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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Good lord, this book is massive. Let's just start there shall we. I don't read fast enough for a slower paced book with a whole lot of nothing really going on. I was bored the first half then just skimmed the last half because I was over it at that point but didn't want to dnf after already going at this book for 4 days. This was definitely not for someone like me who is newer to the fantasy world and isn't good with alot of world building but not alot of action going on. Some parts were fine but most wasn't. Would I recommend this, mmm probably not to someone who is new to the genre but if you can handle slow paced world building by all means this may be for you.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content
dark
inspiring
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 wanted to love this one. I was so excited for its release and was counting down the days.
Unfortunately it just didn’t live up to my expectations.
It wasn’t just a slow burn, the romance was more subplot, which doesn’t do it for me.
I also didn’t love the switchero at the end. I thought it could have been a stronger story if the time travel didn’t happen.
I think the length also affected my rating.
Unfortunately it just didn’t live up to my expectations.
It wasn’t just a slow burn, the romance was more subplot, which doesn’t do it for me.
I also didn’t love the switchero at the end. I thought it could have been a stronger story if the time travel didn’t happen.
I think the length also affected my rating.
I love Anastasia and love this retelling giving a happy ending:)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: fantasy retelling
Angst:
Trope: fantasy retelling
Angst:
This book moved so slowly and so predictably. I only knew the broad strokes of the Romanov story, but I expected this novel to diverge from recorded facts early on, especially with magic mixed in. At 48%, the family still isn’t in custody but Rasputin is a vampire, which is one of the most basic conspiracy theories you normally see. I’ve read some reviews and know that Anastasia’s time power is used towards the end for her to rewind time. I was expecting bigger feats of magic much earlier.
The magic system was hardly integrated with the plot. It seems the World War timeline was extended partially to age up Anastasia for the more physical romance, but no obvious reason was given for the different flow of events, even though the existence of magic seems obvious as a choice.
I like a good slow burn, but position and age were the only conflicts. The MMC is nominally an “enemy,” yet they resolve that so quickly because they each vibe off each other and don’t really fight it.
The author had an odd habit of setting up an interesting moment of conflict or plot development, only to have the view-point character retreat to multiple pages of navel-gazing, flashback, introspective exposition.
In the end (or at the mid-point, I guess), this book failed to give me the mysticism, cosmology, or epic scope of good fantasy; it failed to illuminate interesting inflection points or new personalities in history of good historical fiction; it failed to give me much satisfaction as a romance.
The magic system was hardly integrated with the plot. It seems the World War timeline was extended partially to age up Anastasia for the more physical romance, but no obvious reason was given for the different flow of events, even though the existence of magic seems obvious as a choice.
I like a good slow burn, but position and age were the only conflicts. The MMC is nominally an “enemy,” yet they resolve that so quickly because they each vibe off each other and don’t really fight it.
The author had an odd habit of setting up an interesting moment of conflict or plot development, only to have the view-point character retreat to multiple pages of navel-gazing, flashback, introspective exposition.
In the end (or at the mid-point, I guess), this book failed to give me the mysticism, cosmology, or epic scope of good fantasy; it failed to illuminate interesting inflection points or new personalities in history of good historical fiction; it failed to give me much satisfaction as a romance.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes