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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed Alpsten’s writing and the range of Russian culture and customs displayed in the book. However, I didn’t find the main character to be interesting or relatable as a person. It was purely the plot that pulled me in, not so much Elizabeth’s (mc) survival. But there were definitely some solid and well-rounded side characters.
challenging
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
This book made me do a couple of things. One, It made me realize that I know very little about the Romanovs. If it wasn't part of an animated movie I probably don't know it. Two, it made me want to read more about the Romanovs.
I cannot tell you if this is historically accurate, but I can tell you that I enjoyed it. The opening chapter had me hooked to the story. This is the second book of a series but I would say is stand alone as I have not read the first. I do plan on reading The Tsarina (book #1).
I cannot tell you if this is historically accurate, but I can tell you that I enjoyed it. The opening chapter had me hooked to the story. This is the second book of a series but I would say is stand alone as I have not read the first. I do plan on reading The Tsarina (book #1).
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this title. It's the follow-up novel to Tsarina that was about Catherine I. This book is about her daughter, Elizabeth. It can definitely be read as a standalone novel but if you don't know much about Russian history like me, I think it would be better after reading the first book. It's a very tumultuous time for the Russian throne during this book - the throne needs to be filled several times in a pretty short period of time. That was quite exciting and seeing Elizabeth's position shift from leader to leader was interesting as well. The writing didn't quite draw me in as much as it did in the first book though and I found parts to feel slightly repetitive but that may be because of the aforementioned turnover of the throne! I didn't find Elizabeth in this novel to be as strong in character as Catherine and I quite missed Catherine! This book is about the daughter but it also felt more YA to me at times. I still think it's quite an addition to the historical fiction genre - makes this period and this family accessible to people who aren't as familiar with this part of history.
adventurous
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes