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lupinsoctober's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
kdawg420's review against another edition
3.0
I REALLY wanted to like this book. Alpsten's imagery and writing style are beautiful, and the story of Catherine the Great sounded super interesting. I got about halfway through and had to stop because I had a hard time following the plot--all I could gather was a series of similar traumatic experiences with no upward trajectory of Catherine (Marta's) rise to power. DNF for me--if the plot were to take off, it needs to do so before the halfway point!
elsa_joe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thereadingrunnner's review against another edition
4.0
"Telling the truth might not always save you. But maiming your soul will destroy you for sure. What good to conquer the world if you damage your soul?" -pg 80
I absolutely loved this novel! Marta's story is the Russian Cinderella tale. She is sold off by her family to a beastly man for a piece of silver, and so begins her story as she then proceeds to claw her way to the very top. The path she takes is torturous at times, but it is clear from the start how clever she is and how wittingly she is able to read people to make the best of each situation. She eventually wins the heart of Peter, tsar of all the Russias and we learn of her sacrifices, her devotion, her heartaches and her power as she takes on the name Catherine.
Admittedly I know little to nothing of this time period of Russia. The war aspects got a little confusing at times, but really, a true knowledge of the actual battles, etc was not required to thoroughly enjoy the story. The true tale here is the rags to riches story of Marta/Catherine and what it takes to keep the tsar close to her side and how she cunningly maintains her power and dignity within the relationship. I found her to be absolutely fascinating and a true badass woman, at least as much as one possibly can be in such a male dominated culture of that time period, when a woman's only benefit in men's eyes was providing sex and male heirs . Yet she was able to be much more for Peter and he often admits having her by his side helped to guide him. She was able to, at times, melt the tsar's icy heart and allow him to feel small flickers of compassion, despite the true monster that he was at times. I couldn't help but find myself rooting for Catherine at (almost) every turn. I turned a little sour towards her at the end. Without spoilers, let's just say she has some character flaws and is a lot more selfish than I realized. But as the tsar takes his last breath, which is revealed in the opening pages, we then are left to wonder as we read through her story, whether or not she has done enough to be crowned Tsarina, as there is no male heir to lead Russia and take the title. Or is the tsar as cruel and unforgiving as we are led to believe, despite her devotion during his rule?
I absolutely loved this novel! Marta's story is the Russian Cinderella tale. She is sold off by her family to a beastly man for a piece of silver, and so begins her story as she then proceeds to claw her way to the very top. The path she takes is torturous at times, but it is clear from the start how clever she is and how wittingly she is able to read people to make the best of each situation. She eventually wins the heart of Peter, tsar of all the Russias and we learn of her sacrifices, her devotion, her heartaches and her power as she takes on the name Catherine.
Admittedly I know little to nothing of this time period of Russia. The war aspects got a little confusing at times, but really, a true knowledge of the actual battles, etc was not required to thoroughly enjoy the story. The true tale here is the rags to riches story of Marta/Catherine and what it takes to keep the tsar close to her side and how she cunningly maintains her power and dignity within the relationship. I found her to be absolutely fascinating and a true badass woman, at least as much as one possibly can be in such a male dominated culture of that time period, when a woman's only benefit in men's eyes was providing sex and male heirs . Yet she was able to be much more for Peter and he often admits having her by his side helped to guide him. She was able to, at times, melt the tsar's icy heart and allow him to feel small flickers of compassion, despite the true monster that he was at times. I couldn't help but find myself rooting for Catherine at (almost) every turn. I turned a little sour towards her at the end. Without spoilers, let's just say she has some character flaws and is a lot more selfish than I realized. But as the tsar takes his last breath, which is revealed in the opening pages, we then are left to wonder as we read through her story, whether or not she has done enough to be crowned Tsarina, as there is no male heir to lead Russia and take the title. Or is the tsar as cruel and unforgiving as we are led to believe, despite her devotion during his rule?
leki_97's review against another edition
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
zoer03's review against another edition
5.0
This is an exquisite tale of a strong, determined woman in a time when most women were told to be seen and not heard. The writing is brilliant and the plot seems to flow effortlessly along. This will definitely find favour among the historical fiction community.
sarahbaera's review against another edition
4.0
I chose this book as I love historical fiction. This book surely read like fiction, but according to the author, it events are all based on well documented history. That made the book even more incredible. The beginning was a bit long but once it took off, it was a great rollercoaster ride. The writing/story was a bit disjointed at times, but easy enough to follow. I love when a book doesn't follow a linear timeline. This goes back and forth between Marta's humble beginnings and Catherine's unbelievable rise. I'd recommend this to anyone with a love of history. And romance ;-)
l_j_e's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Rating - 3.5⭐️
-I loved the historical accuracy of Tsarina and how every part of the time was represented.
-Alpsten's writing was heavily detailed with lovely descriptions, which allowed me to be fully absorbed in the story; the grandeur of the Russian courty was immense.
-I loved that Catherine never forgot where she came from and remembered how circumstances could have been so different for her.
-Catherine was quite inspiring because she went through so much at a young age, and lost so many children, but went on to be a loved Tsarina of Russia.
-Catherine's friendship with Daria was very different from the majority of Catherine's friendships or even associations with women and they never seemed in competition with each other.
-It was interesting how sometimes Alpsten glossed over some horrible losses in some cases but also went into deep description at other times. This really reflected whether Catherine was around Peter or not. She held a lot of herself back so as not to anger him or wound his pride.
-Alexey was annoying most of the time, he ended up being quite brutal to Charlotte, but he was a product of his environment, which was sad. The kindness Catherine showed him just wasn't enough.
-I liked how the first and last chapters began and ended the same way, with alomst identical words; it felt very rounded off and well finished.
-Even though she was ambitious, I didn't feel Catherine was cruel very often, except with Alexey on one occasion and with Varvara and Maria. Mostly, she was protecting herself and her children.
-Sheremetev eventually having a mistress was an interesting turn since he was so prudish and above it initially. It showed that no one was beyond reproach.
-Overall, I enjoyed reading Tsarina, immersing myself in the opulence of 18th Century Russia and following Marta on her journey to becoming Catherine I of Russia.
-I loved the historical accuracy of Tsarina and how every part of the time was represented.
-Alpsten's writing was heavily detailed with lovely descriptions, which allowed me to be fully absorbed in the story; the grandeur of the Russian courty was immense.
-I loved that Catherine never forgot where she came from and remembered how circumstances could have been so different for her.
-Catherine was quite inspiring because she went through so much at a young age, and lost so many children, but went on to be a loved Tsarina of Russia.
-Catherine's friendship with Daria was very different from the majority of Catherine's friendships or even associations with women and they never seemed in competition with each other.
-It was interesting how sometimes Alpsten glossed over some horrible losses in some cases but also went into deep description at other times. This really reflected whether Catherine was around Peter or not. She held a lot of herself back so as not to anger him or wound his pride.
-Alexey was annoying most of the time, he ended up being quite brutal to Charlotte, but he was a product of his environment, which was sad. The kindness Catherine showed him just wasn't enough.
-I liked how the first and last chapters began and ended the same way, with alomst identical words; it felt very rounded off and well finished.
-Even though she was ambitious, I didn't feel Catherine was cruel very often, except with Alexey on one occasion and with Varvara and Maria. Mostly, she was protecting herself and her children.
-Sheremetev eventually having a mistress was an interesting turn since he was so prudish and above it initially. It showed that no one was beyond reproach.
-Overall, I enjoyed reading Tsarina, immersing myself in the opulence of 18th Century Russia and following Marta on her journey to becoming Catherine I of Russia.