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A review by lyakimov
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
5.0
I am astonished at how brilliant this entire book was. I never expected to enjoy it as much as I did, and I’m so glad that I decided to continue on with this series.
Vasya is the epitome of a heroine. Time and time again, I read fantasy novels stating so much emphasis on how amazing and brave the heroine is, but never truly SHOW their heroics. This is not the case. Vasya is constantly shot down for her bravery and good deeds, looked down upon most of the time no matter what she does. And still, she does good things for those who treat her terribly because she’s truly a good person.
This story is so magical and the Russian fairytales are seamlessly integrated into the story. From the author’s note, I found it interesting that there is so little recorded history about this time period and that’s likely why I have not heard of any other Russian fairytale retellings (especially in Medieval Russia). I love Morozko, he’s such a unique presence and I was always wanting more of him.
The writing flowed very well and the pacing was perfect. The plot was great and, though I knew Cassian was evil; I was tense and anticipating all the while, and the way that the reveal panned out was extremely satisfying.
I like how there is a strong importance of Vasya’s relationships with her siblings in this series. I enjoyed the development of her relationships with Sasha and Olya, just like I loved seeing her with Alyosha and Irina in book one. The one thing I wished were in this book? Alyosha!!! I missed him so much and I understand why he was not in the book but I still missed him. I really hope he is in the third book because I need him and Vasya to reunite.
Vasya is the epitome of a heroine. Time and time again, I read fantasy novels stating so much emphasis on how amazing and brave the heroine is, but never truly SHOW their heroics. This is not the case. Vasya is constantly shot down for her bravery and good deeds, looked down upon most of the time no matter what she does. And still, she does good things for those who treat her terribly because she’s truly a good person.
This story is so magical and the Russian fairytales are seamlessly integrated into the story. From the author’s note, I found it interesting that there is so little recorded history about this time period and that’s likely why I have not heard of any other Russian fairytale retellings (especially in Medieval Russia). I love Morozko, he’s such a unique presence and I was always wanting more of him.
The writing flowed very well and the pacing was perfect. The plot was great and, though I knew Cassian was evil; I was tense and anticipating all the while, and the way that the reveal panned out was extremely satisfying.
I like how there is a strong importance of Vasya’s relationships with her siblings in this series. I enjoyed the development of her relationships with Sasha and Olya, just like I loved seeing her with Alyosha and Irina in book one. The one thing I wished were in this book? Alyosha!!! I missed him so much and I understand why he was not in the book but I still missed him. I really hope he is in the third book because I need him and Vasya to reunite.