The Girl in the Tower: A Novel

Katherine Arden has done it again. The Girl in the Tower, book two in the Winternight trilogy, is a masterful display of storytelling. After the events in book one, Vasya has fled to Morozko, the Winter King. She cannot stay there forever, so she decides to become a traveler, disguising herself as a boy for her safety. In her travels she discovers villages are being burned and young girls taken. Vasya tracks these bandits and rescues some of the girls, leading her to be reunited with her brother and sister in Moscow. They must help keep her secret, for there would be dire consequences for her and her family if she were discovered to be masquerading as a boy. Slowly, she begins to see that there is a terrible danger that is also masquerading as something else, and she might be the only one who can stop it.

I immediately fell in love with The Bear and the Nightingale, the first book in this series. Arden does a fantastic job, weaving magic and fairy tales in a beautiful Russian setting. I immediately requested this book as soon as I knew it was out. I love fairy tales and stories of strong female characters and everything Russian. You can’t help but be drawn in by the characters and their stories, and her descriptions of Russia and its people are amazing. This is the kind of book that you don’t want to end. You set it aside, not wanting to start it because you know you will finish it in a couple of hours and then it will be over. Thankfully, you can read it over and over, which is exactly what I plan to do. I eagerly anticipate the next installment in this trilogy and hope she begins another one when that is finished. I encourage you to read this series. Let Vasya bewitch you as she does everyone else. You won’t regret it.