The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
rcmaxfield12's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
partisa88's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I started this book a while ago and actually read another book or two in the meantime. I had a hard time getting through it at the beginning, I’m not usually one for historical fiction so this was a step out of my usual comfort zone. This book was good once I got into it. She actually tells the story from two perspectives: Anastasia and Anna. The two stories are weaved together but Anastasia’s story starts from the beginning and Anna’s from the end. I’ll admit it was annoying at times going back and forth between the two stories but the author did a good job at the end of tying it all together. I did like the “fair warning” at the beginning of the book and the “I told you so” at the end of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape
ni_kola's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Rape, War, Vomit, Violence, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Genocide, Death, and Animal death
hanna's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I was so sure when I started reading this book: I wouldn't fall for Anna Anderson's claims. After all, it had been proven time and time again, that she wasn't Anastasia Romanov, that the Imperial family had all been murdered, their remains all uncovered.
But somehow, even I, not only a history student but also someone who's taken courses on genetic testing and its benefits for historians, started to desperately hope for this to end differently — what if we'd been wrong? What if one of the Romanovs had truly managed to escape the actions of that horrid night. Fuck all that genetic testing. It just felt to terrible to bear that all of these children had been brutally murdered.
And that's what this author manages to convey so, so well. Yes, they're entitled, they're spoiled, they think they deserve to rule over other people but in the end, it was still a massacre. No matter how much one is personally against royalty (and god, was I happy to read a book about royals written by someone who despises them — such a difficult concept to explain to people who know that I do royal history but don't understand who I can still wholeheartedly be against royalty).
I really appreciated the author's honesty in her own probable shortcomings when it came to the historical research. It's something we see way too little in historical fiction and I'd love to see it more! After all, there's a reason why I picked up fiction instead of my books for uni — I don't want to read about historical facts, I want something that can make these historical facts and historical people feel real. And this book definitely managed to do that.
But somehow, even I, not only a history student but also someone who's taken courses on genetic testing and its benefits for historians, started to desperately hope for this to end differently — what if we'd been wrong? What if one of the Romanovs had truly managed to escape the actions of that horrid night. Fuck all that genetic testing. It just felt to terrible to bear that all of these children had been brutally murdered.
And that's what this author manages to convey so, so well. Yes, they're entitled, they're spoiled, they think they deserve to rule over other people but in the end, it was still a massacre. No matter how much one is personally against royalty (and god, was I happy to read a book about royals written by someone who despises them — such a difficult concept to explain to people who know that I do royal history but don't understand who I can still wholeheartedly be against royalty).
I really appreciated the author's honesty in her own probable shortcomings when it came to the historical research. It's something we see way too little in historical fiction and I'd love to see it more! After all, there's a reason why I picked up fiction instead of my books for uni — I don't want to read about historical facts, I want something that can make these historical facts and historical people feel real. And this book definitely managed to do that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, War, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Sexual violence, Rape, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Mental illness, Medical content, and Animal death
forthe_girlwhowaited's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Animal death, Torture, Gun violence, Genocide, Death, Child death, and Violence
tnociti's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, War, Violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Sexual violence, and Rape
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