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The Girl in the Tower
In the sequel to the nationally bestselling The Bear and the Nightingale, a gifted young woman with ties to the old magic of her homeland blazes a trail out of the frozen wilderness and into the court intrigues of Moscow.
Vasilisa’s gift for seeing what others do not won her the attention, even affection, of Morozko—the winter demon from her nurse’s stories. But his aid comes at a cost.
Orphaned, named a witch, and cast out by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent or marriage to a stranger. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the wide world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a young man and riding her trusted stallion, Solovey, into the wilderness.
But Vasya’s exploits soon reunite her with her long-estranged siblings and earn her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow. Disguised as a boy, she must walk a delicate line, safeguarding her family, concealing her identity and navigating her increasingly fraught relationship with Morozko—even as she realizes the realm is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.
The Girl in the Tower
The Girl in the Tower
Cozy Pairings
Witches Brew is an earthy and softly floral fragrance that opens with warm clove and gentle spice, creating an immediate sense of familiarity. At its heart, delicate violet brings a subtle sweetness that lifts and softens the richness of dark patchouli. The base is deep and grounding, with smoky, woodsy notes that linger in the air, balanced by a soft warmth. Smooth and atmospheric, this scent feels both comforting and a little unexpected, blending warmth, earth, and soft florals into something subtly captivating.
Why we chose this: Vasilisa Petrovna grew up on fairy tales about Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, and discovered they were true. Witches Brew carries the earthy, ancient depth of a world where Russian folklore lives and breathes and the old spirits are real and need tending, the scent of something that has been rooted in place for a very long time and is not easily moved. It is the candle for every book in this trilogy. Light this candle as Vasya steps into the snow toward the moving castle in the forest, and let the grounding warmth of patchouli and violet fill the room like a hearth in a Russian winter, where the old magic is always closer than the firelight.