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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
i actually really fucking enjoyed this, i do not care about the other reviews saying otherwise tbh.
i don’t think this book was supposed to be historically accurate in any way. there are vampires, curses and magic what makes you think it would be? it’s not that deep people, it’s a fantasy book, it’s supposed to be fun!
i think i liked this so much cause i went in with absolutely no expectations other than the fact that i loved the movie anastasia and went on a rabbithole reading about the romanovs when i was 15. i liked the fact that she made anastasia such a power hungry curious girl from the beginning, she always wanted more, and that’s always a cool thing to see, especially from a woman from the time period this was written in.
point is, i just took this book for what it was, wasn’t expecting more or less. it’s just another fantasy romance about a powerful magical girl, which i always love reading about.
anastasia’s magic didn’t really make sense most of the time and i would’ve liked for the magic system to be a little more detailed but it could’ve been worse. i did absolutely hate that time traveling plot point though, nothing i hate more than a character forgetting absolutely everything they already lived through. anastasia and damien had already built something so strong and beautiful and the fact that that was forgotten by him sucked ass. i would’ve liked for him to have time traveled with her as well, which would’ve made sense considering anastasia was practicing taking damien with her with her time powers. they still ended up together, but i don’t know, it’s not the same. the author was true to her word though, this was throughly a happily ever after ending. no deaths. no suffering. everything fit perfectly. maybe that was the reason i wasn’t completely into it? i’m too used to despair apparently. apart from that, it was really cool. it’s a solid standalone.
i don’t think this book was supposed to be historically accurate in any way. there are vampires, curses and magic what makes you think it would be? it’s not that deep people, it’s a fantasy book, it’s supposed to be fun!
i think i liked this so much cause i went in with absolutely no expectations other than the fact that i loved the movie anastasia and went on a rabbithole reading about the romanovs when i was 15. i liked the fact that she made anastasia such a power hungry curious girl from the beginning, she always wanted more, and that’s always a cool thing to see, especially from a woman from the time period this was written in.
point is, i just took this book for what it was, wasn’t expecting more or less. it’s just another fantasy romance about a powerful magical girl, which i always love reading about.
anastasia’s magic didn’t really make sense most of the time and i would’ve liked for the magic system to be a little more detailed but it could’ve been worse. i did absolutely hate that time traveling plot point though, nothing i hate more than a character forgetting absolutely everything they already lived through. anastasia and damien had already built something so strong and beautiful and the fact that that was forgotten by him sucked ass. i would’ve liked for him to have time traveled with her as well, which would’ve made sense considering anastasia was practicing taking damien with her with her time powers. they still ended up together, but i don’t know, it’s not the same. the author was true to her word though, this was throughly a happily ever after ending. no deaths. no suffering. everything fit perfectly. maybe that was the reason i wasn’t completely into it? i’m too used to despair apparently. apart from that, it was really cool. it’s a solid standalone.
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Sophie!!! Oh I could go hours quoting the best Howl's Moving Castle Quotes here.
I'm super impressed! I actually seriously loved this book. A lot of the critiques I made before went completely out the window. We're given amazing dialogue and world building, good and enjoyable characters, and just a splendid plotline. I'm immensely impressed and I truly hope you know what an amazing job you did on this novel.
I'm super impressed! I actually seriously loved this book. A lot of the critiques I made before went completely out the window. We're given amazing dialogue and world building, good and enjoyable characters, and just a splendid plotline. I'm immensely impressed and I truly hope you know what an amazing job you did on this novel.
This was a very interesting book. It is a different take on the Romanov family story mixed with magic and it kept me interested for the entire book. There is good character development and a large battle I did not see coming. The story flowed well for the first 3/4 of the book and I was anxious to see where it was going. Then for a part of the book - the romance took over to the point that I found myself wanting to skip ahead to see if we got back to the original story. And it did. I am not a big romance fan, so in my opinion it took over more than necessary. However, the underlying story mixed with Fantasy made up for it.
I only got 28% into this book and then didn’t read for like a month. I love Anastasia but I just couldn’t get into this.
adventurous
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:
Complicated
interesting take on the romanovs, i really enjoyed the fantasy aspect of this book!
SPOILER FREE REVIEW
I’m a new reader of Sophie’s. Let me start this review by saying - like Sophie, Anastasia has been an absolute favorite of mine all my life. But like Sophie, I only knew the animated version and not the full story. In taking on a reimagining of a beloved childhood classic (the animated version) you’re getting ready to wrestle, as you may understand if you’ve read this,the king wolf! I was equal parts hopeful and terrified going into this one. When I say Sophie Lark DELIVERED I am not exaggerating. This takes every element of the classic Anastasia and amplifies it. If you’re expecting a retelling and want everything true to fact, you should first consider you’re reading a work of fiction and then head to the biography section instead. From the start, details with the story don’t match up to the events we’ve been understanding from the animated film. This had me scratching my head a bit only because I was intensely interested in where she would take the story next. The orphaned, penniless Anastasia is not the one you meet at the story’s beginning. If you’re a fan of both thrillers and fantasy reads, this will be the book for you! Twists and turns seem never ending as the plot gains volition- if you like dark, supernatural elements there’s plenty here. Second sight, Witches, vampires, werewolves,talking animals, and magic. If it sounds too fantastical to wrap your mind around and it still be a great book, watch Sophie expertly craft the storyline to have you feeling like you’re there and wondering why this hasn’t been made into a feature film yet. You may wonder why this isn’t the original storyline from the getgo- Sophie’s retelling until you think a little harder on the exact elements that make you love it most- and how inappropriate that would be for a mostly child audience.
I’m a new reader of Sophie’s. Let me start this review by saying - like Sophie, Anastasia has been an absolute favorite of mine all my life. But like Sophie, I only knew the animated version and not the full story. In taking on a reimagining of a beloved childhood classic (the animated version) you’re getting ready to wrestle, as you may understand if you’ve read this,the king wolf! I was equal parts hopeful and terrified going into this one. When I say Sophie Lark DELIVERED I am not exaggerating. This takes every element of the classic Anastasia and amplifies it. If you’re expecting a retelling and want everything true to fact, you should first consider you’re reading a work of fiction and then head to the biography section instead. From the start, details with the story don’t match up to the events we’ve been understanding from the animated film. This had me scratching my head a bit only because I was intensely interested in where she would take the story next. The orphaned, penniless Anastasia is not the one you meet at the story’s beginning. If you’re a fan of both thrillers and fantasy reads, this will be the book for you! Twists and turns seem never ending as the plot gains volition- if you like dark, supernatural elements there’s plenty here. Second sight, Witches, vampires, werewolves,talking animals, and magic. If it sounds too fantastical to wrap your mind around and it still be a great book, watch Sophie expertly craft the storyline to have you feeling like you’re there and wondering why this hasn’t been made into a feature film yet. You may wonder why this isn’t the original storyline from the getgo- Sophie’s retelling until you think a little harder on the exact elements that make you love it most- and how inappropriate that would be for a mostly child audience.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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 don't want to say I didn't enjoy this book. It held my interest. The story of Anastasia in a parallel world with magic. It meanders, especially at the beginning, but it was an interesting enough premise.
But then, about halfway through, we find outRasputin is a vampire. Okay, fine, cool. A slightly different vein of fantasy and comes a bit out of left field, but close enough. I'll run with it.
Then, in the last FIFTY PAGESwe do time travel. At this point I've already committed to 600 pages so I'm getting to the end but this last twist just completely ruined the entire story and every emotional beat for me. I did enjoy the story and have a good time reading but this ruined the ending
But then, about halfway through, we find out
Then, in the last FIFTY PAGES
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes