It’s become quite clear that I will read anything Katherine Arden writes. Her debut The Bear and the Nightingale was one of my favourite reads of last year. I dare say that Bear is a mere drop in the ocean when it comes to Arden’s writing and clever plot twists in The Girl in the Tower.

Following on from the ending of Bear, Vasya is branded a witch and because she's not content with just being some man’s wife or living in a convent as a nun for the rest of her life, she leaves her village with Solovey. Vasya braves the cold wilderness and doesn't look back, she wants to see the world and experience life but the only way to do this is to disguise herself as a Russian boy.

There was a real sense of adventure in Girl, Vasya finds herself embroiled in a brewing political war between the Moscow royal family and the Khan of Mogul. Vasya cannot stand by while villages are burning and children are being kidnapped and instead risks her life, battling bandits with nothing but her cunning mind and tenacious nature.

Vasya is reunited with her brother Sasha, a priest and right hand man of Prince Dmitry and Olga a Russian princess who is sequestered in a tower with her children and terem. I loved the complex relationship Vasya had which each sibling and how they each battled with the internal struggle of religion and what was expected of women and their role within society compared to their wild sister. As always Arden’s abilitiy to carefully craft a book filled with religion, history, politics and fairytales is truly genius.

I didn’t think it was possible to enjoy Girl more than Bear but I was wrong. Between the stunning prose, the lush world building and a slow burn budding romance, I was completely hooked and found myself reading long into the night. I was absolutely delighted to see Arden include yet more Russian myths and legends, such as the fire bird, Polunochnitsa and I particularly loved reading about Kaschei the deathless.... and of course my beloved Morokzo. The elusive Frost-Demon is just as thrilling and enticing as always, there weren't enough pages with him in to satisfy my shameless obsession with him!

The Girl in the Tower is a bewitching sequel, with magical writing and stunning prose that transports you to medieval Russia, you would swear you could feel the winter frost nipping at your fingers while reading. Arden takes readers on a thrilling adventure, elegantly weaved with gorgeous Russian history and folklore that keeps you in its thrall until the very end. The Girl in the Tower was easily one of my favourite books of the year and although I really don’t want this series to end I can’t wait for book three!

The Bear and the Nightingale was my favourite book of the year. I had been anticipating this one for months and thanks to netgalley and the publisher I got to read it early.
Words cannot describe how much I adored this book, it is absolutely gorgeous. It is rich in Russian folklore, has a strong female character that is trying to break free from what is expected of females at the time, a beautiful magic horse and lots of action.
The writing itself flows easily, the author does an amazing job of making you feel the atmosphere without being too descriptive.
I loved the main character Vasya, in order to escape from the fate of Women (convent or marriage), she decides to explore Russia and disguises herself as a boy. The book explores so many themes such as family, freedom, friendship, religion.....yet with a dash of magic.
Do yourself a favour and read this if you want a feel good story.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review by Netgalley.
Russian culture+wild lady witch = great book

I am in LOVE with this trilogy!!! 😍😍😍😍
This second book was even more adventure-charged than the first-and that's saying something. Mild spoiler: there's a bit of a Mulan theme in this one :)
At first it seemed like the main character was going to be Vasya's sister, -thank heavens she wasn't-but the spotlight quickly returned to (in my humble opinion) the most interesting character, Vasya herself, as wild and unruly as ever. The omniscient narrator only made it better, making an extremely engaging atmosphere.

The Russian culture, which was my Absolute favourite aspect from the first book, is still very present, and only adds to the reasons why I recommend reading these books!

After The Bear And The Nightingale i had the highest expectations and this second installment hasn't let me down. It's a little less fascinating than the first book, maybe because the extraordinary fairytale atmosphere is no longer a surprise but still, i loved every page. The atmosphere is darker and the tension is palpable and i really want the third book now!
Kathrine Arden is an extraordinary author. I felt part of Vasya's world even more than in the Bear and the Nightingale, since there's more action and adventure and we get to know many new characters. Maybe i was expecting a little bit more about Morozko because i wasn't really fully invested in the romance since we get to know him very little but i also loved the pace of their relationship.

When I requested The Girl in the Tower from NetGalley, I somehow missed that it was the second in a series, and I haven't read the first book. I therefore approached it with some trepidation, worried that I wouldn't be able to follow the story. Luckily, that wasn't a problem. While it would have added value to know some of the past events to which the characters referred, it was still possible to enjoy this book without knowing them. In fact, I completely fell in love with it. (Okay, I confess, I fell in love with Morozko). The world building was great, and the blending of Russian folklore into the tale perfectly handled. I loved all the characters and became invested in their stories right from the start. This is definitely a book I'd like to own, and I will certainly go back and read the first book now too. I am keen to see how it will all end in book three! In conclusion, this is a beautiful, captivating tale for lovers of folklore-inspired fantasy and one of my top reads for 2017.

I love Katherine Arden. There, I’ve said it, I do. I love her, but more than that I love her books – and this book in particular. So be prepared for some full-on gush. I love the way she writes, I love what she writes about, I love her attention to detail, I love her characters, I love the way the books make me feel – oh my god, the feels – but most of all I love Vasya, the girl with fire in her eyes, who defies expectations and refuses to live in a cage. Poor well meaning, destructive, confusing, magical Vasya.

Everything that was set up so brilliantly in The Bear and the Nightingale has reached its culmination in The Girl in the Tower, which in every way builds and improves upon its predecessor.

The stakes are higher and so was my investment. I was so engrossed I almost missed my stop.

Highly recommended: a beautifully told story, woven with intricate care.

The Girl in the Tower follows on from The Bear and the Nightingale, but it has quite a different feel, but the writing is just as stellar. Vasya is now grown up and takes us on quite a ride, literally, as she spends quite a bit of time on her horse, Solovey. She manages to get herself into all sorts of trouble, from fighting bandits to masquerading as a boy to avoid being married off or worse, put in a convent.

I really enjoyed following this headstrong young woman on her adventures. Maybe this book missed some of that magic that the first book was filled with, but I still really enjoyed it. Katherine Arden’s storytelling is compelling and she transported me to Vasya’s world. I love how some characters don’t get much ‘page-time’, but still manage to feel fully formed and essential.

I will definitely be buying the print copy to re-read in the future and would happily recommend this book..

I absolutely adored The Bear and the Nightingale so I was so happy when I was granted a review copy of The Girl in the Tower thanks to Netgalley and Ebury publishing.

No spoilers here for The Girl in the Tower but if you haven't read The Bear and the Nightingale yet I would warn you that there are spoilers for that book here and you would be better reading my spoiler free review of that book here: https://lifehasafunnywayofsneakinguponyou.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/the-bear-and-the-nightingale-by-katherine-arden-review/

The Girl in the Tower picks up from the events which happened in The Bear and the Nightingale, first focusing on Sasha and Olga in Moscow as the Grand Prince prepares for war against the Tartars and Olga receives news about the death of her father, stepmother and her little sister Vasya. The reader of course knows that Vasya is not dead but has escaped to the Frost King's cottage for shelter.

We pick up with Vasya next as she tells the Frost King that she intends to travel the country and be free rather than allow the people in her village to force her into a convent or marriage. I was glad to see the return of Vasya's fiery spirit. But when she arrived in Moscow masquerading as a boy, it is here that Vasya's fiery spirit gets her into trouble.

I enjoyed this book so much, I love learning about folklore particularly the folklore of Eastern Europe which is always so deliciously dark. Katherine Arden demonstrates incredible research about the spirits, demons, myths and legends and weaves them into a fantastic story which is not only interesting but believable. Vasya is a character who is very easy to empathise with, a woman in a man's world destined for nothing but a convent or marriage to a man she does not want. Instead she shows herself as a fierce survivor full of determination. Though she sometimes hurts the ones she loves I find that I see this as their fault not hers, their refusal to understand her and their determination to live by social protocols makes her the proverbial black sheep and I really dig that!

If you haven't read this series already then you should certainly do so as soon as possible. I challenge anyone to not enjoy these books.

This is getting to be a truly awesome series. I just became totally immersed and lost into these books so very quickly. The Girl in the Tower is the second in the trilogy and I am already bursting wanting the third book. This story begins where the last one ended and I soon felt the cold of the long Russian winter wrap itself round me and I welcomed it.
Vasya was never going to fit what was expected of her, or should I say what could be done with her to make her conform with normality. Entering a convent or marrying would be like clipping the wings of a bird that should fly. The town blamed Vasya for the hard times they were suffering and now the protection of her father had also gone. Taking her beautiful magical horse she began her own quest with the reluctant blessing of Morozko, the frost demon that takes the souls of the dying.
Dressed as a boy, Vasya finds more freedom and now no longer a child she has greater understanding of the gifts she has. This story is much deeper and darker than the first, taking place in the villages plagued by ruthless bandits and Moscow and its politics.  This is a story that tells of harsh times as death is accepted as much as life but even here there are some very touching moments and unseen forces to other people. It was literally like time had stopped with emotions raw, rules broken and deals made to make bargains against nature.
This is certainly a coming of age time for Vasya where she shows compassion, sacrifice and bravery in a very powerful story.  There is something very magical about these Russian fairy tales wound in the words of Katherine Arden. The love and passion she has just bursts from these pages as you read. The research is very extensive with just a fraction of her knowledge continued after the story ends explaining the customs of the Russian people from the way names are given to the terms used. A stunning story.