russia is fascinating. From the politicking to the mythos and rise of Christianity this is such a rich and unfamiliar world that I love to read about. I constantly found myself pausing to look up terms, read about historical figures, and learn about how society worked during this time period. As in most medieval cultures, women were mostly attractive background noise but I feel that this book shows a more extreme version. Vasya’s elder sister married one of the Muscovite princes and her life consists of gossip with other wives, bearing and rearing children, and staying in her palace unless it was a holy day. I could not imagine living such an entrapped life! Vasya defies the conventions of her day and sets off to travel the world and does rather well disguised as a boy.

Overall, The Girl in the Tower was an elegantly told story with solid plot and pacing. I thought it was a much more engaging read than The Bear and the Nightingale, and by that I mean it was much easier to sit down and read 100+ pages at a time. I was also VERY glad that Konstantin was less present here as he was an infuriating character who should have been fed to a rusalka at the first opportunity. The ending was especially good and left me very curious about the path the third book will take. I for sure want to add a hardcover copy of this to my shelves because the cover design is just as lovely as the story!

The Girl in the Tower continues the story of Vasilisa Petrovna begun in The Bear and the Nightingale. After the deaths of her father and stepmother, Vasya has few options open to her in the tiny village where many now think her a witch. With the help of the frost demon she takes to the road, seeking adventure. Along the way she stumbles upon a mysterious evil that she may be uniquely suited to help defeat. However, she will have to overcome the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated world in order to save those she loves.
The second installment in the Winternight series is as magical as the first, with colorful characters and a backbone of fairy tale. The author is careful to infuse as much historical accuracy as possible into the story, so that readers feel they have been transported to old Russia. Great for fans of fantasy and fairy tale retellings.

I'm very late on this ARC review, so I apologize. I meant to have read this for mid-December, but my slumpy brain and the long library hold for Bear did not allow for that to happen.

I wasn't an enormous fan of the first book. The lore was incredibly fascinating, but the rest of the book was slow and I had a hard time connecting to the characters. I wasn't much looking forward to jumping right into the second book, but because I was running late already, I didn't feel I had much choice but to start right away.

However, I think this book did pick up some of the slack. At least, it was definitely more exciting and action packed. I still didn't necessarily like Vasya, but there was more to "do" in this storyline. Also, Sasha and Olga play a much bigger role, so their disappearances in Bear became relevant.

The Girl in the Tower continues to follow the fairy tale path, and as such, there are no shortage of villains. Be careful who you trust. There's also no shortage of magic and lore in this book, just like the first, and it continues to be my favorite part.

I can't decide, though, how I feel about Arden's ability to wrap up her story in one book. This is a trilogy, but each book can stand on its own, almost. Even though the people wrap from one book to the next, there aren't major cliffhangers at the end of either like there are in most series. I'm left with the sense that this really could be the end without continuation. I even had to look on Goodreads to see if this was actually a Duology. But, no, there will be a third. I'm halfway curious to read it, if only for that reason alone.

This is one of the most magical series I have ever read. It has a deep lore to it that I really appreciate. All the characters are so rich and diverse. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and I was hopeful that this book would be just as good, and it was.

Arden spins another brilliant and enjoyable book here! We are in the same world as the first book, A Bear in the Nightingale, as well as following many of the same characters and sprinkling in some new. Vasya meets up with her other siblings, Sasha and Olya in Moscow with more darkness and evil spreading over Rus’. Vasya’s heart and courage continues to be a force to be recked with. Her horse Solovey is one of my favorite animal characters of all time.

I highly recommend both of Arden’s books so far and can’t wait until she releases the next in the Winternight Trilogy. She will be an auto-buy author for me in the future.

I couldn't have asked for a better sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale!

TB&TN was a wonderful, unique introduction to the world the way it was in Russia back in the day, and the fairytales of the time. The first book left off with Vasya deciding to leave home and travel around the world, rather than being sent to a convent. This book tells of her travels, which are awesome and crazy and exciting.

This book made me ♥ Vasya even more! She defied all the social norms of the time and proved everyone wrong when they insisted that she must succumb to "the lot of women" and either get married for her dowry and become chattel locked in a tower or be locked in a convent.

I also grew fonder of the fairy tales and house spirits in this book.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when reading these books, but I was delighted with them! These books are an excellent change from the other YA books I've been reading and a pleasant change from other retellings.

Again, the author included a note at the end of the book about her use of the Russian language (See my review of TB&TN for more info on the note at the end of the first book), stating that she tried to stay as accurate as possible and "at least hint at complex depths of personality and of politics- when I could not delve into them more deeply." She also apologized for any inaccuracies or shortcomings and even refers readers to two other books (non-fiction) that will help others learn more about Russia during that time period and the fairy tales of the time.

I also love her explanation of Russian names and nicknames in this book (and transliteration in TB&TN). Before reading these books, I had no idea that Russian names often give rise to so many nicknames. I know in the book, the main character's name is Vasilisa, or Vasya and several other nicknames. The author gives the example: Yekaterina, which can be shortened into Katerina, Katya, Katyusha, or Katenka, among other nicknames. "Variations are often used interchangeably to refer to a single individual, according to the speaker's degree of familiarity and the whims of the moment." This is kind of what I assumed when I read the book, or at least that the nicknames were terms of endearment, such as Aleksandr's family calling him Sasha all the time of Sasha calling Prince Dmitri Mitya when he was worried for him.

Sorry, if you can't tell, I ♥ writing and words and languages (almost as much as I love reading).

Back to the book... Again, the author has not only enchanted and entertained me with Vasya's story, but she also taught me a lot about Russian history, language, and fairy tales. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by Katherine Arden!

I definitely recommend this book and The Bear and the Nightingale to anyone looking to read something a little different.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

THE 411...

Words? what are they? I seriously don’t think I can do this book justice but because I feel EVERYONE should read this trilogy, I will pull myself together & let you all know why Katherine Arden is a force to be reckoned with. I thought Arden’s debut The Bear and the Nightingale was AMAZING! If this author never wrote anything again, I would’ve been saddened but also would’ve felt like I had found a diamond I could treasure for the rest of my life! a lush & vivid world I can see myself returning to on a cold winter night year after year. I was NOT expecting to be blown away by its sequel The Girl in the Tower! not only has our MC grown since the last time we saw her but the world itself has expanded & developed to give us readers a better picture of Vasya’s travels & adventures outside her small village & woods. We last left off with Vasya having no choice but to leave her only known home once she was labeled a witch. It was expected that she’d be sent to her sister Olya in Moscow to be paired off in marriage & spend her days with the other women who live in a tower child rearing & running their households. Vasya however has never had an interest in these things & could never be tied down for the rest of her days. Having always found comfort in “boys clothing” she finds she can see the world without restrictions.

Choosing instead to map out her own destiny, Vasya sets off into the woods on her horse Solovey. If The Bear and the Nightingale was mostly world-building & the fleshing out of characters, this follow-up introduces a fast paced plot while also balancing & building upon its predecessor. Villages are being pillaged and burned, their little girls are being stolen away from their families. Vasya finds herself in the middle of it all as she fights the bandits and eventually captures the attention of the Grand Prince of Moscow with her bravery. We follow Vasya as she uncovers the sinister forces threatening the kingdom all whilst keeping her true identity hidden.

CHARACTERS

Vasya- still holds the title of my Most Favorite MC in all of Fantasy! Her independence, self worth, bravery, fierceness and determination not to conform to society’s gender norms speak to my soul. In The Bear and the Nightingale we are introduced to a young Vasya who is considered very wild and rebellious. In this follow-up, we get to see how much she’s matured while still staying true to who she is at her core. I loved seeing older Vasya experience new things and emotions.

”Sudden anger burned out Vasya’s gathering hurt. She pushed back her chair and stood again. “I am not your dog”, she snapped. “You May tell me to go home, but I may choose not to. Do you think that is all I want, in all my life—a royal dowry, and a man to force his children into me?”

Morozko aka Frost Demon aka King of Winter – Morozko plays a integral role in this story but it wasn’t until this follow-up that I truly grew to love this character. Think of him a mix of Father Winter & Grimm Reaper, his broodiness was on another level & for some reason I found this to be so endearing smh #dontjudgeme haha!

Solovey – My fave character in this whole book is Solovey who is Vasya’s horse & UGH! my heart can’t contain the love I have for this sassy four legged creature! besides the sass he is SUPER protective & loyal to Vasya which is always admirable.

Sasha aka Aleksandr – Vasya’s older brother who also decided to carve his own path & become a monk. This however doesn’t mean he is a peaceful monk lol, Sasha can be found protecting his cousin The Grand Prince which means swords a plenty. I LOVE the sibling relationship between Vasya and Sasha, moments where he wishes she’d just conform to the norm & marry but then quickly realizes that the thought alone sounds absurd. Sasha accepts & many times admires Vasya on the battlefield. He’s seriously the brother I wish I’d always had 🙂

Olya – Vasya’s older sister, last we heard of her she had gotten married and left to Moscow to tend to her household. Olya has always been sort of a mother figure to her siblings so it was interesting seeing her very different relationship with Vasya. Olya loves all of her siblings & doesn’t always understand the things they do but she’s always represented home for them.

Marya – One of the newest characters introduced towards the end, Marya is Olya’s young daughter. Although she didn’t have a huge role in this book, we get the feeling there will be more to her story. Marya is free spirited just like Vasya & as such looks up to her aunt. I got a vivid picture of young Marya who will remind many of the Vasya we were first introduced to however, she is definitely more outspoken 😉

Last but definitely not least are the spirits aka Chyerti you will find hidden in the ovens, bath houses, horse stables, and door yards. These are perhaps some of my most favorite characters in this world. I’m totally considering leaving an offering in my oven to see if my Domovoi shows up *fingers crossed* 😉

WRITING AND FINAL THOUGHTS

It comes as no surprise that I am absolutely OBSESSED with Katherine Arden’s writing! I would’ve never guessed when I was handed a copy of the book by the author herself at Comic Con that she was giving me the BEST gift ever! I can think of no other books that better capture the magic and beauty of winter. A cozy blanket on a cold winter night is what I always use to describe this book to my book blogging buddies & wrap you up it will. Many who found The Bear and the Nightingale to be on the slower side might find themselves really enjoying the faster paced plot in The Girl in the Tower. I for one don’t mind a slow paced world as long as it’s rich & inviting like these are. Also, there is a clear cut villain this time which felt like the connecting puzzle piece & I just loved seeing it all come together. I am SUPER STOKED for The Winter of the Witch in 2018!!! as sad as I’m sure I will be to see it end, I am confident Katherine Arden will give us all a EPIC ending to this amazing trilogy 🙂

*Many thanks to Del Rey, Netgalley, and Katherine Arden for the eGalley copy of The Girl in the Tower in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden! This sequel to Bear and the Nightingale is a wonderful fantasy with beautiful descriptions and fascinating legendary characters of Russian heritage. Vasya is still uniquely interesting and after surviving different adventures, she meets her niece, Marya. The two of them have a great deal in common and Vasya finally has someone she can share her magical sights with, until they are forbidden to spend time together because of the impropriety of Marya showing her face in public. She truly is a girl locked in a tower. Their lives scatter out of control when a secret Vasya has kept quiet is revealed and everything spirals downward from there. I enjoyed this sequel as much as the first book and even more. The ending left me wanting more and I sure hope there’s a third book planned. I noticed on Goodreads that the next addition to the Winternight Trilogy is set to be published August 2018 and is entitled The Winter of the Witch! The Russian information and resources in the Author’s Notes helped with the understanding of legends, vocabulary and names. I am also interested in researching more of this section of Russian history, thanks to the sources mentioned. This beautiful story rates 5 stars for its atmospheric descriptions and dynamic characters!