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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
best book of 2023
I stumbled on this book and it has been such a beautiful ride. I loved this book so much. It will be one I think of often. Between the gorgeous illustrations to the amazing writing to the stunning story, I easily became obsessed with this book. I cried. I laughed. Anya is my favorite heroine in a long time. Thank you for writing such a beautiful story!
I stumbled on this book and it has been such a beautiful ride. I loved this book so much. It will be one I think of often. Between the gorgeous illustrations to the amazing writing to the stunning story, I easily became obsessed with this book. I cried. I laughed. Anya is my favorite heroine in a long time. Thank you for writing such a beautiful story!
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
The first half of this book was amazing. I was hooked immediately and couldn’t put it down. Around the 70-80% mark is where it started to slow down for me and then I got bored. I felt Damien and Anastasia’s reunion was anti climactic. She had been through so much trauma and torture for 2 years and she doesn’t even seem exhausted? Just immediately jumps into bed with Damien after working as a slave for over a year. Then she goes back in time and everyone’s alive and well and it all works out. The end just felt meaningless like all of the death and suffering she witnessed was for nothing but that’s just my opinion I guess.
This is probably Sophie Lark’s greatest work so far. The storytelling is phenomenal. If you’re wondering why the book is over 800 pages, it’s because the buildup lasts 60% of the book. Then shit gets wild.
I’m not a historian so I can’t say how accurate her portrayal of Russia and the Romanovs is. But seeing as how it’s also half fantasy, I think the world building is amazing.
That being said, I read books for the romance. I want my books to have a brilliant plot too, but romance is my main priority. The romance in this book was a subplot, meaning it took a backseat to all of the politics and suspense going on. So while I loved the book and I loved Anastasia and Damien together, their love wasn’t the most prominent element of the story. And the spice is near nonexistent.
The biggest thing I want to applaud Sophie Lark for is the amount of effort she put into getting her readers invested in the Romanov family. 60% of the book is you learning all about these different characters and their lives. It makes the climactic moment of the book that much more brutal and jarring.
Also, I love to read the main character’s suffering. Not only that, I love it when the main character’s love interest is forced to suffer and live with guilt for something they did. I’m a glutton for punishment and sadness. AND THIS BOOK SERVED. Damien leaving Anastasia on a bad note and then them being separated while he believes she died and she’s forced to suffer is *chef’s kiss* baby. I ate that shit up.
All in all, I really did enjoy this book. I wish the romance had a bit more oomph, but I don’t regret reading it and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in historical fantasy.
4/5 stars ⭐️
1/5 spice
I’m not a historian so I can’t say how accurate her portrayal of Russia and the Romanovs is. But seeing as how it’s also half fantasy, I think the world building is amazing.
That being said, I read books for the romance. I want my books to have a brilliant plot too, but romance is my main priority. The romance in this book was a subplot, meaning it took a backseat to all of the politics and suspense going on. So while I loved the book and I loved Anastasia and Damien together, their love wasn’t the most prominent element of the story. And the spice is near nonexistent.
The biggest thing I want to applaud Sophie Lark for is the amount of effort she put into getting her readers invested in the Romanov family. 60% of the book is you learning all about these different characters and their lives. It makes the climactic moment of the book that much more brutal and jarring.
Also, I love to read the main character’s suffering. Not only that, I love it when the main character’s love interest is forced to suffer and live with guilt for something they did. I’m a glutton for punishment and sadness. AND THIS BOOK SERVED. Damien leaving Anastasia on a bad note and then them being separated while he believes she died and she’s forced to suffer is *chef’s kiss* baby. I ate that shit up.
All in all, I really did enjoy this book. I wish the romance had a bit more oomph, but I don’t regret reading it and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in historical fantasy.
4/5 stars ⭐️
1/5 spice
Well we already knew this was going to be amazing and oh Sophie Lark has not let us down with this. I genuinely felt like I was in the book with the characters and oaft the emotions I experienced throughout is like nothing before. I physically sat and cried for 2 hours because of this book. I honeslty think this is my favourite book of 2022.
I'll do a full in depth review once I have gathered my thoughts and finished my reread ... yes you read that correctly I finished this book then instantly started it all over again. That's just how amazing it is
I'll do a full in depth review once I have gathered my thoughts and finished my reread ... yes you read that correctly I finished this book then instantly started it all over again. That's just how amazing it is
slow-paced
Reading this book felt like I was reading crime and punishment. The only redeeming storyline was the progression of Anastasia and Damien.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
I will preface this by saying I review books based on how much I enjoyed them-whether or not they could have been better written, better paced etc.
I really enjoyed this book. I think the first half of it was definitely slow and the amount of characters was a bit overwhelming. But I think after the halfway point, things started moving a lot faster and I was very engaged in the story. I wish there would have been more from the romance though. What we got of it was really nice but it could have been much better.
If you are looking for a very romantic book, this isn’t really it. This is more of a book about Anastasia and her journey. This is also not a retelling of the animated movie in any way. The love interest is nothing like the love interest from the movie so just keep that in mind and set your expectations accordingly.
I really enjoyed this book. I think the first half of it was definitely slow and the amount of characters was a bit overwhelming. But I think after the halfway point, things started moving a lot faster and I was very engaged in the story. I wish there would have been more from the romance though. What we got of it was really nice but it could have been much better.
If you are looking for a very romantic book, this isn’t really it. This is more of a book about Anastasia and her journey. This is also not a retelling of the animated movie in any way. The love interest is nothing like the love interest from the movie so just keep that in mind and set your expectations accordingly.
Anastasia is magical! It is the perfect book for fantasy romance readers. It features all kinds of elements from the world of fantasy including paranormal creatures and living magic. The book provides so much imagery with the detailed descriptions. There are also many full color illustrations through the book that provide an incredible base for the imagination to be inspired while visualizing the scenery. I enjoyed reading about the royal heroine. Anastasia is one of my favorite animated movies so I liked reading a different version of her story from both the animated movie and reality. This book deviates from what I’m used to from the author, but it is no less intriguing. It tells the whole story of the heroine and not just her story of falling in love with the hero. Most of the book seems to be written from the point of view of the Anastasia. Anastasia’s viewpoint puts the readers through a highly emotional journey as the reader experience her lows and highs of life. The point of view from the hero, Damien also shows up at various stages of his life. Damien’s viewpoint takes readers through just as much of an intense emotional journey as Anastasia’s point of view. Although the romantic scenes aren’t plentiful as the plot takes readers through a fictional life story of Anastasia, those romantic scenes are incredibly special.