This is the second book in the Winternight trilogy and it picks up where the The Bear and the Nightingale leaves off. Vasya has to deal with the struggles and consequences of what happened in the first book. She's blamed for what has happened by the priest and even by her own siblings. It has hard not to feel bad for her because in my opinion she's a good person and only wants to do good despite how she's been treated by the father and her step mother. She has the innocence of a child even though she's now a young adult. She stands up for what's right and doesn't back down. When she finally reuintes with her sister, there seems to be a little bit of tension has her sister has heard of the terrible rumors of Vasya being a witch and is wary of her around her children even though Vasya would never harm anyone or any thing. The book is on the slow side, but it's beautifully written and the second more tells more of what's been going on with the siblings.