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A review by bags_and_bookz
The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten
4.0
Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Ellen Alpsten for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.
This is the sequel to Tsarina by Alpsten, the story of Tsarina’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth, that turned out to be the Empress of Russia for 20 years. Being a Russian and history lover, I could not pass this one. I did enjoy the first book, so I assume that the second would be fine as well.
It is fine, plot-wise it was interesting and intriguing at parts (though I know the history quite well, I enjoyed a few twists by Alpsten). I found it a bit too long and at parts too detailed, though it was still quite compelling novel to read.
I understand that Tsarina’s Daughter is a fiction based on true events, however, I found that the character of Elizabeth was not historically accurate. Alpsten made Elizabeth not only strong willed female character (which she undoubtedly was in real life as no weak person can held power in Russia for that long), but also compassionate towards her people, towards Russians. Let me be clear on that - Elizabeth, Yelizaveta Petrovna was a true daughter of Peter The Great and Katerine the First. She was cruel, vail and mean. She did not care one bit of her people and left Russian Empire bankrupt with a palace full of dresses and costumes as she was a fan of balls and masquerades. She didn’t hesitate to kill in order to gain power and make the rest of elite afraid of her. She was a disaster for Russian Empire.
On the other hand, Alpsten was completely right on how power-hungry people were not afraid of blood baths they created in order to obtain power. How cruelly imaginative they were toward everyone, including elderly and children. Alpsten created the atmosphere of Russia in the middle of 1770s so clearly and vividly, it is astonishing.
I am wondering if the next part would be about Katherine the Great and I am looking forward to it.
This is the sequel to Tsarina by Alpsten, the story of Tsarina’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth, that turned out to be the Empress of Russia for 20 years. Being a Russian and history lover, I could not pass this one. I did enjoy the first book, so I assume that the second would be fine as well.
It is fine, plot-wise it was interesting and intriguing at parts (though I know the history quite well, I enjoyed a few twists by Alpsten). I found it a bit too long and at parts too detailed, though it was still quite compelling novel to read.
I understand that Tsarina’s Daughter is a fiction based on true events, however, I found that the character of Elizabeth was not historically accurate. Alpsten made Elizabeth not only strong willed female character (which she undoubtedly was in real life as no weak person can held power in Russia for that long), but also compassionate towards her people, towards Russians. Let me be clear on that - Elizabeth, Yelizaveta Petrovna was a true daughter of Peter The Great and Katerine the First. She was cruel, vail and mean. She did not care one bit of her people and left Russian Empire bankrupt with a palace full of dresses and costumes as she was a fan of balls and masquerades. She didn’t hesitate to kill in order to gain power and make the rest of elite afraid of her. She was a disaster for Russian Empire.
On the other hand, Alpsten was completely right on how power-hungry people were not afraid of blood baths they created in order to obtain power. How cruelly imaginative they were toward everyone, including elderly and children. Alpsten created the atmosphere of Russia in the middle of 1770s so clearly and vividly, it is astonishing.
I am wondering if the next part would be about Katherine the Great and I am looking forward to it.