The Girl in the Tower

I did really enjoy this, but just like the first book I felt like the ending was rushed and a bit confusing.

Morozko actually has a brief paragraph explaining the ending of book 1 - where he says he gave Vasya's father the choice to fight the Bear and die, and that's how he randomly appears in the woods just in time to save Vasya. It was a kind of out of place explanation, and if the author had included it in the first book it would have been a better ending. I remember really liking the first book until the father basically teleported to the fight in the woods and deus ex machina-d the ending.

Anyway, there's a lot to like about the second book. Vasya is such an interesting character, and Solovey was wonderful! The depictions of medieval Russia, the folk tales, the wintery setting, were all beautifully rendered. The terem and depictions of the stifling lives of women were terrifying, especially in contrast to Vasya, a woman so unsuited to such a life. But it seemed like Vasya very quickly went from wanting to be a traveler, to telling Olga she will stay in Moscow to help her manage Marya's magical tendencies. It seemed like a very quick switch.