The story of the last daughter of the Romanov clan is probably one that most young girls hear at an early age. A lost princess, rumors that she survived and is in the world somewhere, and the demonic Rasputin who defied attempts to control and kill him--its a true modern fairy tale. Preble's take on the mystery and legend is unique and enthralling, mixing the few facts we know, Russian folk lore and modern day.

The inclusion of Baba Yaga, the proverbial witch in the woods of Russian folktales, was interesting. I've seen her written in so many different ways recently, that this wizened mostly mad old woman--who does things for the fun of it, not for any real reason most of the time--was refreshing.

The story itself is told from multiple first person viewpoints and times as we see events unfold around Anne, Anastasia and Ethan that could either be the final piece of the puzzle that is the lost princess or something far more sinister.

From a historical standpoint I know very little about Russian history, the Romanov Assassinations or the country's folklore. What little I know is gleaned from other stories or from what my father has told me honestly. As this wasn't meant to be a historical non-fiction novel, or even a historical fiction novel, I don't think it matters very much. Preble includes many details that were fascinating and made up plenty of her own I'm sure.

The overall tone of the book is rather melancholy however. For all the 'good' moments, there was an undercurrent of sadness that had me tensely wondering when the other 'foot' would drop. When it did I was very sad and briefly thought about skipping it, but I couldn't. Its an interesting conclusion that fits the tone of the novel, just not one I would normally enjoy. ( )

It had some flaws but overall I still liked it. I will probably start the second one soon, as I’ve already gotten it from the library.

Solid 3 ⭐️ ( )

Honestly, this book wasn't all that bad. Though, it needed some minor editing. ( )

This was an unusual take on the Anastasia Romanov mystery with a wonderful blend of history, fantasy, adventure and Russian folklore. A thoroughly enjoyable read. ( )

While I generally liked this book, there were points were I really struggled to get through the book. Some of the plot felt contrived, and I couldn't really get into Anne and Ethan's story. To be honest, I was more interested in Anastasia's story and how she would deal with Baba Yaga. I did like that Tess got involved in the main plot, but she felt more incidental. I also couldn't grasp Viktor as a villain, I didn't understand what his full motives were and the random theories that Anne sprouted off just felt random. ("Oh, he hates his family! Oh, he wants to live forever!") If this wasn't the start to a series and treated more as a stand-alone novel, I would probably have liked it a lot better. ( )