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belljm13's review
5.0
This book was a bit slow to get going but then it hits with the fantasy take on historic figures and I really didn’t see the twist at the end coming.
I love the authors take on the characters we know and the original characters. It is perfect for every woman who grew up watching the best non Disney princess animated movie of the 90’s.
The art is such a beautiful bonus too (more young adult / new adult books should have illustrations)
Anyway if you love historic fiction and romantasy you’ll love this.
I love the authors take on the characters we know and the original characters. It is perfect for every woman who grew up watching the best non Disney princess animated movie of the 90’s.
The art is such a beautiful bonus too (more young adult / new adult books should have illustrations)
Anyway if you love historic fiction and romantasy you’ll love this.
wintersbookmark's review
3.0
I loved it so much however I feel like it would’ve been better if it hadn’t been an Anastasia retelling. It had so much of potential, the author could’ve written this about a completely fictional princess and it would’ve been perfect! I feel like she didn’t research Russian history enough her descriptions of Cossack was heavily stereotyped.
U had to separate what I know from what the story is attempting to tell me and it works so well that way! Wonderful storytelling, wonderful world building but it just would’ve been better off if it wasn’t an Anastasia retelling
U had to separate what I know from what the story is attempting to tell me and it works so well that way! Wonderful storytelling, wonderful world building but it just would’ve been better off if it wasn’t an Anastasia retelling
all_things_books21's review
5.0
This book kept me hanging by the edge of my seat the entire time! Every time I thought I knew what would happen next, something completely different happened! This book made me laugh, made me cry, and mad my angry basically on loop. At first I thought this was a fantasy romance novel but it’s so much more than that. It’s dark and twisted, it’s loving and passionate, it’s wild. I absolutely loved this book and loved watching the characters grow and change. It ripped my heart out again and again, only to give it back bigger and better. For my first read of 2023, I honestly don’t think any book will compare to this book. I highly recommend this book and honestly wish I could read it for the first time all over again.
jordynpierce's review
5.0
all I need to say is I’m in love and everyone should read this book. also Damien has my whole heart
alexsaslibrary's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
All the world stopped except us. We were bound together in its center, still spinning like two figures in a music box, locked in each other’s arms.
I loved you because I was always going to love you. That’s what we were made to do.
- UHMMM STOPPING TIME IN AN EMBRACE?? WHILE KISSING?? AFTER NOT SEEING EACH OTHER FOR AGES???? FUCK
- the massacre was graphic and brutal and it made me sick to my stomach
- horrifying first sex scene i hated every minute of it - the second one might have been more acceptable but i stand by my assessment that smut does not belong in this book.
- chapter 34 made me believe this book could have SOMETHING and then chapter 40 tore it all down lmao
- i did like the way rasputin made anastasia an unreliable narrator because i wanted to believe there was something MORE to rasputin -- he turned out to be the slimy bastard he's supposed to be but that's beside the point
- funniest shit: rasputin's heading to the mountain to get boatloads of charoite and anya's busting out the fire dance with damien
i hate to say it but there were a lot of things i liked about this book. i loved the couple, might just be my partiality towards soulmates (i, too, would like to find mine and save the world with them). i had such a strong reaction to the demise of the romanov's and anya's long years of suffering after that i don't know if it was actually good or just a response to the trauma loading.
this is not a history book. the "history" part of it seemed so shallow that lark might as well have just wrote an entire book without the romanov backstory, i would have liked this book much better if she did. i also think that for its length, you'd think this book would have satisfied many of the plot points but a lot of it seemed glazed over. there's also something majorly icky about the sex in this book idk
All the world stopped except us. We were bound together in its center, still spinning like two figures in a music box, locked in each other’s arms.
I loved you because I was always going to love you. That’s what we were made to do.
- UHMMM STOPPING TIME IN AN EMBRACE?? WHILE KISSING?? AFTER NOT SEEING EACH OTHER FOR AGES???? FUCK
- the massacre was graphic and brutal and it made me sick to my stomach
- horrifying first sex scene i hated every minute of it - the second one might have been more acceptable but i stand by my assessment that smut does not belong in this book.
- chapter 34 made me believe this book could have SOMETHING and then chapter 40 tore it all down lmao
- i did like the way rasputin made anastasia an unreliable narrator because i wanted to believe there was something MORE to rasputin -- he turned out to be the slimy bastard he's supposed to be but that's beside the point
- funniest shit: rasputin's heading to the mountain to get boatloads of charoite and anya's busting out the fire dance with damien
i hate to say it but there were a lot of things i liked about this book. i loved the couple, might just be my partiality towards soulmates (i, too, would like to find mine and save the world with them). i had such a strong reaction to the demise of the romanov's and anya's long years of suffering after that i don't know if it was actually good or just a response to the trauma loading.
this is not a history book. the "history" part of it seemed so shallow that lark might as well have just wrote an entire book without the romanov backstory, i would have liked this book much better if she did. i also think that for its length, you'd think this book would have satisfied many of the plot points but a lot of it seemed glazed over. there's also something majorly icky about the sex in this book idk
ansooo's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rschmidt3's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.25
bookflamingo28's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
brooke_30's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0