After reading the first book in The Winternight Trilogy (The Bear & the Nightingale), I was excited to read the next one, which surprised me. I'm not usually one for the fantasy genre, but this story and the character of Vasya reeled me in. I really don't want to give too much away, so to summarize the plot briefly, Vasya is defying the norms of the time in 14th century Russia. She wants a life of adventure, not marriage or a convent, which are typically the only paths for women. She and her strong horse Solovey (whom I worried about the whole book, as I am an animal lover), set out into the frigid, lonely woods to see the world and commit acts of bravery along the way. All this is against the wishes of the elusive and magical Morozko. In the first book, I hoped for a romance to start with Vasya and Morozko...you'll have to read to see if I got my wish! Again, I am not one for books with "nonsense"...demons, fantastical creatures, etc., but this is something different. From the beautiful cover art, to the elegant, flowing prose Katherine Arden uses to describe the settings, to the nostalgic feeling this books gives of fairy tales and magic, it is the perfect book for a cozy winter read.