The Girl in the Tower: A Novel (Winternight Trilogy)

Last winter, I read The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, a lyrical novel-length fairy tale set in medieval Russia. With its chilling descriptions of harsh cold and deep Russian winters, it was a perfect thing to read on freezing January nights. The Girl in the Tower continues the story of Bear’s protagonist, Vasya. There is no sophomore slump or middle-book problem here; I loved this book as much as I loved the first. The author retains the lyrical style present in the first book, but does not simply repeat its plot or main conflict, instead presenting a new, tense situation for Vasya to navigate.

Western fairy tales typically involve a beautiful maiden of humble origins marrying a handsome prince and living happily ever after. In medieval Russia, that is the goal of every Russian lady: to marry well and make babies. If marriage is not agreeable, they are resigned to a life in a convent.

Vasya, however, has no interest in becoming some man’s broodmare and being locked away in a castle or convent for the rest of her life. The Girl in the Tower is largely about Vasya’s struggle for freedom against the gender restrictions of her time. But with pagan spirits, witches, sorcery, ghosts, a frost demon psychopomp, and a really cool horsey.

You don’t have to be a hardcore fantasy fan to appreciate this series. It’s got plenty of stuff for fans of more general historical fiction: (1) a young girl fighting against the (very) limited roles for females in this medieval society (2) rural pagan beliefs against the spreading influence of Christianity (3) and a more-or-less accurate picture of medieval Russian culture. If those sorts of things interest you and you can tolerate some supernatural elements, you might enjoy this novel.

You do not HAVE to read Bear and the Nightingale before you read this, but I highly recommend it. It is not like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy which is one big story split up into 3 books. Each of the books in this series has a clearly defined, independent conflict and resolution. However, a lot of the worldbuilding and characters are introduced in Bear, so readers may be a bit lost if they just dive into this book without reading Bear first. I would liken it to trying to watch The Empire Strikes Back without first seeing A New Hope.

If you read Bear but did not care for it, I would still recommend that you give this book a try. Vasya is a little older, the conflicts are a little different, and Arden has matured a little bit as a writer. Fans of Mulan should definitely give this book a try as it is basically…well…Mulan. Kinda.

Although I refer to this book as a fairy tale, I should make it clear that it’s for mature audiences. There is violence, sexual violence, threats of sexual violence, and other things that are not really suited for young kids.

Sometimes, there's little more intimidating than approaching the second book of a series you loved. What if it doesn't live up to the first? What if it retroactively goes back and changes things you liked, or moves away from what made the first book great? Worst of all, what if it just leaves you disappointed? And so, yes, I was a little nervous about The Girl in the Tower, Katherine Arden's followup to the incredible The Bear and the Nightingale. That was a book I truly loved, and one whose scope remained intimate and character-based, even as the story got more complex, the mythology richer, and the imagination wider - and between "fantasy series bloat" and "middle book syndrome," there was plenty that could go wrong.

And somehow, not a bit of it did, because instead, I got a book that I loved every bit as much as its predecessor, and left me every bit as excited and enthralled by this series as the first one did.

Like its predecessor, The Girl in the Tower is a book about medieval Russia - a country that's not yet a country, on the verge of historic change. It's a population that is slowly letting go of its folklore and heritage, moving towards Christianity, but also towards independence. But the Khans are still in charge, and more pressingly, there are horrific bandit attacks happening throughout the cities, where populations are slaughtered and girls are kidnapped - and the bandits disappear without a trace. 

While The Bear and the Nightingale focused on life in the wildernesses of the time, The Girl in the Tower dives into the world of medieval Moscow, with court politics, royal unease, power struggles, and the Church all pushing against each other and interweaving in complex ways. Yes, Vasya Petronova is still here, clinging to folklore and the creatures of magic that are being forced to the side in the face of a changing country; but this time, Arden brings back two members of her family that we barely got to know in Nightingale - her devoted monk brother Sasha, and her married-into-royalty elder sister Olga. What their part is in this story is - as well as how the Crown Prince and a mysterious lord come into play - should best be discovered by the reader. Suffice to say, once again, Arden mixes magic, history, character building, and imagination into something incredible, spinning a story that remains true to its characters while dazzling with its inventions, which dives into Russian folktales and fairy tales while immersing itself in history, and all around dazzling me on every page. 

More importantly, Arden's characters continue to grow over the books, turning their relationships into an equally important part of the series, from a complex romance that shouldn't exist to family relationships strained by different values. The book allows these to be as equally - or more - important as the plotting of the book, investing us just as much in the love of a family member as we are in the truth of these mysterious bandits. It even further complicates our feelings on a returning villain, who continues his shift from hateful zealot into something more tragic, even as his cruelty continues. And if that's not enough, there's the rich subtext of the book, as a country tries to reconcile its past and its future, even when those things are incompatible.

Somehow, Arden does all of this while making her story exciting, inventive, and thrilling; even more impressive, she both sets up a final entry in the series and once again delivers a self-contained story that satisfies on its own terms, not just as setup for an eventual payoff. In other words, it's a piece of a larger whole, but a piece that can be appreciated on its own - and that's something we don't do often enough. Yes, the payoffs are more effective if you've read the first book - there is a final moment between two characters that broke my heart, even as I suspect there's more to come - but more importantly, I can spend the next few months waiting on book 3 satisfied with what I have, even though I'm ready for more.

And in the meantime, maybe you should read these books. If you love the way Neil Gaiman uses fairy tales to explore larger themes; if you love books about historical fiction with a focus on folklore and belief; if you're fascinated by Russian tales of heroes and demons and ghosts; if you love fantasy about women who want to be more than their gender should allow; if you're fascinated by the boundary between religion and myth; or if you just want an incredible tale of magic, love, bravery, and wonder...if you're any of those things, read these books. You won't be sorry. And then join me in the wait for book 3, won't you?

This book blew me away. There's no sophomore slump here. The Girl in the Tower is full of political intrigue and love, and is as magically lyrical as the first. I will say that trigger warnings for this book do include sexual assault and mentions of human trafficking.

This book starts out with a glimpse as to what happened at the end of The Bear and the Nightingale before jumping into a few chapters that serves to introduce a cast of characters we will see more of in this story. We have met them before in the first book, but it was much earlier on in the story. So, if you're looking to see what happens to Vasya and Morozko, their story beings in chapter six. I admit, those two were who I most looked forward to when I started this book, but the beginning is also very important, so do pay attention to them.

Like the previous book, this book is built on layers. But by now, we have a foundation of a story to work with, so there's less introduction needed into who Vasya is, and we are left to focus on trying to decipher all the characters and their motivations. This is a story that takes place outside of Lesnaya Zemlya, once Vasya's home until she was driven out for fear of her safety. Vasya is on the road, wishing to travel and see the world. But the world is not kind to young girls, especially a girl traveling on the back of a great stallion.

She does well on her own for a short while, with Solovey the stallion to keep her company. Solovey, for his part, is still hilarious and darling as ever. The conditions are harsh on the roads, and she has taken to traveling dressed as a boy despite the frost-demon Morozoko telling her to return back to Lesnaya Zemlya. Things are not well in Russia as bandits who leave no footprints are setting villages aflame and taking young girls with them. It is here that she chances upon the good graces fo the Grand Prince of Moscow, Dmitrii Ivanovich, and her brother Sasha, who since has become a monk also known as Aleksandr Peresvet.

The story takes on new layers as each character is introduced into the storyline, and secrets unfold slowly, then all at once near the end of the book. There are great many fights and battles when action calls for it. There are also quieter moments that manages to tug at the your heartstrings.

Vasya is young still and has a world for adventure in a world that would keep their women locked away and hidden from the eyes of men. She sees and speaks to the domovoi still, the spirits who care for many things - like the bath houses, a home's hearth, and the gates of the city. Then, there is Morozko, a frost-demon who should be indifferent to all manner of things, for he is the death-god.

I'm going to need a second to talk about Vasya and Morozko. I already was very much taken by the mysterious Morozko in the first book, but only as a character, you know? Not necessarily shipping Vasya and Morozko together by any means (Vasya was a young child then anyways). But this book? I found myself highlighting all their interactions together and I am so in love with these two. Vasya is strong-willed and Morozko doesn't know what to do when interacting with someone who dares to talk back to him. He seems like a precious cinnamon roll (of DEATH, I suppose).

Morozko would never do anything to put Vasya in harm's way, but when he begins to think that he might develop feelings for her, I can't say that he makes the smartest decisions when it comes to Vasya in order to protect her from the world. I know this book isn't in the romance genre, but can Vasya and Morozko somehow get their happy ending in the next book? There's a few obstacles (because, hello, death-god and all), but I would love to see a HEA very much. <3

The Girl in the Tower is magical from beginning-to-end with an air of mystery surrounding the newcomers in this story. The writing is gorgeous and has the feeling of being whisked away into a land where a child's fairy tales can be a very real thing indeed. This story, thankfully, does not end on quite a cliffhanger as the first book, but does leave open a few questions about a few characters and what's next for Vasya. I absolutely cannot wait to read book three, The Winter of the Witch!!!

Thanks to Penguin Random House for providing me an ARC for review

"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 events that happened in the Bear and the Nightingale left Vasilisa Petrovna orphaned and branded as a witch by the people in her small village. She was given two options to choose from: spend the rest of her life in a covenant or allow her older sister to match her with a Moscovite prince. Both of which would imprison her in a tower and cut her off from the things she loves most - the wilderness and her freedom.

Not wanting to burden her brother Alyosha and her younger step-sister Irinka with her bad reputation, Vasya felt she had nothing left in Lesnaya Zemlya. So, with the help of Morozko (the frost demon) and her beloved stallion Solovey, she decides to become a traveler disguised as a boy so that she may explore the world and live freely.

"Thus Vasilisa Petrovna, murderer, savior, lost child, rode away from the house in the fir-grove. The first day ran on as an adventure might, with home behind and the whole world before them."

However, her travels don't go as smoothly as she may have hoped. When she comes across bandits that have been terrorizing the countryside by burning villages and abducting young girls, 'Vasilii Petrovitch' successfully tracks them down and pulls off a daring rescue, which earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow.

Being in Moscow has reunited Vasya with her sister Olga, the Princess of Serpukhov and her brother Alexsandr, a well known traveling monk. Together they try to keep Vasilisa's gender a secret from their cousin Dmitrii Ivanovitch, the Grand Prince, so that they may remain in his good graces. However, the bandits were never the real problem, its who was commanding them. The kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces, and Vasilisa is the only one who can stop it - will they let a wild girl, branded as a witch, save them?

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden is the second book of her Winternight trilogy. This a fantasy retelling of the Russian fairy tale Vasilisa the brave/beautiful.

This book begins where the first leaves off, so it was very easy for me to get lost in the story again. Katherine Arden's writing is poetic - its beautifully descriptive and full of emotion. While The Bear and the Nightingale had more of a slower pace (being the introductory book), The Girl in the Tower reads much more quickly.

There aren't a lot of new characters given in this book, most of them are ones we've already met in part one. However, we get to know them all so much better, which I really enjoyed! I loved seeing not only how Vasilisa grows and changes, but her siblings and even the frost-demon himself, too. They all go through trails and have issues of their own to deal with, Vasilisa especially; she learns quit a few lessons the hard way. One of the newer characters in this story is Marya, Olga's daughter, and I really hope to see more of her in the third book. There are a few mysteries from book one that are revieled in this part, giving us even more of an understanding of her family.

There was no romance in book one, but in this book there was just a touch of it, which I didn't mind. I actually really enjoyed it, and I'm excited to see where that goes.

Overall, I feel this is the perfect sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale. There's tons of action and its full of fairy tale creatures and adventures. Thankfully, just like the first book, The Girl in the Tower doesn't end on a cliffhanger. We end with Vasilisa set out on another adventure. One I can't wait to read about!

**** I received an eBook copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Random House publishing! ****

Everything I loved about The Bear and the Nightingale was here in The Girl in the Tower but amplified! All the lore, all the adventure, it was all here and it was fantastic! This story moves away from Lesnaya Zemlya and begins in Moscow, where God is more present than in the woods and the older gods aren’t as prevalent. In the same manner as the last book, everything starts with Olga, Vasya’s sister who was married off into the Russian monarchy in the first book, telling a story she heard as a child to her own children. I love that a book built on the tales of Russian lore begins with a story, and not one with a happy ending, but one with a tragic meaning.

In The Girl in the Tower, we have a new villain that works from Russian mythology. His true identity isn’t revealed until much later in the book, and you’re not even sure the villain is even around until he swoops in. While the first book has the underlying tone of something evil coming, this one focused more on human nature and the weaknesses they have, especially when it comes to what we don’t understand. I think that was what made me so surprised when the villain came around.

Vasya grows so much in this book as a character. She’s still the wild “wood sprite” from the first book, but she faces new challenges beyond her village. Dressed as a boy, she travels from her village to see the world, but learns that it can be crueler than she anticipates. Vasya doesn’t always make the best choices and can be reckless, not always thinking about the consequences of her actions. She loves though with a full heart and tries her best to make things right. She isn’t a passive character who waits for things to happen, or waits for someone to save her. She uses her wits and her strength to make her own way in a world that would have women locked away.

I found that The Girl in the Tower picked up where The Bear and the Nightingale left off when it came to Vasya and her own struggle to figure out who she is. And it did not leave me hanging. She knows that she isn’t meant to just be a lord’s wife or left in a convent. She fights against these ideas by dressing as a boy and doing what most would ridicule her for. Some would even shun and burn her. The world she lives in isn’t ready for someone like her and doesn’t appreciate her the way she deserves, but she keeps on fighting for it.

Morozko and Vasya’s relationship develops more in this book, and we learn more about him and who he really is, what his existence really means. I actually liked him a lot more in this book than the last. I didn’t like the mystery and how he seemed to play around to get his way, but he was a lot more mortal here and felt more. I hope we see more in the third book!

The world is explained so well and the characters are thoroughly developed. Sasha, Vasya’s brother who left as a teenager to become a monk, is more of a warrior than a pious man. He has the ear of the Grand Prince and plays a role in politicks. I missed him! I loved Alyosha and his relationship with Vasya, but I felt like the camaraderie the two of them had was here with Sasha. Olga has also grown from that girl-child we saw before. While I wish we had more of her with her children, I loved the scenes with her and Vasya. The moments were tense, but the sisterly love was still there after all those years.

Family plays a key role in this book. At Lesnaya Zemlya, Vasya didn’t have Sasha and Olga. She did have family and those she cared about, but the number of those people grew a lot more here in the palace. While Vasya had a larger weakness when it came to them, she also had more people she could rely on, something that I think was missing from the last book until the very end. I loved the chapters with her and her niece, seeing her with someone just like her in personality and spirit.

The titles are what really tie the bow on these books for me. Once you understand what they mean, it’s like all of the mysterious puzzle pieces come together into one fantastic painting. With The Bear and the Nightingale, we understood the lore and the existence of two main characters. With The Girl in the Tower, there is a greater story we didn’t really hear in full detail in the last book that we understand a lot more here.

If you loved The Bear and the Nightingale, you will absolutely love The Girl in the Tower. I can’t wait for the third book to see what adventure Vasya will run into next. I am also hoping that Katherine Arden, after the third book is released, will write a compilation of stories on Russian lore.

4.5 stars total This is a second book in the Winternight trilogy, so I’ll try to avoid spoilers as best I can 🖤 This is a Russian inspired fantasy with tons of Russian folklore through out it. It’s one of my favorite parts of this series easily. You follow multiple perspectives throughout this series all from one family. Our main character I would say is Vasya the youngest daughter✨ She has been on such a journey so far and you can really see her character grow and change from the first book 🖤 The story for this one started a little slower for me but that last half I really couldn’t put it down. I think I ended up enjoying this one more than the first one. I really enjoyed that we have a bit of different setting in this book as well with it taking place in a city. The action scenes are just so intense and these books do have a darker tone to them with Russian myth creatures ✨ I’m super excited to see what happens in the third book. 🖤 Look up triggers/ warnings before reading ✨

The Girl in the Tower was not quite as amazing as The Bear and the Nightingale, but was still an outstanding read.

Arden successfully maintained her beautiful writing style. Everything about medieval Rus seems so magical and wonderful. The frigid cold winter really permeated the feeling of the entire book. This book still had a mysterious feel, but the whole thing was a little darker. Vasya deals with more grown-up and human fears than the first book, which is mostly concerned with the supernatural. However, there is still plenty of good mythology! Some of Russia's most well-known mythological creatures make an appearance in this book, as well as several more obscure characters.

Where I think Arden's writing really sets itself apart is in the meandering nature of the narrative. The plot is constantly changing direction and going places you wouldn't quite expect. It's a little like an episode of the Simpsons in that way: the beginning of the book is about something quite different than the middle or end. As with The Bear and the Nightingale, I found this slower, more round-about story-telling style refreshing and enjoyable.

The wild-girl is becoming a common trope in literature. Vasya is no exception. She refuses to conform to expectations for women, longs for adventure, and even (scandalously) dresses as a boy in this novel. But unlike in other books, in this one Vasya is confronted with the reality that SOCIETY DOESN'T CARE what she wants. I thought this was brilliant, and am instantly bothered that no author has ever brought it up before. At times she is even conflicted between who she wants to be and not wanting to disappoint her family. I loved seeing this inner conflict. It made Vasya so much more interesting than some of her counterparts.

Where I think this book didn't quite live up to its predecessor was with character development. In The Bear and the Nightingale every character, even minor ones, had character arcs. Konstantine was a fascinating antagonist because he wasn't just evil, he was complicated. But in The Girl in the Tower, only Morozko really grows. Even Vasya, conflicted though she might be, doesn't really change. And the antagonist was shockingly on-dimensional. It was disappointing, and the main reason this book received four stars instead of five.

However, the pace of this novel definitely picked up. The main criticism of The Bear and the Nightingale was that it was too slow, and this one was definitely quicker, even if not, you know, FAST.

I still strongly recommend this series to anyone who loves fairy tales or historical fiction. I'm really looking forward to the final installment, The Winter of the Witch!