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jennifer_bush_73's review
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
The story is a great premise. After the death of her mother, a young woman returns to Moscow to find out who murdered her father and sister and why. Soon after her arrival, the Soviet Union dissolves. The story of her family history begins with the Russian Revolution and stretches to the fall of the Soviet Union. However, the ending is unsatisfying. It’s not clear why her sister and father were murdered. The story doesn’t feel finished.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Alcoholism, Genocide, Grief, Child death, Violence, Classism, Death of parent, Stalking, War, Pregnancy, Death, Emotional abuse, and Murder
bringmybooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
anybody else completely & totally obsessed with the Romanovs as a kid or ……
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦 ✨
This book had so much freaking potential it’s unreal … but I just honestly didn’t feel like it every found it’s footing. It felt more like it was trying to be too many things at once - historical fiction, romance, mystery, ghost story?
There was a massive plot point that was pretty integral to the story that was … explained(??) in a way that made absolutely no sense. I really had to go back and reread multiple times to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, because it just didn’t track.
I liked the past storyline more, and maybe if it had just been set in that era following Valentin & Tonya I could have enjoyed it a bit more. That being said, even the past timeline skirted over a lot of the Russian history that was so integral to the context of what was happening and why it all mattered.
I dunno. I wanted it to be what it * could * have been so badly, but unfortunately it just … wasn’t.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Violence, Miscarriage, Infertility, Classism, Torture, Child death, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Police brutality
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