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The Girl in the Tower Is an Enchanting Tale of Magic and the Bravery of Women
Vasilisa “Vasya” Petrovna is a woman at odds with her era. She lives in feudal Muscovy at a time of transition, as the old ways slowly fade and Christianity becomes the new religion. Pagan horse-lords are fighting to keep their grip on the people while cities flourish under the rule of Grand Princes. A unified Russia is still a distant dream. In this world, men rule, while aristocratic women are kept sequestered and permanently out of sight. Vasya wants no part of it. A wild-eyed witch more at home in a snowy forest than in the glittering palaces of Moscow, she desires only the freedom to do as she wills, and to see the world. Still reeling from the events in The Bear and the Nightingale, she takes her horse—who is more than he seems—and rides away from her home, and the cloistered life of a highborn lady, disguising herself as a boy.
Though set long ago, The Girl in the Tower is very much a novel of our time. The restrictions Vasya’s society has placed on her don’t feel so distant; while modern women certainly enjoy more freedoms than Vasya would have in feudal Russia, the inequality between the sexes lingers. As we follow the impetuous young woman into a world much bigger and more threatening than she’s ever known before, Katherine Arden spins a beautiful and relatable fairytale that reads something like a high fantasy novel bolstered by meticulous historical research. It’s instantly absorbing, full of magic and adventure at every turn.
Olga is a princess of Moscow, and it’s been eight years since she last saw her younger sister Vasya. She rules the women and children of her tower with an iron hand, yet still worries and frets over the safety of their brother Sasha, a Christian monk who rides and fights alongside his cousin, Grand Prince Dmitrii, protecting the land from raids by pagan horse-lords. Closer to Vasya’s home, a mysterious band of thieves has been burning villages and stealing young girls, and it is this mystery reunites Vasya with Sasha and, eventually, with Olga.
In the strict social order of the day, Vasya’s scheme to disguise her gender is a scandal that could ruin the family’s reputation, as women of her status are not permitted to leave their households until marriage, but it’s soon too late to worry about that—Vasya has already impressed the Grand Prince with her horsemanship and cleverness. Sasha is torn between protecting his sister and being honest with his closest friend, and Olga risks her marriage and her children to keep the secret.
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But this novel is about more than military skirmishes and social niceties. It’s also about magic, spiritualism, love, and freedom. Vasya’s gift of Sight allows her to see the spirits once worshiped by her people, from the little household domovoi to the great spirits that rule the seasons and preside over life and death. One of these spirits, the Winter King Morozko, has been following Vasya since birth, and has both saved her life and brought suffering to her family. He is a cold and distant figure Vasya can’t comprehend, though she seeks his aid despite her misgivings, and the threat he poses her freedom. The independence Vasya seeks will not come without great cost, and she soon learns that sacrifices must be made when choosing between her duty to family and her heart’s desire.
The Girl in the Tower is an enchanting expansion of The Bear and the Nightingale, a beautiful and heartbreaking story of love, family, and sacrifice the bloody background of a people on the cusp of change. With two enchanting novels in less than a year, Katherine Arden has quickly proven herself a writer to watch.
The Girl in the Tower is available now.