I read The Bear and the Nightingale, the first of this series, last winter. I found it at a used bookstore in the fall and was so excited to read it, but I saved it until the weather turned colder so I could read it in winter. I loved how the storyline was based on Russian folktales, and the magical element really brought the story to life for me and left me completely engaged. So when a friend received an advanced reader copy of this second book, The Girl in the Tower, and was more than happy to loan it to me, I didn't hesitate. This second book continues in the story as we follow our female protagonist in her adventure. I think I loved the first book a bit more than this second one because it was so new and so magical, but the second one was wonderful in that it let me fall right back into the world that Katherine Arden created for her readers. I can't wait for the third book to be released so I can fall back into that world and continue watching our characters develop into their roles.