You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
This novel was a cinematic experience. I have never read a book where in its entirety I had a complete visual in my mind. The writing was exquisite. Not once I stumbled upon reading the words on the page. Sophie Lark is a complete genius. This is her best work. I have never cried while reading a love-making scene in my entire life. But Sophie made the scenes take life and became art. Art so beautiful that it was an out-of-body experience for me. Along with the music from her playlist in the background, I had an almost religious experience right then and there.
This story is a loose retelling of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia. Even though it was a loose retelling, there were so many things that were factual that I greatly appreciated. Especially about the Cossacks, childhood labor in russia, working hours and labor laws, and so many hisotical events mixed in. Sophie was right when she said that a lot of people (myself included) have a fixation/obsession with her since watching the animated film and then learning the true history behind the horrible massacre. Anastatia represents what could've been. Her story and the film brought to light the possibility of a greater nation of Russia and hope. I loved how Sophie started the book when Anya was just a kid because the development was beautiful to see. From a spoiled kid who only knows the biases and information based on her royal parents. She depicted the realities of the country and the corruption.
The relationship between Anya and Damien was everything I ever wanted. Their moments together were enlightening, and thrilling, and many were just blissful! I was in complete awe and crying from the moments they spent together. I enjoyed her use of symbolism throughout the book. The mirrors, saddles, the tailsman/memory-maker, the butterflies, all of it! The magic wasn't overwhelming, it was perfect and the story wouldn't be the same without it of course.
I loved this book from cover to cover, but I do have to say (spoiler) that I did not enjoy the final twist very much. The huge time jump threw me off and I was literally mourning the beautiful things that happened in the past that now Damien would have no idea about and had to catch up. It felt like all the suffering, hard labor, escaping death several times, and the most beautiful scenes ever were all erased from time except for in Anastatia's mind. Seeing her telling her family everything was excruciating because they didn't believe her at first and her father (the Tsar) was frustrating me! He's the real tyrant and I thought so since the beginning. He only did one single thing right and it was all the way in the end.
In a way, after I've settled down, I do appreciate the big time jump because Anastasia was back in time with a newfound confidence in herself and in Damien. She was completely sure about their love and there wasn't a speck of doubt in her mind. That brought him down from his pain so that they can work together and in the end, that's how it was as well. Anastasia received the happy ending we've always wanted.
This story is a loose retelling of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia. Even though it was a loose retelling, there were so many things that were factual that I greatly appreciated. Especially about the Cossacks, childhood labor in russia, working hours and labor laws, and so many hisotical events mixed in. Sophie was right when she said that a lot of people (myself included) have a fixation/obsession with her since watching the animated film and then learning the true history behind the horrible massacre. Anastatia represents what could've been. Her story and the film brought to light the possibility of a greater nation of Russia and hope. I loved how Sophie started the book when Anya was just a kid because the development was beautiful to see. From a spoiled kid who only knows the biases and information based on her royal parents. She depicted the realities of the country and the corruption.
The relationship between Anya and Damien was everything I ever wanted. Their moments together were enlightening, and thrilling, and many were just blissful! I was in complete awe and crying from the moments they spent together. I enjoyed her use of symbolism throughout the book. The mirrors, saddles, the tailsman/memory-maker, the butterflies, all of it! The magic wasn't overwhelming, it was perfect and the story wouldn't be the same without it of course.
I loved this book from cover to cover, but I do have to say (spoiler) that I did not enjoy the final twist very much. The huge time jump threw me off and I was literally mourning the beautiful things that happened in the past that now Damien would have no idea about and had to catch up. It felt like all the suffering, hard labor, escaping death several times, and the most beautiful scenes ever were all erased from time except for in Anastatia's mind. Seeing her telling her family everything was excruciating because they didn't believe her at first and her father (the Tsar) was frustrating me! He's the real tyrant and I thought so since the beginning. He only did one single thing right and it was all the way in the end.
In a way, after I've settled down, I do appreciate the big time jump because Anastasia was back in time with a newfound confidence in herself and in Damien. She was completely sure about their love and there wasn't a speck of doubt in her mind. That brought him down from his pain so that they can work together and in the end, that's how it was as well. Anastasia received the happy ending we've always wanted.
I just had no desire to pick it back up and it wasn’t holding my interest. 🤷🏻♀️
Absolutely beautiful. Light on the romance but I didn’t even care. Amazing!!!
I loved this book! Perfect mix of fantasy, romance and history for me. I loved the animated Anastasia movie as a kid and grew up super into the real history of the family. I went into reading this book wondering if it would resemble the real history or movie more since I liked both. I’d say regardless of which one you’d prefer this story to resemble more, you’ll like this book. Highly recommend
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
finally i finished this and I'm so tired, but I'll try to write everything that was wrong with it cus I have thoughts
- this is not at all what I've been expecting, it's not "spicy anastasia", in fact there are exactly 6 sex scenes, the first one being at 75% and they're not even that spicy, they're more vague and not so descriptive
- I'm not at all surprised that reviews are either 5stars or 1star, you either love it or not, I'm more in the middle, but if I were to choose i agree more with 1 star ratings
- this was a f monster, this book had no interest being this long, but I'll say it's a plus that the writing style didn't make it worse, like yeah it dragged momentarily, but I didn't really feel how long it is
- sb in diffrent review said main character is Russia and i completely agree, THIS BOOK REALLY PUTS HISTORICAL IN HISTORICAL FICTION, cus you can't call it romance
- I'm not qualified enough to judge historical events put here, but I am polish and sometimes i was like 'yeah i know that happened, i learned it at school', but the next second i was like 'wait tf? hold on?' and mostly i was just confused when this book is set in and gave up trying to understand it midway
- the romance was nice, but it was really side plot, the main focus was russia and romanovs
- in the middle there was ofc a wtf moment when shit hit the fan cus that was creative
- but the ending only made me laugh, cus that was too much
- overall it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either, but given how long it is, it's a miracle i didn't hate how long it is and how much it draggs
- this is not at all what I've been expecting, it's not "spicy anastasia", in fact there are exactly 6 sex scenes, the first one being at 75% and they're not even that spicy, they're more vague and not so descriptive
- I'm not at all surprised that reviews are either 5stars or 1star, you either love it or not, I'm more in the middle, but if I were to choose i agree more with 1 star ratings
- this was a f monster, this book had no interest being this long, but I'll say it's a plus that the writing style didn't make it worse, like yeah it dragged momentarily, but I didn't really feel how long it is
- sb in diffrent review said main character is Russia and i completely agree, THIS BOOK REALLY PUTS HISTORICAL IN HISTORICAL FICTION, cus you can't call it romance
- I'm not qualified enough to judge historical events put here, but I am polish and sometimes i was like 'yeah i know that happened, i learned it at school', but the next second i was like 'wait tf? hold on?' and mostly i was just confused when this book is set in and gave up trying to understand it midway
- the romance was nice, but it was really side plot, the main focus was russia and romanovs
- in the middle there was ofc a wtf moment when shit hit the fan cus that was creative
- but the ending only made me laugh, cus that was too much
- overall it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either, but given how long it is, it's a miracle i didn't hate how long it is and how much it draggs
I'm not sure how I feel about this. I will say I was interested the entire time and I found it very easy to read. It shouldn't have been as long as it was though. I feel like I would've liked it more if it had been shorter. If you are reading this because of the animated movie, you will probably be disappointed. I know nothing about the accurate history behind this book, so I won't speak on that part. I think this book would have actually been 10000% better if it wasn't marketed to be a retelling of Anastacia. The plot was great. A little slow in the beginning, but once it picked up (about halfway through the book), it really hit the ground running and I was INVESTED.
I liked the distinct feel of each character. I grew very attached to most of them, and they were very three dimensional. I loved the love between Anastacia and Damien. I loved how the love wasn't the focal point of the plot. I loved their entire history, the obstacles they had to overcome to be together, how they interacted with each other. Those two were my favorite part of the book.
I liked the magic system and the worldbuilding.
Again, this is a very solid fantasy novel. I didn't really feel like affiliating it with the Romanov history did it justice, but I loved it nonetheless. Take away some of the fluff in the slow beginning and I probably would have loved this a lot more. I really enjoyed the read overall!
I liked the distinct feel of each character. I grew very attached to most of them, and they were very three dimensional. I loved the love between Anastacia and Damien. I loved how the love wasn't the focal point of the plot. I loved their entire history, the obstacles they had to overcome to be together, how they interacted with each other. Those two were my favorite part of the book.
I liked the magic system and the worldbuilding.
Again, this is a very solid fantasy novel. I didn't really feel like affiliating it with the Romanov history did it justice, but I loved it nonetheless. Take away some of the fluff in the slow beginning and I probably would have loved this a lot more. I really enjoyed the read overall!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very fun retelling for the Russian royalty! Loved the fantasy spin, and the romantic tension was beautiful.
I was a bit disappointed in the ending, wish it had ended at the end instead of going back… if you know, you know.
I was a bit disappointed in the ending, wish it had ended at the end instead of going back… if you know, you know.
Ugh I really wanted this to be better than it was and here's the thing- if I had gone into it understanding that 80% of the story would take place when Anya was a kid, I probably would've gotten on board. I was expecting a more adult romance similar to Sophie Lark's other books however this whole book felt very YA up until the end which threw me for a loop. It had a cool premise and for others this may be a great read- I just was let down because I kept waiting for a time jump that never really happened.
This all being said- some of my apathy towards the book may be chocked up to how much I love the kids movie and the story of Anastasia. It was one of my hyperfixations as a kid. I set a high bar with some preconceived notions about what I wanted to see from the book. I wanted high angst, violence, drama, etc. and it ended up being fairly fluffy (coming from someone who reads a bunch of dark and twisted shit).
Cool premise but overall not for me!
This all being said- some of my apathy towards the book may be chocked up to how much I love the kids movie and the story of Anastasia. It was one of my hyperfixations as a kid. I set a high bar with some preconceived notions about what I wanted to see from the book. I wanted high angst, violence, drama, etc. and it ended up being fairly fluffy (coming from someone who reads a bunch of dark and twisted shit).
Cool premise but overall not for me!