One of the best mythical fantasy books of the year

Katherine Arden's debut novel, The Bear and the Nightingale, was one of the most highly anticipated debut novels to come out in the year of 2017. This being said, the second book in the Winternight trilogy, The Girl in the Tower, had a lot to live up to if it was going to meet the hype and praise that surrounded the previous book. Let me tell you, this book met every expectation I had, and more. We are introduced once again to the starkly cold and beautiful setting of medieval Rus, following the main protagonist, Vasya, and her magical horse, Solovey. Our story begins where the first book left off, with Vasya residing within the magical winter forest of Morozko the frost demon. Vasya is determine to escape the confines of her home, where her people have branded her a witch, and she fears being killed, or worse; sent to a convent to live her life as a nun. She dresses herself as a boy and decides to wonder the world and forge her own destiny, and it is these choices that lead her deep into the royal city of Moscow, where bandits, raiders, Taters, and royalty play their dark games of politics and scandal, and underneath it all, the old Gods and demons of Rus are immersed in their own deadly dance of lust and power. Vasya is an amazing protagonist, she is willful and courageous and head-strong, yet also kind and honest, and utterly human in every sense of the word, questioning her choices, regretting her mistakes, and putting her loved ones needs before her own. Her relationship with her family, with Morozko, with her horse, are genuine and beautifully developed, you find yourself really routing for her. The magic and mythological aspects of this book are astounding, thematically this book is so in-depth and precise when it comes to the theological struggles as well as the roles of women in the medieval ages, and to the price one has to pay to create and pursue her own destiny. I cannot wait for the final installment, I would give this book a thousand plus stars if I could.