Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be part of the Blog Tour for The Girl in the Tower
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| Del Rey an imprint of Ebury Publishing Penguin Random House 9 August 2018 My thanks to the publishers and to Random Things Tours for the invitation to the blog tour and for my copy of the book |
Inspired by Russian fairy-tales and folklore, this is the second book in a stunning literary trilogy. The perfect blend of historical fiction and magical realism, this series is for those readers who loved Naomi Novik’s Uprooted, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, and Philip Pullman.
What's it all about ...
For a young woman in medieval Russia, the choices are stark: marriage or a life in a convent. Vasya will choose a third way: magic...
The court of the Grand Prince of Moscow is plagued by power struggles and rumours of unrest. Meanwhile bandits roam the countryside, burning the villages and kidnapping its daughters. Setting out to defeat the raiders, the Prince and his trusted companion come across a young man riding a magnificent horse.
Only Sasha, a priest with a warrior's training, recognises this 'boy' as his younger sister, thought to be dead or a witch by her village. But when Vasya proves herself in battle, riding with remarkable skill and inexplicable power, Sasha realises he must keep her secret as she may be the only way to save the city from threats both human and fantastical...
My thoughts...
This lovely story starts where book one of the Winternight trilogy left off and for readers of this series, this second book is no less fascinating than the first foray into the magical world of Russian folklore.
Beautifully and imaginatively written, Vasya, is now grown to young womanhood, and in the face of great adversity, makes the momentous decision to decide her own way in life. With limited choices before her and with the prospect of marriage or of being sent to a convent not very appealing, Vasya undertakes a challenging journey into the unknown, which will see her placed in great danger. To say anything more about the story would be to spoil the desired effect and my best advice really is to start this trilogy from the beginning and enjoy the introduction to Vasya and her family from the very start of this fantastical adventure.
Medieval Russia with all its ancient traditions of storytelling and folk lore comes alive in The Girl in the Tower and there is such an element of magic and a kind of questioning wonder to be found in the story particularly as Vasya challenges those who seek more from her than she is prepared to give.
The author with great imagination and a genuine flair for story telling has certainly brought this world of magic and superstition to life in a believable way. I am already really excited to see how the trilogy concludes in The Winter of the Witch, which I believe is coming in January 2019.
I just need to add something about the book covers, they really are quite beautiful and compliment the story within perfectly.
Katherine Arden has studied Russian in Moscow, taught at a school in the French Alps, and worked on a farm in Hawaii. Born in Austin, Texas, she currently lives in Vermont. She is the author of the critically acclaimed The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower.
Twitter @arden_katherine #TheGirlInTheTower #WinternightTrilogy
@EburyPublishing
#RandomThingsTours
Thanks so much for this amazing Blog Tour support Jo x
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anne for the opportunity to read some wonderful stories and feature some amazing authors x
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