[A quick note: I still canโt get over how stunning the Fairyloot set is for the Winternight Trilogy. And now Iโve got this gorgeous mug from Illumicrate designed by Rosie Thornes depicting Vasya and the winter king himself, Morozko, writing their beautiful horses through the woods. And yes, I enjoyed drinking all the hot chocolate after taking this photo!]
โ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ก, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ: ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ง. ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ, ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ; ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐๐ญ.โ โKatherine Arden
Disguised as a boy, Vasya takes to the road with her trusty steed. What starts as a desire for adventure turns into a quest for justice. Soon, Vasya is wrapped up in Moscowโs politics, in a dangerous position. Caught in a lie, she must fight to maintain the guise or lose everything.
ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! Packed with adventure, intrigue, and danger, this was even better than the first! It has one of my favorite tropes: girl disguised as a boy. Thereโs something so thrilling, so edge-of-your seat about a girl masquerading as a boy, having to keep it secret, hoping no one will discover it. Vasya is a strong, spirited protagonist with no intention to live the way women are expected. Her only option is masquerading as a male, which was handled quite well! What starts off as a harmless charade turns dangerous when Moscowโs prince grows fond of her, believing sheโs Brother Aleksanderโs little brother. Only, sheโs not his brother, but rather, his little sister! And if the prince discovers this treachery, it wonโt be Vasya who pays, but her whole family.
Thereโs so much Russian folklore dripping from the pages of this book, giving it a magical fairytale feel. My favorite incorporation was Koschei the Dethless and the famous Firebird. Seeing how both of these elements played into the main story was wonderful. Not to mention the role Koschei played, and what happened when Koschei played his hand. I couldnโt put the book down after that. Talk about heart-pounding!
And then you have Vasyaโs character, which has matured considerably since the first book. Sheโs finally doing something for herself, and sheโs headstrong about it. When asked by Morozko to rethink her plans for adventure, she stands her ground and fights for what she wants. She enjoys being a boy, enjoys the freedom of it, but sheโs also maturing sexually, and finding that simple acts such as kissing ignite a passion within her. And she isnโt the only one changing. The winter-king is changing too, becoming more human because of Vasya, because of what he feels for her. I adore the dynamic between Vasya and Morozko.
The plot was excellent! Arden did a great job dropping little hints throughout the story. There was a level of court intrigue that added tons of mystery. Unlike the first book, this one felt like it had more structure, more supporting elements that were evident very early on and developed throughout. I enjoyed coming up with theories about who was going to betray who, and what would happen. I loved the way the ghost hiding in the tower played into the main storyline as it related to Koschei.
This is a magical YA read that will appeal to people of all ages. Heck, my mom read it and gushed about it, begging me to HURRY UP AND READ IT. The writing style, with its fairytale feel, makes it easy to fall into and difficult to put down. I continuously kept saying, โJust one more chapterโ until I realized Iโd finished the entire book! Definitely recommended for those who want an accurate historic feel to Russian culture, paired with folklore, and a spirited heroine. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐/๐โญ๏ธ
Commentaires