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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
My inner child is soaring. This is a beautiful book, the historical significance and the time frame is so well done, the characters (all of them) are well written and loves (or not.) I would give a kidney to read again for the first time
adventurous
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:
Complicated
This was one of the books I'd been anxiously waiting for since I'd first heard of it. I loved the movie Anastasia, saw the musical, spent a large amount of my childhood learning about the Romanovs and reading the various books about the mystery of Anastasia.
The first 3/4ths where great. Amazing, absolutely engaging for me. I was fascinated reading about our titular character growing up in a world where these unique powers exist. I loved reading about her coming into her own, becoming a hero in her own way.
The art was amazing, I loved each picture that came up with each chapter. Lovely, something I'd love to get a print of.
The first 3/4ths where great. Amazing, absolutely engaging for me. I was fascinated reading about our titular character growing up in a world where these unique powers exist. I loved reading about her coming into her own, becoming a hero in her own way.
Spoiler
Then I got to the end. I haven't been this upset or frustrated by a book ending since the final book of the Divergent series. All that setup just.. thrown away by a timey-wimey reset. It just.. felt so weak. The author was trying for a happy ending for a story that... really isn't supposed to be a happy ending.The art was amazing, I loved each picture that came up with each chapter. Lovely, something I'd love to get a print of.
I wish the book was just the last 30%...
This book was a bit of a puzzle... I loved the animated version of Anastasia's as a kid, and I hoped that this book was going to be a smutty retelling of that. After all, the art I've seen certainly looks like it.
I was wrong. This story is very much its own, with VERY little remaining true to the animated movie OR the history itself.
The first 2/3 of this books dragged and dragged and dragged. We see snippets of Anastasia life, starting around age 12. A moment of action, followed by a time skip. Then a moment of action, a flash back, and then another time skip. It was VERY jarring. And VERY boring. So much time was spent describing simple events like a party with Rasputin or tea with an aunt.
Once Anastasia reached adulthood, and her relationship with Damien picked up, so did the story. We finally see Rasputin for the villain he is, and it is DARK and VIOLENT. It's strange that the violence and death was described in graphic detail, but the sex scenes werent...
This book was a bit of a puzzle... I loved the animated version of Anastasia's as a kid, and I hoped that this book was going to be a smutty retelling of that. After all, the art I've seen certainly looks like it.
I was wrong. This story is very much its own, with VERY little remaining true to the animated movie OR the history itself.
The first 2/3 of this books dragged and dragged and dragged. We see snippets of Anastasia life, starting around age 12. A moment of action, followed by a time skip. Then a moment of action, a flash back, and then another time skip. It was VERY jarring. And VERY boring. So much time was spent describing simple events like a party with Rasputin or tea with an aunt.
Once Anastasia reached adulthood, and her relationship with Damien picked up, so did the story. We finally see Rasputin for the villain he is, and it is DARK and VIOLENT. It's strange that the violence and death was described in graphic detail, but the sex scenes werent...
*Love conquers all*
I truly feel speechless after finishing this book. It was quite a bit long, but I enjoyed Anastasia's growth and development. And when we hit a certain chapter (Anastasia's perfect day) the book took a life of its own. I don't want to spoil anything. There is a big twist toward the end. I'm uncertain how I feel about that particular twist, though it does work within the confines of the fantastical world. Between the perfect day and the twist, I felt like it was a completely different book. In a good way. (Not that things were "good" during that time.) Overall, I appreciate how much research Sophie Lark did to give a better historical setting. I really did feel like I was walking the line between history and the animated movie - only with some magical, Sophie Lark flare.
I truly feel speechless after finishing this book. It was quite a bit long, but I enjoyed Anastasia's growth and development. And when we hit a certain chapter (Anastasia's perfect day) the book took a life of its own. I don't want to spoil anything. There is a big twist toward the end. I'm uncertain how I feel about that particular twist, though it does work within the confines of the fantastical world. Between the perfect day and the twist, I felt like it was a completely different book. In a good way. (Not that things were "good" during that time.) Overall, I appreciate how much research Sophie Lark did to give a better historical setting. I really did feel like I was walking the line between history and the animated movie - only with some magical, Sophie Lark flare.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The world building was cool and I enjoyed the first 1/3 of the book. The tension before the romance and the foundation of it were good, but when it actually came time for the couple to get together, it just fell flat. But by far the worst part of this book is the way it paints the Russian revolution and the working class.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes