Katherine Arden delivers another breathtakingly suspenseful, romantic romp through medieval Russia in this sequel to 2016's The Bear and the Nightingale. Pagan gods clash with the growth of Christianity, and an immortal creature of wind and ice must choose between immortality and his longing for a remarkable mortal girl.
Following the death of her father, spirited Vasalisa Petrovna is on the run with the magnificent stallion Solovey. Faced with equally unappealing prospects of marriage or conviction of witchcraft, she abandoned her 14th-century Russian village. She travels the wilds disguised as a boy and is reluctantly aided by the ancient frost demon Morozko. But when she rescues children from bandits, her path intersects with that of her brother Sasha. Now a warrior monk called Aleksandr the Lightbringer, Sasha serves their cousin Dmitrii, the Grand Prince of Moscow. The prince takes a liking to Vasya, who adopts the guise of Aleksandr's younger brother Vasilii. Thanks to her daring, Vasya comes to court, but she must step carefully to avoid discovery, especially by a sharp-eyed and enigmatic northern lord who seems fascinated by her.
While the first volume explored the household and forest spirits of rural Russia, The Girl in the Tower focuses on higher magic and political intrigue. Although Vasya's gift of speech with spirit creatures and animals gave her a consistent edge in her village, the stiffer challenges she faces in Moscow make her triumphs more hard-won and her spirit all the more endearing. A haunting winter's tale. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services manager, main branch, Dayton Metro Library