About the Book
From the author of Fawkes comes a magical take on the story of Anastasia Romanov.
The history books say I died.
They don’t know the half of it.
Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them . . . and he’s hunted Romanov before.
Nastya’s only chances of saving herself and her family are either to release the spell and deal with the consequences, or to enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya’s only dabbled in magic, but it doesn’t frighten her half as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her . . .
That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.
My Thoughts
I absolutely loved Romanov! I was completely captivated from word one and couldn't get enough of it. I got so frustrated when real life interrupted my reading and let me tell ya', it got interrupted quite often. But once things settled down and I was able to hunker down and read to my heart's content, I flew through the pages. It was utterly compelling. The seamless way Brandes weaved the magical element in with the actual history was brilliant.
I hate to admit this, but I didn't know a whole lot about the Romanovs before this book. Though, you can be sure that through the course of reading this novel, I looked up information, did more research, and quickly became fascinated by the actual history behind this historical fantasy. I love when fiction does that! Some of my favorite novels are ones that teach me new things, lead me to new interests, and make me want to learn.
This is a book that's definitely going on my favorites list. It was beautiful and, yet, heartbreaking. There were times I was laughing so hard at Anastasia's mischievous antics and then tearing up, heartbroken, over the cruelty of what was happening to the Romanov family.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.
I hate to admit this, but I didn't know a whole lot about the Romanovs before this book. Though, you can be sure that through the course of reading this novel, I looked up information, did more research, and quickly became fascinated by the actual history behind this historical fantasy. I love when fiction does that! Some of my favorite novels are ones that teach me new things, lead me to new interests, and make me want to learn.
This is a book that's definitely going on my favorites list. It was beautiful and, yet, heartbreaking. There were times I was laughing so hard at Anastasia's mischievous antics and then tearing up, heartbroken, over the cruelty of what was happening to the Romanov family.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.
Five Stars
I've always been fascinated by Anastasia and the Romanovs and all the stories that have been written about them. I will definitely be on the lookout for this book. Great review, Ashley! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting learning about the Romanovs. I can't believe I didn't know more about them before I read this book.
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Lark! :)