The Girl in the Tower
Author: Katherine Arden
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Blurb (as on Goodreads):
Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.
Vasilisa’s journey continues as she leaves her home at Lesnaya Zemlya and decides to be a traveler. In spite of repeated warnings from the frost-demon himself, Vasya and Solovey set out on an unknown path, a path full of danger and cold that can kill.
“Go out into the world, traveler. See what the long nights and hard days feel like, after a week of them.”
“Perhaps I will like them,” Vasya retorted, with spirit.
“I sincerely hope not.”
This path eventually leads her to Moscow, where she has to disguise herself as Vasilii, the son of a Lord. In Moscow and adjacent places, the villages are burning and girls are being abducted by bandits who don’t leave any track. And Vasya is on a mission to find these clever, mysterious and shrewd bandits, only to realize later that it’s all a part of a big plan.
The story develops a lot in the initial chapters, as we are given details about the miseries that Vasya faces on the road. There is news about Sasha and his present life as a monk, as well as Olga, as the princess of Serpukhov. The strange relationship between Vasya and the winter king also grows, as they come close and he saves her life again and again. There’s a hint of a probable romance and there’s longing between the two souls.
“Think of me sometimes,” he returned. “When the snowdrops have bloomed and the snow has melted.”
The plot picks up only after 60% of the book and that’s when there’s action. So I suggest you have a little patience. Once the actual plot unfolds, secrets and treacheries start pouring out. There are fights, races, drama, emotions etc. We meet similar kind of ghosts as in The Bear and The Nightingale and they help Vasya a lot throughout her battle to save the city of Moscow.
I liked this book a little less than The Bear and The Nightingale. But what I loved is, nothing in the plot is forced. Not even Morozko’s presence, The author has taken the time to justify every plot twist (even though a few things have broken my heart 😦 )
- Solovey, because he’s the Hero 😉
- Vasilisa as a boy, charming the world
- Tales of the past, the origin of all troubles
- Possible Romance between Morozko and Vasilisa
The Girl in The Tower continues the tale of Vasilisa as Vasilii, the brave, and takes you to the city of Moscow. There is dark magic all around and forces that want to destroy the city and only Vasilisa can protect the city because in some strange, tangled way she is related to all of this.
Purchase Links: |Amazon Kindle||Amazon Hardback|
Looking forward to the next and final book in the series.

Wait wait waaaait…you mean to tell me that The Bear and the Nightingale has A SEQUEL?! how did I not this?! I’ve been meaning to read that books since the beginning of the year I didn’t expect it to have a sequel 😂. I can’t wait to read that book and this sounds amazing as well!! Great review ❤!
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Thank you. Yes there’s a sequel and there’s a sequel to the sequel which releases next year 🙂
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Thank you for your review! I loved ‘The Bear and the Nightingale’ but I’m always worried the next books don’t live up to the first! I’m definitely going to give this one a go! 😊
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Oh yes you should. The books is equally charming and magical. and a bit romantic 😛
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I really loved this book. In fact, I loved it more than the first one 🙂 such strong female characters… And the pace picked up! I could barely contain myself because of the suspense. At one point, I had to put it down… It was a bit much (around the time of the race!)
I really want to read the next one. Worried about Morozko 😐
My review of The Girl in the Tower
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Yes, I don’t want him to fade away completely. I have actually started liking this scary af fr0st king
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Such amazing description. It has been on my mind for long to read books by Katherine Arden..now this review is making me crave more for it. Will pick up a copy soon.
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Yes, let me know your thoughts 🙂
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It sounds like a slow and steady start to the book, but it has a beautiful character arc from the sound of things and that is what makes this one what it is. I need to read this series!
My blog: http://oliviascatastrophe.com/
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You should give it a go. I am an love with the the author has created.
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I am not big on Fantasy nor series. So I might have to give a pass to it. But I love your review and judging by the comments everybody loves the book as much as you do.
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Oh yes, it’s a wonderful book, I am gonna come to you for recommendations on other genres 🙂
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I actually liked this one more than the first one 🙂 somehow I felt like it moved faster, and it was so much more adult and dark. I loved it and can’t wait for the next one 🙂
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I think I have a thing for dark, magical forests 😛
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