The Girl in the Tower
In the second book in Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy, 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.
One of the things I really like is how Arden explores Vasya’s relationships with her older siblings. She hasn’t seen Sasha and Olga in about ten years, and much has changed since then. She’s no longer the strange little girl they remember from their village. For Sasha, he’s concerned about her soul, as he knows she is connected to what he believes are dark forces. He wants to protect her, but he realizes he lost that privilege when he left, leaving Vasya to fend for herself with her abusive stepmother and a manipulative priest.
When she was younger, Vasya dreams Olga invites her to stay in Moscow. But Olga isn’t the sister Vasya remembers, either. She’s learned to be confined to her tower and to make the best of it. The sisters struggle to reconnect after so many years apart. Vasya just wants Olga to understand her, but that’s not easy.
Surprisingly, the family member Vasya connects with the most is her young niece Marya. Like her aunt, Marya can see spirits and household creatures that most can’t. Vasya teaches her to feed the hearth spirit and not to be afraid of the ghost in the tower. Vasya doesn’t want Marya to grow up like she did, unsure if what she’s seeing is real, or if she’s crazy. When Marya is kidnapped, it’s Vasya who confronts the wicked sorcerer and rescues Marya.
Vasya’s time pretending to be a boy, where she experiences newfound freedom, is fun to read. It’s obvious it won’t last, but to see Vasya able to enjoy herself and not be confined to a tower like her sister is uplifting. When her identity is revealed, it’s not surprising how uncomfortable that makes the Grand Prince, and others like him, who find it unbelievable that a woman could do what she did.
I really like how Arden carries over the overarching themes from the first book into the second, but still adds a new adventure/monster to confront to The Girl in the Tower. Keeping all those moving parts flowing can be challenging, but Arden does a great job.
The Girl in the Tower Rating: ★★★★
One of the things I really like is how Arden explores Vasya’s relationships with her older siblings. She hasn’t seen Sasha and Olga in about ten years, and much has changed since then. She’s no longer the strange little girl they remember from their village. For Sasha, he’s concerned about her soul, as he knows she is connected to what he believes are dark forces. He wants to protect her, but he realizes he lost that privilege when he left, leaving Vasya to fend for herself with her abusive stepmother and a manipulative priest.
When she was younger, Vasya dreams Olga invites her to stay in Moscow. But Olga isn’t the sister Vasya remembers, either. She’s learned to be confined to her tower and to make the best of it. The sisters struggle to reconnect after so many years apart. Vasya just wants Olga to understand her, but that’s not easy.
Surprisingly, the family member Vasya connects with the most is her young niece Marya. Like her aunt, Marya can see spirits and household creatures that most can’t. Vasya teaches her to feed the hearth spirit and not to be afraid of the ghost in the tower. Vasya doesn’t want Marya to grow up like she did, unsure if what she’s seeing is real, or if she’s crazy. When Marya is kidnapped, it’s Vasya who confronts the wicked sorcerer and rescues Marya.
Vasya’s time pretending to be a boy, where she experiences newfound freedom, is fun to read. It’s obvious it won’t last, but to see Vasya able to enjoy herself and not be confined to a tower like her sister is uplifting. When her identity is revealed, it’s not surprising how uncomfortable that makes the Grand Prince, and others like him, who find it unbelievable that a woman could do what she did.
I really like how Arden carries over the overarching themes from the first book into the second, but still adds a new adventure/monster to confront to The Girl in the Tower. Keeping all those moving parts flowing can be challenging, but Arden does a great job.
The Girl in the Tower Rating: ★★★★