The Girl in the Tower

See my full review at The Emerald City Book Review. A copy was received for review purposes from the publisher. No other compensation was received, and all opinions expressed are my own.The Bear and the Nightingale was one of my favorite books of 2017, and just shy of one year later author Katherine Arden has produced a sequel – greatly pleasing those of us who are weary of waiting years for a follow-up book. And I'm glad to say that The Girl in the Tower is a worthy successor, showing no signs of a sophomore slump. A third book is already slated for August of 2018, which will no doubt bring the trilogy to a rousing conclusion.

Girl is a tauter and leaner book than Bear, with a more streamlined plot and fewer POV switches, but still with the atmospheric Russian setting steeped in both history and folklore that so enchanted me in the first book. What was built up over many chapters is now taken for granted in this second volume, with few new elements added, but characters and themes are extended and deepened. New readers will definitely want to start with book one, and not jump into the middle of the story, as they will miss half the pleasure of entering into Arden's half-realistic, half-mythological world. (And you might want to go get that book right now before reading the rest of this review, to avoid spoilers. If you like that one, I'm sure you'll want to continue straight on to the next.)

On the run from her remote village, where she's been branded as a witch by a malicious priest, Vasya encounters her long-lost brother Sasha and sister Olya and enters into a perilous deception that brings her into a treacherous world of shifting alliances. As she journeys to Moscow, powerful but vulnerable heart of her people's land, she must try to reconcile the old powers that still speak to her with the demands and prejudices of this urban world. An explosive climax brings secrets to light and sets the stage for further journeys.

I was especially glad that Vasya got to be reunited with her siblings, who disappeared from the action somewhat suddenly in the first book. Arden fruitfully explores the tensions between them, which arise from their very different upbringings and societal expectations, as well as Vasya's struggle to express herself in a world that represses and limits female power. Her relationship with the frost demon Morozko is also developed into a poignant Beauty-and-the-Beast story arc that yet resists falling into mere stereotype. And a wonderful new character is introduced in Vasya's niece, who, it seems, will play an even more important role in the third book.

I'm definitely looking forward to that one, and glad that we won't have a terribly long wait. In the meantime, if you enjoy the intersection of historical fiction and fantasy, this is a perfect winter treat for you.

The Girl in the Tower is not just my favorite book in the Winternight Trilogy but also one of the best books I've read. It's beautifully written and atmospheric, and I loved Vasya, the focus on sibling relationships, the incorporation of more Slavic myths, Vasya's fiercely protective stallion Solovey, and Morozko. The start is a little slow, though it's not dull???it's just not as engaging as the rest of the book, which is phenomenal.

Full Review on My Website

The Girl in the Tower is the second in the Winternight Trilogy, after the acclaimed debut novel, The Bear and the Nightingale. It's always hard to talk about sequels without giving too much away about the preceding books, so forgive me if I'm vague. One advantage to waiting so long to read The Bear and the Nightingale was that I got to jump straight into the sequel! Now I have to several months for the third.

The Girl in the Tower revisits our heroine, Vasya, from the first book. Now she has left home to begin her adventures - though her travels are curtailed pretty quickly, and she's roped into going to Moscow with her brother and the Grand Prince, while disguised as a boy. While in Moscow she learns a little bit more about her family history, and I'm hoping the rest will be revealed in the third book this summer. (The Winter of the Witch is scheduled to release in August 2018.)

In this second book, Vasya has done some growing, and has learned to make use of the spirits she sees - she knows the hearth spirits can always find their families, and uses that trait to track a kidnapped girl when no one else can. So long as no one realizes what she's doing, she's fine. But Rus is in the crossover period between the old ways and the new, and if she's found talking to spirits, she'll be branded a witch all over again. She keeps her masquerade going through the first two-thirds of the book, but it's obvious it's going to fail eventually. The way in which it does is sudden and unexpected, and the repercussions are harsh.

And then there's Morozko, the Frost Demon, the god of death. I love Morozko. He's by necessity enigmatic - and in a rough position. I want he and Vasya to fall in love and have a happy ending - the attraction between them is impossible to miss - but immortal beings, in this world, can't love. If they love they lose their immortality. And, possibly, their lives entirely. I hope the author has a solution in mind for these two, because I currently don't see one.

I actually liked this one more than the first book, which is unusual. I liked the first one, but I wasn't blown away. This one pulled me in and didn't let me go. Amazing sequel, and I hope the third one lives up to this standard!

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.