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Jan 17, 2019goddessbeth rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Although I didn't love this one as much as the first book, Arden's writing continues to be absolutely on point. I've never been more interested in medieval Russia than when I read this series! Vasya is still very much Vasya, although starting to grow up and realize the consequences of her actions (albeit still being a bit...uhm...brash). I don't even know what to touch on and what to avoid for spoilers, so I'll say this: There's an ending that made me a little teary. There's also still unanswered questions, including one major new one, that makes me think the third story might be Vasya....with Masha? Maybe. The conquering of the villain was, once again, almost incidental to the overall story of magic in medieval Russia (and the question of whether it's possible to be true to yourself vs become what others expect you to be, and the good and bad sides to both of those). If you liked the first book (The Bear and the Nightingale) you should pick this one up.