Reviews

Once again in a Royal Diaries book, the Epilogue and Life in Russia sections left out a lot of important information that would confuse the reader. It stated that after her husband became king, Catherine feared for her life. Which makes no sense to a reader who just saw the two get married in the fictionalized story. The author never explains WHY Catherine thought her life was in danger. She also didn't explain the coup very well. Just, all of a sudden, Catherine becomes Empress. I thought these books would be much more thorough than the Dear America series (the Royal Diaries are a spin off) because they are based on real people, but that hasn't been the case.

jinny89's review against another edition

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3.0

When I was a kid, around ten or twelve years old, this was one of my absolute favourite book series. I adore books about princesses, real or fictional, and love learning about them. There's twenty books in this series, I own eight of them. I recently decided to re-read some of them, partly for nostalgic reasons, and partly because I'm kind of behind in my 100 books goal and would like to shamelessly bring that number up a bit, heh.

This book is about a little German princess who lived in Prussia, who was born as Sophia. Her mother is a relentless social climber, a princess herself, but such a minor one that no one really cares about them. She always dreams of being related to "real" royalty. When Empress Elisabeth of Russia sends out a request for portraits of young, eligible ladies to be sent to her so she may choose a bride for her heir, the Grand Duke Peter, Sophia and her mother are both shocked and excited that Elisabeth chooses Sophia. Thus Sophia makes the great journey from Prussia to Russia, through the snow and cold, to meet her future husband. When she meets the Empress, the Empress decides Sophia should be named Catherine instead, after her mother. Catherine would later go on to become Catherine the Great.

I thought the book was pretty good. It wasn't the most exciting or engaging one (I remember the Anastasia and Cleopatra books in this series being very addicting). I think the issue is that Catherine's life is much more interested after she marries and becomes Empress, than before. I know the series focuses on the princesses in their tween/teen years, but Catherine just doesn't have that much going during that part of her life, besides the betrothal. Still, I do think the book was written pretty good and despite not too much happening in her life. The book focuses more on Catherine's relationships with her mother, Empress Elisabeth and her betrothed, Peter, which I think is great for laying down the groundwork for those interested in reading more about Catherine, because Catherine does have some tense relationships with those people.

This portrayal of Catherine is very easy to like. I'm not sure how she is usually portrayed; this is my first historical fiction involving Catherine the Great. From what I know of her from history though, I imagine she would often be portrayed as very ambitious? This Catherine in this book does have hints of ambitiousness but the author, whether purposely or not, downplayed a lot of it, or made it sound more like a nice girl chasing a dream to be a good empress.

My only real complaint is the ending. It was very, very abrupt. I was surprised to turn the page and realize that the story was done.

If you don't mind reading juvenile books, I think this one is a pretty good one to try out, especially if you like historical fiction and/or have an interest in the Russian empress, Catherine the Great.

caseygrim's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

karingforbooks's review against another edition

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informative lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Definitely one of my least favorite royal diaries. Even for a 14 year old, there’s no substance like there is with others. And it focuses so much on her appearance and her mother’s abuse without recognizing the era or that it’s bad. Also it ended randomly and the headings were in a bad font and were largely meaningless as far as timing. I’m sure it’s fine but not something I’ll reread

idratherliveinbooks's review against another edition

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reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

jmckendry's review against another edition

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3.0

I read one or two of these books as a child, and as I've begun to think about what I want my own future children to read, I remembered this book series.

I had never read this one before, and I had honestly forgotten how historically accurate these stories are. Entertaining, true, and perfect for young readers, I thoroughly enjoyed this short novel and I can't wait to read more from this series.

bergha1998's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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