Like its predecessor, The Girl in the Tower is a book about medieval Russia, a country that’s not yet a country, on the verge of historic change. It’s a population that is slowly letting go of its folklore and heritage, moving towards Christianity, but also towards independence. While The Bear and the Nightingale focused on life in the wildernesses of the time, The Girl in the Tower dives into the world of medieval Moscow, with court politics, royal unease, power struggles, and the Church all pushing against each other and interweaving in complex ways. Arden mixes magic, history, character building, and imagination into something incredible, spinning a story that remains true to its characters while dazzling with its inventions, which dives into Russian folktales and fairy tales while immersing itself in history and all-around dazzling me in every page. Arden’s characters continue to grow over the books, turning their relationships into an equally important part of the series, from a complex romance that shouldn’t exist to family relationships strained by different values.

Overall, I feel this is the perfect sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale. There are tons of action and it’s full of fairy tale creatures and adventures. Thankfully, just like the first book, The Girl in the Tower doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. We end with Vasilisa setting out on another adventure.