The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
kassidyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, and Suicide attempt
lindsayerin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gun violence, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Gore, Chronic illness, and Medical content
221bpinkst's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Violence and Chronic illness
theequestrianslibrary's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
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
3.0
CONTENT WARNINGS: SpoilerGore/Violence, Descriptions of Blood, Descriptions of Wounds, Mild Descriptions of Starvation/Dehydration, Emotional Turmoil, Themes of being held captive, Suicidal Ideation, Lead up to Attempted Suicide, Depictions of Execution, Death of Family Members, War/Battle Themes, Bugs mentioned (specifically lice), Violence against Animals (brief), Mentions of Dead Bodies, Disrespectful Behavior towards dead bodies
**DISCLAIMER: This may or may not be a full list of every trigger/content warning found in the book, Romanov by Nadine Brandes. Please take this list with a grain of salt, as the book is a Romanov family retelling. Some triggers and content warnings may contain spoilers!
I'll start this review off by prefacing that I absolutely adore the 1997 movie Anastasia. Part of me hoped that the book was a little closer to this concept involving the conspiracies about what actually happened to Anastasia, but what the author did was also an interesting spin with adding the fantastical elements.
I think the book is very easy to read and sit through. The casual Russian words are explained in their meaning, or their definitions implied by the context of the scene, and I rather like their use throughout the novel. I think the characters were likeable enough, though some of Anastasia's thoughts irked me throughout with her constant return to the concept of forgiveness, kindness, etc. Some actions of side characters, such as her sister Maria, also irritated me, but that is more a me thing, than anything else. Most people when put through the events in the book would not return to those themes, and I think in a way, it's a nice change from the constant influx of furious and vengeful protagonists, but I also think it is unrealistic. Granted, it's a fantasy YA book, we all appreciate a bit of unrealistic traits.
Like a few of the other reviews mentioned, the events that lead up to the family being brought to the basement do take up the majority of the book. Approximately almost 200 pages of the book, give or take a little, is mostly what leads up to that fateful day. The remaining third of the book is the new adaption of the story of Anastasia, involving her brother and the book's love interest, Zash. Admittedly, I do wish their romance had been built up a little better, though the circumstances of it make that difficult and what the MC was truly focused on makes that difficult too. It did feel a bit rushed towards the end, with sudden feelings being realized despite a large plot point that should have affected things longer, or at least the remnants of it being still prevalent later on. The back and forth nature of their interactions, especially in the first 2/3 of the book, can rub the wrong way, especially with the sudden shift later on to things are all hunky-dory when they aren't, and they shouldn't have been! I still appreciate a few kisses, of course, but things felt a little too light towards the end, like all the bad things hadn't happened at all.
I don't think the book is bad, by any means, I think it was a good solid and easy read to get through. If you like the idea of the Romanovs, this would be a good book to introduce yourself into that field of literature and of retellings since it does a good job of simplifying what an average day at Ekaterinburg looked like for the family as time went on, including how things affected their servants and the soldiers guarding them, while also spicing it up a little with the spell elements involving magical ink. But, if you are more educated on what happened, then I would read this book objectively and with the means of enjoying an easy-to-read book, as many things will stick out to those more educated, and it can definitely ruin the romanticized vibe that the author might be going for.
Would I recommend the book? Sure! I would, and the cover is pretty enough to keep on my shelf to boot. But, is it one of my top favorite books? No, it's not, and that's okay!
I did appreciate the interactions between the family members, as those all felt very genuinely and real, but the interesting involvement of purifying Rasputin was also interesting. Granted, the members of the family would have garnered bias, sure, but with the concepts as we know of them, it was an interesting take on the mentions of his character.
A solid 3-star book with an overall content experience.
**DISCLAIMER: This may or may not be a full list of every trigger/content warning found in the book, Romanov by Nadine Brandes. Please take this list with a grain of salt, as the book is a Romanov family retelling. Some triggers and content warnings may contain spoilers!
I'll start this review off by prefacing that I absolutely adore the 1997 movie Anastasia. Part of me hoped that the book was a little closer to this concept involving the conspiracies about what actually happened to Anastasia, but what the author did was also an interesting spin with adding the fantastical elements.
I think the book is very easy to read and sit through. The casual Russian words are explained in their meaning, or their definitions implied by the context of the scene, and I rather like their use throughout the novel. I think the characters were likeable enough, though some of Anastasia's thoughts irked me throughout with her constant return to the concept of forgiveness, kindness, etc. Some actions of side characters, such as her sister Maria, also irritated me, but that is more a me thing, than anything else. Most people when put through the events in the book would not return to those themes, and I think in a way, it's a nice change from the constant influx of furious and vengeful protagonists, but I also think it is unrealistic. Granted, it's a fantasy YA book, we all appreciate a bit of unrealistic traits.
Like a few of the other reviews mentioned, the events that lead up to the family being brought to the basement do take up the majority of the book. Approximately almost 200 pages of the book, give or take a little, is mostly what leads up to that fateful day. The remaining third of the book is the new adaption of the story of Anastasia, involving her brother and the book's love interest, Zash. Admittedly, I do wish their romance had been built up a little better, though the circumstances of it make that difficult and what the MC was truly focused on makes that difficult too. It did feel a bit rushed towards the end, with sudden feelings being realized despite a large plot point that should have affected things longer, or at least the remnants of it being still prevalent later on. The back and forth nature of their interactions, especially in the first 2/3 of the book, can rub the wrong way, especially with the sudden shift later on to things are all hunky-dory when they aren't, and they shouldn't have been! I still appreciate a few kisses, of course, but things felt a little too light towards the end, like all the bad things hadn't happened at all.
I don't think the book is bad, by any means, I think it was a good solid and easy read to get through. If you like the idea of the Romanovs, this would be a good book to introduce yourself into that field of literature and of retellings since it does a good job of simplifying what an average day at Ekaterinburg looked like for the family as time went on, including how things affected their servants and the soldiers guarding them, while also spicing it up a little with the spell elements involving magical ink. But, if you are more educated on what happened, then I would read this book objectively and with the means of enjoying an easy-to-read book, as many things will stick out to those more educated, and it can definitely ruin the romanticized vibe that the author might be going for.
Would I recommend the book? Sure! I would, and the cover is pretty enough to keep on my shelf to boot. But, is it one of my top favorite books? No, it's not, and that's okay!
I did appreciate the interactions between the family members, as those all felt very genuinely and real, but the interesting involvement of purifying Rasputin was also interesting. Granted, the members of the family would have garnered bias, sure, but with the concepts as we know of them, it was an interesting take on the mentions of his character.
A solid 3-star book with an overall content experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Grief, Genocide, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, War, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Gore/Violence, Descriptions of Blood, Descriptions of Wounds, Mild Descriptions of Starvation/Dehydration, Emotional Turmoil, Themes of being held captive, Suicidal Ideation, Lead up to Attempted Suicide, Depictions of Execution, Death of Family Members, War/Battle Themes, Bugs mentioned (specifically lice), Violence against Animals (brief), Mentions of Dead Bodies, Disrespectful Behavior towards dead bodiesannikafleming's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Confinement, Blood, and Death
libbylou905's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, and War
meganleighr's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, War, Murder, Kidnapping, and Confinement
ems_peach's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Confinement
Moderate: War and Gun violence
ka_ke's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A new take on an old classic.
Different from the movie, Romanov offers a more magical journey filled with spells and adventure. However, it is also more historically accurate when one thinks about the true story of Anastasia and the Romanov Empire.
The story itself is medium paced and naturally picks up after the moment of tragedy. I would have given it 5 stars if it was a little faster and perhaps more adult. It is definitely a young-adult novel.
Different from the movie, Romanov offers a more magical journey filled with spells and adventure. However, it is also more historically accurate when one thinks about the true story of Anastasia and the Romanov Empire.
The story itself is medium paced and naturally picks up after the moment of tragedy. I would have given it 5 stars if it was a little faster and perhaps more adult. It is definitely a young-adult novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Torture, War, and Violence
Minor: Mental illness
lapis's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I will confess, Anastasia Romanov is a special interest of mine, has been for like, more than a decade. I'm not getting into why I really got into her, because in retrospect (of last time someone asked), it wasn't the well known Fox movie, it was a game, and no one played the game I'm talking about, and I'd be mortified to recommend it now because I know it hasn't aged well!
This is a fun (well, as fun as the subject can be) tale combining the Romanovs with fantastical magic. It diverges from history around the 50% mark.
There's an afterword explaining the historical differences.
I'm saying it everywhere, but the following is mostly for the tankies:
If you are looking for a critique of Russia / the Russian Revolution / the USSR besides "communism doesn't work!" look elsewhere. This is not the book for that. Honestly probably try a nonfiction book addressing the USSR.
And this probably goes without saying, but if you are looking for a critique of Czar Nicholas II's ruling, look elsewhere. There's mild critique (in the sense very few people historically knew about Alexei's hemophilia and yeah that was probably a bad move) but if you're expecting one of the Romanovs to suddenly go "yeah that 1905 Bloody Sunday was absolutely shameful, we suck" I don't even want to do the math to figure out how old any of the kids would have been, but I'm guessing pretty young. I mean I think you could find a way to do it (coming from one of the soldier's mouths, not the protagonist) but I mean, come on.
This is a fun (well, as fun as the subject can be) tale combining the Romanovs with fantastical magic. It diverges from history around the 50% mark.
There's an afterword explaining the historical differences.
I'm saying it everywhere, but the following is mostly for the tankies:
If you are looking for a critique of Russia / the Russian Revolution / the USSR besides "communism doesn't work!" look elsewhere. This is not the book for that. Honestly probably try a nonfiction book addressing the USSR.
And this probably goes without saying, but if you are looking for a critique of Czar Nicholas II's ruling, look elsewhere. There's mild critique (in the sense very few people historically knew about Alexei's hemophilia and yeah that was probably a bad move) but if you're expecting one of the Romanovs to suddenly go "yeah that 1905 Bloody Sunday was absolutely shameful, we suck" I don't even want to do the math to figure out how old any of the kids would have been, but I'm guessing pretty young. I mean I think you could find a way to do it (coming from one of the soldier's mouths, not the protagonist) but I mean, come on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Chronic illness
the Content warnings regard what happened to the Romanovs historically for the most part. It is NOT as indepth gore-wise as we know from History. Also don't worry:
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