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basil_touche's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Also learned some things about Medieval Russia, the whole narrative feels very well researched in that regard.
It was also quite neat to see more of the mythical beings of Russian Folklore in this, but I feel that they don't appear as much as in the first novel. However, with this story leaving certain threads unanswered, I feel that the last book of the trilogy will feature more of them while also revealing what has been hidden under the surface the last two books. I eagerly anticipate reading it.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Xenophobia, Grief, and Self harm
Minor: Slavery
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked this sequel, and I liked that we saw some failure from Vasya. She seemed to miraculously know most things last book, so seeing her have to put pieces together and realize that everything won’t be handed to her added more depth to her than she had before. She makes hasty choices and they have consequences, and seeing her deal with that made her feel much more real.
I was not into how much this book leaned on assault and objectification to strike fear into Vasya; bodily harm (because yknow, war & magic battles) without rape threat and violent misogyny would’ve been sufficient. Staying historically accurate doesn’t require focusing in on details like that. The Game of Thrones school of dealing with misogyny in history should be burned to the ground, but I digress
I was afraid this book would bore me because it verged on political intrigue, but honestly those parts were easy to gloss over to get to the magic bits. I love the balance the author found there. I don’t care about palace life beyond how it directly impacts our characters, and I don’t enjoy reading about political machinations. This book gave me just enough context to continue making its point about gender & power dynamics in this time period
Overall fun, but I’ll be honest in saying that I hope the next book is far from a palace. I also find myself ready for a conclusion, so I’m glad this is a trilogy.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, and War
Moderate: Sexual violence, Vomit, Violence, Child death, Child abuse, and Pregnancy
toriffic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Sexism, and Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, War, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Self harm
emtees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I enjoyed this one even more than the last book in the series, The Bear and the Nightingale. Like the first book, The Girl in the Tower is heavily based on Russian folklore and fairy tales. It’s not an area I’m very familiar with, but Arden sprinkles the plot with just enough background to understand the various mythological and archetypal figures and story arcs in play. The folklore isn’t just there for flavor or set dressing; Arden is speaking to the heart of these stories and questioning the truths they tell and the lessons they purport to teach. This book also expands the setting of the story from Vasya’s remote forest home to Moscow, bringing in the real history of the 14th century Rus. The rich but restrictive culture of Christian Moscow is set against the whimsy and danger of the pagan woods, which adds a lot of depth to Vasya’s story. Vasya has followed the path of many fairy tale heroines before her, but there is a lot about both their fate and the expected life of a proper Christian noblewoman that this independent and restless young woman doesn’t want, and the question of how much room she has to forge her own path is a big one.
Vasya continues to be a likeable heroine, but I appreciated that in this story we see her more out of her depth. She was comfortable and confident in her own terrain, but out on the road, and then among the court of Moscow, she is in over her head and that means mistakes and poor decisions. I liked that this wasn’t the kind of story where, because the young hero was strong and had done impressive things, she was able to accomplish just anything. In fact, Vasya’s confidence in her own abilities gets in her way at times; she gets complacent and makes mistakes that get her and the people around her in trouble. The story simultaneously understands Vasya’s desire for freedom and anger at the restrictions placed on her by her sexist society and questions the cost of her freedom to the people around her. Vasya’s relationships with her siblings were great: messy and full of misunderstandings and resentments, but also deeply loyal and loving.
The fantasy elements of this world continue to be intriguing. The main plot of this book is a largely stand-alone adventure, but there is a lot of background building up, presumably to be explored in the last book of the trilogy. Both the mysteries of Vasya’s family heritage and her complex relationship with the Winter King Morozko get a lot of page time. After not caring very much about Morozko in the first book, I enjoyed his relationship with Vasya in this one a lot more. Arden humanized him and therefore his interactions with Vasya in a way that made me feel for him.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Child death
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual harassment
Sexism, misogyny, and the threat of forced marriages or other restrictions on women are a major theme. There is a graphic birth scene in whichbethlynch's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Grief
mnerd63's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexism, War, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Child death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault
Minor: Pregnancy and Slavery
lisa_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I started to love Vasya as the main character even more. I feel like she had so much more personality and drive in this book. Also I generally really love the 'girl dresses up as a boy in order to be taken seriously' trope - especially when she then comments on the things that come so easy to her just because of that small change, as well as all the things she would never have been allowed to do otherwise.
The end was a great conclusion to the story of this book. I realised that even though the story is a continuation of the first book, every book could really stand on it's own as well. They are clearly connected and part of a series, but they all tell their own stories that just happen to the same cast of charaters. I am really excited for 'The Winter of the Witch' and I really hope Katherine Arden will write more mythology retellings because she is truly doing such an amazing job!
I really like reading the Glossary at the end as well as her own reflecton upon the book. In this one she even gives secondary sources for further research into the base myths and storys of the books.
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Violence, Classism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Murder, and Religious bigotry
thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
CW: same "it's set in the 14th century, so" as book one
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Religious bigotry, Violence, Child death, Blood, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Pregnancy, Grief, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, and Confinement
Minor: Death of parent
riccii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Outing, Blood, and Misogyny
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Violence, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Grief, and Confinement
Minor: Pregnancy and Slavery
itisnatal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual harassment