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anyawolfy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a great retelling of Anastasia! Being named after the historical legend, I was very obsessed with the movie and legend, and I found this to be an interesting mix of the two.
While leaning towards historical fantasy rather than historical fiction, magic was blended in and I saw some parts of the movie weaved through out. While the writing was vivid and beautiful, it was a little mixed for me. Being very descriptive of captivity and war happening around them, it seemed to jump in and out of those surroundings so quickly it was hard to keep up. At first it was hard to read, then it picked up and then took off so fast it was a bit much. And the ending seemed to throw together a happy ending that to me still felt like there were a lot of lost ends.
However Nastya was beautifully written and her character was strong. I really enjoyed Nastya's character development throughout. I was able to see her grow and take charge of everything around her. The romantic relationship seemed a little awkward and rushed at the end.
But the family aspect was amazing to read! Seeing her love and loyalty to her family and bloodline. The bond between brother and sister was touching to read.
Overall I enjoyed it.
While leaning towards historical fantasy rather than historical fiction, magic was blended in and I saw some parts of the movie weaved through out. While the writing was vivid and beautiful, it was a little mixed for me. Being very descriptive of captivity and war happening around them, it seemed to jump in and out of those surroundings so quickly it was hard to keep up. At first it was hard to read, then it picked up and then took off so fast it was a bit much. And the ending seemed to throw together a happy ending that to me still felt like there were a lot of lost ends.
However Nastya was beautifully written and her character was strong. I really enjoyed Nastya's character development throughout. I was able to see her grow and take charge of everything around her. The romantic relationship seemed a little awkward and rushed at the end.
But the family aspect was amazing to read! Seeing her love and loyalty to her family and bloodline. The bond between brother and sister was touching to read.
Overall I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
lindsayerin's review
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: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, and War
Moderate: Chronic illness, Gore, and Medical content
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 and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
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 bodiesrstegema's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
I love the various historical fiction tellings of Anastasia and the Romanov family and the way this was narrated and imagined was phenomenal.
I listened over audible, and the voice actor was incredible. The story had some aspects I was expecting and some that were a total surprise that only added to the allure for me.
The magical additions in the story drew everything together while still allowing the characters to grow and build relationships in powerful ways.
I really loved this book and would highly recommend it!
I listened over audible, and the voice actor was incredible. The story had some aspects I was expecting and some that were a total surprise that only added to the allure for me.
The magical additions in the story drew everything together while still allowing the characters to grow and build relationships in powerful ways.
I really loved this book and would highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
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