The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingale continues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.

Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.

MY FIRST GLIMPSE!

An eye for detail, a way with words and a voice provocative and alluring, this author has it all. The cover is suggestive of those seen on fairytales, very pretty and somewhat mysterious. The story flows nicely pushing forward at a comfortable pace, making the reader want more. Transition from one scene to the next is smooth and enticing. The ease of reading gives this story the ability to hold the reader’s attention from one plot moment to another.

The plot itself is very interesting, a worthy successor to the first book and is full of rich characters, mysterious hidden meanings and beautifully written settings. Not only did I find this quick glimpse fascinating, I found it exciting and I can’t wait to read more!

~A Bookish First Glimpse~