The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

1.)  The Bear and the Nightingale ★★★★★

“She was the wind, the clouds gathering in the smoky sky, the thick snow of deep winter. She was nothing. She was everything.”

Haunting. Dark. Lyrical. Magical. The Girl in the Tower contains everything I loved about The Bear and the Nightingale while allowing the characters to grow, the world to expand, and the story to deepen.

Picking up shortly after the events of The Bear and the Nightingale, Vasya is left with two options: join a convent or marry. Either choice leaves her confined within physical walls and the inescapable walls of her society. And so, Vasya chooses not to decide, disguising herself as a boy to live a life on the road as a traveler.

“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.”

I simply don’t have the words to describe how much I adore this book and this series. Katherine Arden uses beautiful language and draws from both historical and fantastical Russia to create a haunting story of bravery, fear, family, the roles of women in society, and what it means to challenge those roles.

My love for Vasya only grew in this story as she tried to carve her own path every time those around her tried to place her in a metaphorical and physical tower. While she still has her reckless spirit and courage that I adored in The Bear and the Nightingale, loss, age, and understanding have made her wiser. What I love most about Vasya isn’t that she is fearless— it is that she is courageous and strong even when she is scared; it is that we see her bravery falter and then watch her stand taller. Vasya has become my favorite female character of all time, and she is the kind of protagonist I want young readers to look up to.

“That love of maidens for monsters, that does not fade with time.”

Of course, I could not finish this review without talking of Morozko—the frost demon and the winter king who has my heart. I didn’t think it was possible, but I love him even more in this book than I did in the first as we begin to truly understand him and his position. Without giving anything away, I’ll say this: Morozko broke my heart and brought me to tears in a way that a fictional character has not done in a long time, if ever.

“You cannot love and be immortal.”

If you loved The Bear and the Nightingale, then you’ll love The Girl in the Tower perhaps even more. It maintains all of its strengths from the first book, particularly the atmosphere, while adding new layers to these beloved characters and introducing a new storyline where the stakes are raised.

“Think of me sometimes,’ he returned. ‘When the snowdrops have bloomed and the snow has melted.’”

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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

“I would walk into the jaws of hell itself, if it were a path of my own choosing. I would rather die tomorrow in the forest than live a hundred years of the life appointed me.” 

The Bear and The Nightingale is about a girl named Vasya who must save her village and loved ones from a threat that should belong in the fairytales her nurse Dunya told her. But more than that, it’s about family dynamics, gender roles in society, and the courage to stand up for what you believe in.

“In the north, the wind had teeth that bit after sunset, even in summer.”

This book’s strengths really come through in the setting. Katherine Arden has created a rich and atmospheric world. A hybrid of a Russia rooted in history as well as fantasy, you feel as though you live in this world with the characters. As I was reading I could feel the cold, the chill of the Winter Demon’s words in my ear.

In terms of characters, I loved Vasya, it was impossible not to. She’s wild, she’s fearless, she stands up for what she believes in, she doesn’t conform to what society expects of her, and she has a kind heart. She endures a lot from not only her stepmother, but also her village, but does so with such strength. She has a wonderful relationship with her brother, Aloysha, which was wonderful to read, because so often the most important relationship for a female character will be the one between her and her romantic interest.

“Sleep is cousin to death, Vasya. And both are mine.”

Speaking of romantic interest…I really hope something more develops between Vasya and Morozko because between the scene with them after her nightmare and the kiss, I’m dying to see more interactions between them in the sequel.

Overall, I loved this book so much and I can’t wait to pick up the sequel, The Girl in the Tower! I’ve left more of my favorite quotes below!

“Wild birds die in cages.”
“Vasya felt cold despite the steam. ‘Why would I choose to die?’ ‘It is easy to die,’ replied the bannik. ‘Harder to live.’”

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