The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden FIC Ard

At the conclusion of the first book in this trilogy (The Bear and the Nightingale), Vasya ran from her home village leaving behind the death and destruction she felt she caused.  Determined to see the world, she rides away on her magnificent stallion, Solovey.  She might be traveling alone but the frost-demon, Morozko, looks after her, protects her and often comes to her aid.

Disguised as a boy (because girls just don't ride alone), Vasya stumbles upon a village which has just been burned and raided by bandits who also took three young girls with them.  Responding to the pleas of the villagers and aided by the household spirits it seems only she can see, she sets out to find the girls and return them to their families.

As a result of this venture, she is hailed as a hero and reunited with her brother and sister.  It seems the bandits have been killed and disbanded but have they?  Who is Kasyan Lutovich and who is the ghost who roams her sister's palace in Moscow?

This book is a combination of fiction and fantasy set in medieval times.  I loved the first book but could barely put this one down.  Fantasy isn't necessarily my "thing" but I loved the blend of mystical with reality.  Vasya is a heroine to root for.  She is determined not to live the life normally prescribed for girls of her time - marriage or the convent.  In trying to forge her own path, she must also come to terms with how her actions affect those around her.

I can't wait for the final book in this trilogy which comes out in August.

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