The Girl in The Tower by Katherine Arden

The Girl in The Tower (Winternight Trilogy, #2)

by Katherine Arden

For a young woman in medieval Russia, the choices are stark: marriage or life in a convent. Vasya will choose a third way: magic. . .

The court of the Grand Prince of Moscow is plagued by power struggles and rumours of unrest. Meanwhile bandits roam the countryside, burning the villages and kidnapping its daughters. Setting out to defeat the raiders, the Prince and his trusted companion come across a young man riding a magnificent horse.

Only Sasha, a priest with a warrior's training, recognises this 'boy' as his younger sister, thought to be dead or a witch by her village. But when Vasya proves herself in battle, riding with remarkable skill and inexplicable power, Sasha realises he must keep her secret as she may be the only way to save the city from threats both human and fantastical. . .

A spellbinding fairytale full of magic and wonder, perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

*Make sure you've read all the books in the Winternight Trilogy*

1. The Bear and the Nightingale
2. The Girl in the Tower
3. The Winter of the Witch

Reviewed by abookishblether on

5 of 5 stars

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When it comes to this series so far, I adore the books while I'm reading them and have no interest in picking them up otherwise. For me this makes a difficult book to rate.

The writing is more like poetry than any other book that I have read. It is this quality that gives the book such a vivid atmosphere and strong characterisation. The audiobook was a fantastic addition to my reading experience as it added to the atmosphere that the book built and kept me immersed in the story.

While I found the first book to be a little slow, the pace of the second book kept increasing until the finale kept me on the edge of my seat.

I would really recommend this series.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 11 May, 2019: Finished reading
  • 11 May, 2019: Reviewed