Fairy Tales and Russian History

Vasya is one of those characters that I live for! Smart, spunky, and refuses to give in to traditional female roles of her time. After escaping her village, because she knows she will be targeted as a witch, Vasya can either marry or join a convent, neither of which she wants to do. So instead, she disguises herself as a boy and goes on an adventure! I really enjoyed her growth in this story. While she still gets in trouble for shirking her female duties, Vasya thinks a little more of her actions before throwing herself into a situation. What is clear is that she will do anything to save those she loves, whether she has society's approval or not.

I love how the author combines the history of fourteenth century Russia and fantasy elements. Russian legends and fairytales exist alongside everyday life and the combination just works so well in this story. There is more action than in the first book, and the romance also picks up. I am really looking forward to the third book to see where all of the characters end up.