Last week I finished the second book in Katherine Arden’s series about Vasilisa and her quest for freedom from medieval Russian norms for girls. The second book picks up exactly where the first book ends. But for those wanting to know about her relationship with the frost demon Morozko, you must wait several chapters as we are told what is happening in Moskow to her sister Olga and her brother Aleksander.

This time Vasilisa must combat a new enemy who is Kasyan Lutovitch, who is both a real and a mythological threat. Arden modeled Kasyan on Kaschei the Deathless, who is the villain in Stravinsky’s Firebird. The Firebird also makes an unexpected appearance in this novel.

It was an enjoyable read but not nearly as compelling as the first book, The Bear and the Nightingale. Why? I think because I was much more intrigued by how Arden wove in the Russian folktale elements and land spirits. This time the book was more about swords and battles than a girl growing up and becoming a person who soars above medieval (and modern) gender norms.

Reading Again