Scan barcode
A review by egbella
Romanov by Nadine Brandes
5.0
Before reading this book, my familiarity with the Romanov history only went as far as the (very loosely-based) animated movie, Anastasia. So when I started reading Romanov, I didn't know what to expect or even if I'd enjoy it very much. Well, I can safely say this is one of the best books I've read in a very long time! This was the first novel of Nadine Brandes' that I've read and it's more than enough to make me a fan of hers.
The characters and their relationships were amazing and well-developed, and while I didn't 'like' all of them, they all felt like real people - which is always a must for me. The romance was done well and both sweet and angsty. As someone who enjoys historical fiction, even though it started off a bit slower, I was never bored. Nastya's narrative voice was compelling and sucked me into even the more mundane aspects of their life in exile, and then when the major plot twists started happening, I couldn't put the book down (I stayed up far later than I want to admit finishing it!). Usually I can see plot twists coming, but there were several gut-wrenching ones that I never expected - and therefore admire, even if they are painful. Though I'm not always a fan of adding magic into historical settings, Brandes did it very uniquely, and I was kept very interested in how everything would work out. So in all, there's not an element of this story that I can't praise. Even the elegant prose was smooth; the perfect balance between flowery description and choppy action.
I definitely recommend this book and will be rereading it myself!
The characters and their relationships were amazing and well-developed, and while I didn't 'like' all of them, they all felt like real people - which is always a must for me. The romance was done well and both sweet and angsty. As someone who enjoys historical fiction, even though it started off a bit slower, I was never bored. Nastya's narrative voice was compelling and sucked me into even the more mundane aspects of their life in exile, and then when the major plot twists started happening, I couldn't put the book down (I stayed up far later than I want to admit finishing it!). Usually I can see plot twists coming, but there were several gut-wrenching ones that I never expected - and therefore admire, even if they are painful. Though I'm not always a fan of adding magic into historical settings, Brandes did it very uniquely, and I was kept very interested in how everything would work out. So in all, there's not an element of this story that I can't praise. Even the elegant prose was smooth; the perfect balance between flowery description and choppy action.
I definitely recommend this book and will be rereading it myself!